The Gold Line has been running for about six weeks now and ridership is about 2/3 higher than projected (1500 actual vs 1000 projected) although we are certainly still in the honeymoon phase (grandparents with toddlers might be 20% of current ridership) http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/l ... 42751.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
The current 1.5 mile stub route from downtown is not spectacularly useful as a transit service. Businesses at the eastern end of the line have seen a significant uptick in lunchtime traffic and a new (very large) mixed use development has been announced on Elizabeth Ave, which according to the developer, is a direct result of streetcar service. Overall, things have gone very well for this small starter segment. The one exception was an accident where the streetcar operator did not switch the control end of the vehicle when it began its return trip -- unfortunately the streetcar careened down the hill and rear ended an suv waiting at a traffic light. There were no serious injuries. http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/l ... 31458.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Other than this accident there have been very few issues with the vehicles running in mixed traffic, if CATS ever implements signal preemption for the Gold Line its speed will feel pretty good.
If things go according to plan the FFGA for Phase 2 of the Gold Line (2.5 additional miles which will extend through downtown and pass the long promised intercity rail Gateway Station plus purchase modern vehicles to replace the current replicas) should be signed in the next month (the money is in the 2016 FTA budget). Construction will begin in May with completion scheduled for 2019.
In other Charlotte area transit news the Blue Line LRT extension is wrapping up its civil construction phase and rails and a few Cat poles have begun to appear along the 9.7 mile route to UNC Charlotte. As with the original Blue Line, construction development has exploded along the 3 mile segment closest to downtown, well over a half billion of multi-family and mixed use construction has been announced in the corridor. Like the original segment, little development has been seen along the route further from downtown.
The current 1.5 mile stub route from downtown is not spectacularly useful as a transit service. Businesses at the eastern end of the line have seen a significant uptick in lunchtime traffic and a new (very large) mixed use development has been announced on Elizabeth Ave, which according to the developer, is a direct result of streetcar service. Overall, things have gone very well for this small starter segment. The one exception was an accident where the streetcar operator did not switch the control end of the vehicle when it began its return trip -- unfortunately the streetcar careened down the hill and rear ended an suv waiting at a traffic light. There were no serious injuries. http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/l ... 31458.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Other than this accident there have been very few issues with the vehicles running in mixed traffic, if CATS ever implements signal preemption for the Gold Line its speed will feel pretty good.
If things go according to plan the FFGA for Phase 2 of the Gold Line (2.5 additional miles which will extend through downtown and pass the long promised intercity rail Gateway Station plus purchase modern vehicles to replace the current replicas) should be signed in the next month (the money is in the 2016 FTA budget). Construction will begin in May with completion scheduled for 2019.
In other Charlotte area transit news the Blue Line LRT extension is wrapping up its civil construction phase and rails and a few Cat poles have begun to appear along the 9.7 mile route to UNC Charlotte. As with the original Blue Line, construction development has exploded along the 3 mile segment closest to downtown, well over a half billion of multi-family and mixed use construction has been announced in the corridor. Like the original segment, little development has been seen along the route further from downtown.
