southslider

^Mooresville to Charlotte trail looks a lot like a rail trail.

XCLT2 as in Silver Line trail?

Even if roads are added, I question the NC Legislature allowing Mecklenburg to go higher in taxes.

Upgrading the S-Line between Raleigh and Richmond is the single most important investment to growing rail ridership in NC. Charlotte would have the advantage of being the southern most major city with frequent trains from the Northeast.

NCDOT keeps delaying the project (U-5769), the latest official programmed year for construction being 2027, though possibly delayed another year to 2028.

As much parking there is along Streetcar, it's a wonder that folks make even more parking along the tracks for themselves.

Despite an existing connection to Union Station and planned connection to Bennington, Streetcar isn't shown on DC Metro maps, while the planned Purple Line often is. I guess Charlotte has it right when hiding Gold Line from its maps too.

For fans of hyperbole, here are two interesting facts about tourism and conventions... North Carolina is the fifth most visited state, which is impressive, given the top four states are the four most populous. The peer states to NC (5th) pulling in a lot more visitors than their population are Florida (2nd) and Tennessee (6th). Winston-Salem currently has the largest convention space on one level in North Carolina, which will be surpassed next by a planned expansion in Hickory. Large, single-level convention spaces attract a different kind of convention, like car shows and boat shows, than a destination venue does, like national conferences.

All of the grade separations could even remain and still have room for branch trails and waterways connecting to Little Sugar Creek.

The main reason to be concerned more about interconnectivity of LYNX lines than serving Gateway Station is there are a ton more riders connecting with Blue Line at CTC than there ever have been or ever will be from all the North Meck Expresses and Amtrak trains combined. And thus, it's a safe bet that Silver Line will connect a ton more riders with Blue Line than would ever be connecting with Red Line and Amtrak combined.

Dallas has the largest LRT system in the US yet manages multiple overlapping lines in its downtown, and so do many other cities, like Denver, Minneapolis, and Portland.

1. A lot of those transfers now happen at CTC, but with Silver Line, several east and west bus routes, including the highest ridership bus routes, could more efficiently connect outside of Uptown 2. Not significantly slower than curves already planned on Silver Line, like around North Graham Street

^^The community blew it long before 2020. It has been ten years now since the demolition of the mall and still this site is largely vacant. Even before the City paid to demolish the mall, there were private investors willing to convert it to a Latino-focused marketplace. For all these years, the surrounding area has seen multiple strip malls succeed with the same basic private-sector model.

The City's most frequent bus route used to be the one connecting Charlotte's existing Amtrak station, but ironically, the opening of the Blue Line Extension reduced the frequency of that bus connection.

That's exactly the biggest downside to not overlapping the lines. As inconvenient as the transfer between Blue and Gold is, the same should not be planned between Blue and Silver. Walking 3 minutes each transfer every trip adds up to a lot more time lost by those already experiencing a longer transit-based commute than the motorists briefly stopped for more passing trains.

Not Elizabeth Avenue. Oldest section of streetcar. And still NO development.

Not if they'd just use the existing Blue Line through Uptown for Silver Line.

Linked piece says his relatives own the estate.

Those totally opposed to transit aren't the only hurdle to funding more transit. There are those who would ideally support more transit but don't trust giving more funding to those who have so bumbled the planning and operations of this region's transit. The winnable votes include those who've been fooled too long on Red Line, feel Streetcar was a waste, or even just want better Uptown routing for Silver Line. Transit proponents would do better to solidify their allies before blaming their opponents.

^Gateway Station is of course a joint development. Other sections are fairly narrow for infill. And there already is a CATS-owned corridor through Uptown for Silver Line.

Before there even was a Blue Line, Dilworth blocked streets and fought the Arlington. Back when Blue Line first opened, Dilworth fought connecting Carson St, while Sedgefield fought extending Poindexter Dr. Over a decade later, and some vocal single-family interests again want to pretend they aren't suitable for more urban development a short walk from train stations.

A narrow Tyvola but wide Billy Graham lend themselves to BRT between Airport and South Park.

Yet another reason the existing Blue Line between 11th and Carson makes the most sense for Silver Line routing within Uptown.

Interlining would create 5-minute frequencies within Uptown (9th to Stonewall), which works there, given the slower train speeds. The Silver Line would have three-car platforms, such that 10-minute frequencies should be quite adequate. The only operating concern is for motorists Uptown at 5th, 6th, and 7th at-grade crossings, but Stonewall, 3rd, and 4th remain wider grade-separated alternative routes. 5th, 6th, and 7th should ideally function more like MLK, 9th, and 10th anyhow.

Thanks to this Rockingham project, the Triad will have two continuous expressway connections to Wilmington well before Charlotte ever has even just one.