The following article appeared in the April 11, 2024, edition of Transit Time, an e-newsletter from The Charlotte Ledger and WFAE.
CATS planners are re-examining details of the Red Line; look for our full analysis next week
by Tony Mecia
Transportation planners are re-examining many of the details of the proposed Red Line commuter rail between uptown Charlotte and northern Mecklenburg.
At an online meeting on Wednesday, officials with the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) said they are updating the planning for the 25-mile line to reflect changes in development patterns and people’s transportation needs in the 20+ years since the route was first envisioned.
“Pretty much every element of the design has gone through changes in the last 15 years,” said Brian Nadolny, CATS’ senior project manager for the Red Line. “We can’t just dust off the old project and try to build that project.”
CATS planners are revisiting plans for the Red Line, as they say conditions have changed since they last evaluated its stops, frequencies and other details. (Screen shot of Wednesday’s virtual meeting)
The updates include:
Re-examining the number of stations and their locations. Initial plans called for 10 stations between uptown and southern Iredell County.
Refining the frequency of the trains. They’re envisioned to run every 30 minutes at peak rush hour times and every 60 minutes other times, starting before 6 a.m. and ending after 12 a.m.
Planners said the city is still negotiating with the owner of the line, railroad Norfolk Southern. Funding for the project remains in limbo, too.
➡️ Coming next Thursday (April 18) in Transit Time: Ely Portillo of WFAE takes a closer look at the evolution of the Red Line 🚞
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