CATS Long Term Transit Plan - Silver, Red Lines

[tozmervo]

What kind of transit access would be provided out toward the eastland area (if any) in that scenario?

[cltbwimob]

Because maps, https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=z8afKc2mFdAc.kXpjFoHWF9Ic&usp=sharing

 

Started adding a few of those thoughts on (haven't made it as far as the commuter rail).

 

I think there are some interesting possibilities with the silver line, though I'm having a lot of heartburn with it running down central through P-M and really want to leave it in the CSX ROW to capture more Monroe Rd neighborhoods. Going west, I'm not sure the railroad ROW is the right solution because developable land is so limited, whereas running down 74 would have more impact.

 

I'm leaving editing open for now for folks to doodle. We'll find the money for these lines later

 

**edit: now editing is open. had a setting wrong.

For the western portion of the silver line I also think Wilkinson would provide the best opportunity for development.  When I stated that I would use the NS-Wilkinson-NS ROW what I meant was use the NS ROW from Gateway to I-77 then transition over to the median of Wilkinson until approximately Billy Graham Pkwy where the line would transition back to the NS ROW on airport grounds.

 

As for the eastern portion, the reason I think Central will work best is because a) the eastern corridor would no longer require the silver and gold lines which would reduce hundreds of millions in capital costs, and b) Central has the best chance for true urban redevelopment.  I do not think CSX would be a good corridor for LRT because it is too far from Monroe Rd and it passes through/by a lot of single family neighborhoods which are not really conducive environments for urban development.

 

One other thing I forgot to mention in my dream plan was a hypothetical Lynx Orange Line from Mint Hill at I-485/NC-24 to the airport.

 

Here is a google map of the plan sans the aforementioned commuter rail corridors to Monroe, Rock Hill, Gastonia, and Salisbury.

 

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=zyD0Z45JxU3U.kLoBr_SIosJY&usp=sharing

 

Here is a transit map I made also without the commuter rail lines and the streetcar lines.  The map was just getting too cluttered to add those things.  Its a bit out of proportion, but you get the point.

 

**Edit-I have a transit map drawn but it is not letting me copy it to this post...how do I do that?**

[southslider]

What kind of transit access would be provided out toward the eastland area (if any) in that scenario?

Not directly serve Eastland, but I'd get off the north side of Independence at Albemarle Rd, then follow that out to 485 in a center street median similar to N Tryon. Eastland would be served from Albemarle Rd at both Sharon Amity and/or Redman Rd stations.

Edited June 25, 2015 by southslider

[kermit]

This is the wrong thread but...

I was just listening to the streetsblog talking headways podcast with Mary Newsome, she had an offhanded mention that the city was going to be looking for a new planning director soon. Its possible that I misheard it but I got very excited. Anyone know anything?

http://usa.streetsblog.org/2015/06/26/talking-headways-podcast-charlottes-urban-web/

Edited June 29, 2015 by kermit

[southslider]

The City has had an interim Planning Director for some time now, ever since the prior Director became an Assistant City Manager.

[kermit]

Damn, I gotta pay more attention.

I am sure it would only cost a few bucks to hire Janet Sadik-Kahn (and she would be eager to leave NY....)

/sarcasm/

[seth0423]

I will say... There are some great ideas here, but we should group them into reality and just ultra dreams list.

 

 

2050 Plan:

 

Reality:

• All Three Phases of Streetcar completed (with the added help of an Eastland Mall redevelopment)
• Commuter Rail up to Spencer. This is rational because the NCRR will be double tracked all the way through in 40 years. I honestly see this as coming through by 2025-2030. Plus, 23,000 people commute to Mecklenburg from Cabarrus County alone.
• BLE will be complete, with the whole blue line being able to use 3 car trains.

Dreams:

• RED LINE RED LINE RED LINE!!! Last estimate I saw was a $650-700 Million price tag, Double the price of the blue line.
• Commuter Rail to Gastonia, Monroe, and Rock Hill. This will ease the congestion on our major corridors. (Plus 21,000 Commuters from Union)
• Light Rail, with the tunnelled Southpark Branch and Ballantyne extension. 
• Wesley heights trolley merged into the streetcar network... I will attach a map showing where we need them.
• RAIL TO THE AIRPORT. It can be something like Toronto's new Pearson Express but WE NEED IT.
• Last but not least... AN ACTUAL TRAIN STATION FOR CRYING OUT LOUD.

Feel Free to edit it with your own ideas  https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ZYZxMIm9tiHL73zLIJrQceMQc0o&usp=sharing

[kermit]

Rock Hill is 'considering' a streetcar as part of their Knowledge Corridor plans. I doubt the idea goes anywhere, but it is interesting they are discussing it at all, particularly in combination with the recent Belmont news.

http://www.masstransitmag.com/news/14024304/with-road-trip-scuttled-rock-hill-gmakes-most-of-atlanta-layover

A perfect world would include commuter rail from Charlotte to all the outlying town centers and each would have a robust transit circulation system when you get there.

[southslider]

Realistically, Phase 2 may be the end of Gold Line, as real-life operational constraints catch up with planning and design.

Pragmatically, commuter rail will go to Concord-Kannapolis first, given the infrastructure being virtually ready.

Politically, southeast corridor will languish as a protected alignment to appease Matthews, when Cleveland-like BRT makes sense out Albemarle Rd.

Also politically, every occasional rider / non-riding supporter of transit will still be wondering (as they do in most medium-sized cities) why a rail line doesn't go to a domestic hub, where most traffic never leaves the terminal.

And yet to be determined, if the Lake interests don't kill the HOT lanes, the private builder actually doupes an investor, or NSRR comes to their senses, then North Mecklenburg will start over, with new HOT lanes as their blantant opportunity.

Edited July 1, 2015 by southslider

[jednc]

And yet to be determined, if the Lake interests don't kill the HOT lanes, the private builder actually doupes an investor, or NSRR comes to their senses, then North Mecklenburg will start over, with new HOT lanes as their blantant opportunity.

Not sure what you're saying here...

[southslider]

^Red Line is the least certain corridor, though HOT lanes may offer an express BRT alternative.

[15895]

^Red Line is the least certain corridor, though HOT lanes may offer an express BRT alternative.

But I bet it would benefit Mecklenburg the most and we have the infrastructure and zoning to be transit friendly in North Meck. Development would boom around the stations.

Why should we spend money on transit that benefits the other counties more than us? A concord/Kannapolis or Belmont/Gastonia commuter train would benefit Gaston & Cabarrus much more than it would Meck. Besides, they probably wouldn't even contribute. They should be responsible for half the cost.

[ajfunder]

^Because commuter rail would solidify Uptown as the one true center of the region. Multiple commuter rail lines joining together in Uptown would bring even more of a demand for business, retail, and other development. It says to the developers and residents that this is the center of the region. This is where the region comes together and it is the heart and soul of the entire metropolitan area. It would bring more vibrancy and more investment to Uptown.

There is no doubt that other counties should contribute but a good commuter rail network has the potential to build and maintain urban cores simply because it would greatly increase connectivity to the rest of the region.

[elrodvt]

^Because commuter rail would solidify Uptown as the one true center of the region. Multiple commuter rail lines joining together in Uptown would bring even more of a demand for business, retail, and other development. It says to the developers and residents that this is the center of the region. This is where the region comes together and it is the heart and soul of the entire metropolitan area. It would bring more vibrancy and more investment to Uptown.

There is no doubt that other counties should contribute but a good commuter rail network has the potential to build and maintain urban cores simply because it would greatly increase connectivity to the rest of the region.

Great post!

[kermit]

Rock Hill keeps popping up as a place where a rail connection to Charlotte may make sense but is difficult to execute (the existing rail route is roundabout since it requires going all the way to the airport before turning South). One alternative to traditional commuter rail service might be to use the Texas A-Train (Denton, TX to "Dallas") model.

 

The A-train runs 21 miles from downtown Denton to an Outlying DART LRT station in Carrolton (near the end of the Orange line which runs downtown). It runs on a refurbed abandoned rail corridor which is parralel to I-35E. Applying this model in Rock Hill would use the existing NS tracks for service something like:

• A downtown RH station (there is actually plenty of room for a park and ride station)
• A Fort Mill station (again, plenty of room for park and ride)
• Terminate at the I-485 blue line station allowing for a timed, cross platform transfer to the Lynx -- perhaps on new, stub tracks in the area between the current LRT and the parking deck. (a downtown Pineville station would be technically possible but I don't think it would be worth the time for the stop)

This service could be fast (perhaps less than 15 minutes from end to end) and cheap. NS would certainly expect lots of double tracking before they would consent to the use of their tracks. The current double tracking project on the NCRR around Harrisburg cost around $6 million per mile (new LRT is typically $40-100 million per mile). Other merits of the service would be:

• Not interfering with the important junction between the NS main / the intermodal yard and the Columbia line (this line)
• Not adding traffic to the NS Charlotte to Atlanta main
• Nearly all of the investment would be in York county which would make inter-jurisdictional funding much simplier
• Might be a nice downpayment on future CLT-Columbia intercity rail

The two seat ride to downtown is certainly sub-optimal (the vehicles could not run on blue line tracks due to FRA regulations) and double tracking the Catawba river bridge would be expensive. However, I wonder if a York county would be willing to pay $100 million to connect to CATS and provide an alternative to I-77 in NC? I really can't imagine NC paying real money for Rock Hill rail service.

[elrodvt]

I know politically we cannot do better than these options but it's such a shame to be building NEW transit that's not competitive with what Asian countries can afford. Future generations will be bemoaning these choices. We shouldn't have to be constrained with using existing rail ROW.

[Third Strike]

Rock Hill keeps popping up as a place where a rail connection to Charlotte may make sense but is difficult to execute (the existing rail route is roundabout since it requires going all the way to the airport before turning South). One alternative to traditional commuter rail service might be to use the Texas A-Train (Denton, TX to "Dallas") model.

 

The A-train runs 21 miles from downtown Denton to an Outlying DART LRT station in Carrolton (near the end of the Orange line which runs downtown). It runs on a refurbed abandoned rail corridor which is parralel to I-35E. Applying this model in Rock Hill would use the existing NS tracks for service something like:

• A downtown RH station (there is actually plenty of room for a park and ride station)
• A Fort Mill station (again, plenty of room for park and ride)
• Terminate at the I-485 blue line station allowing for a timed, cross platform transfer to the Lynx -- perhaps on new, stub tracks in the area between the current LRT and the parking deck. (a downtown Pineville station would be technically possible but I don't think it would be worth the time for the stop)

This service could be fast (perhaps less than 15 minutes from end to end) and cheap. NS would certainly expect lots of double tracking before they would consent to the use of their tracks. The current double tracking project on the NCRR around Harrisburg cost around $6 million per mile (new LRT is typically $40-100 million per mile). Other merits of the service would be:

• Not interfering with the important junction between the NS main / the intermodal yard and the Columbia line (this line)
• Not adding traffic to the NS Charlotte to Atlanta main
• Nearly all of the investment would be in York county which would make inter-jurisdictional funding much simplier
• Might be a nice downpayment on future CLT-Columbia intercity rail

The two seat ride to downtown is certainly sub-optimal (the vehicles could not run on blue line tracks due to FRA regulations) and double tracking the Catawba river bridge would be expensive. However, I wonder if a York county would be willing to pay $100 million to connect to CATS and provide an alternative to I-77 in NC? I really can't imagine NC paying real money for Rock Hill rail service.

 

The SCDOT has expressed interest in a Charlotte-Columbia intercity line, along the N-S. If such a line happens, the SCDOT would double track the N-S from Columbia to the Mecklenburg County line, and the NCDOT could finish the project at the I-485 Station. SCDOT gets a new linkage between Charlotte and Columbia, and Charlotte gets a commuter line to Rock Hill. Also, I do think it would be a good idea to have a stop in Pineville (no park and ride).

[nmundo]

^^^This is a much needed conversation.

 

Here is what I would like to see happen for the 2050 plan:

 

LYNX Silver Line:

-LRT from Matthews to the airport

-Use Central Avenue-Sharon Amity-Independence/Monroe Rd ROW  terminating at a large park and ride at I-485/US-74 for the eastern alignment.

-Use NS-Wilkinson-NS alignment for the western portion terminating at an I-485/Wilkinson park and ride facility.

-Allow for extension to Johnny Harris' "Crystal City" if it ever comes about.

 

LYNX Red Line:

-Abandon the NS Commuter Rail corridor in favor of a new corridor from Davidson College to Uptown using a ROW close to I-77 that can capture Northlake and    Bryton

-Use DMU based light rail (a la NCTD Sprinter) to increase acceleration, number of stops, and frequency for increased ridership.

 

LYNX Blue Line:

-Construct an extension to Ballantyne with a stop at Carolina Place

-Construct an extension to Concord Airport via US-29 and Bruton Smith Blvd with stops at I-485, Speedway, and Concord Mills

-Construct large park and rides at I-485/US-521, I-485/US-29, and I-85/Concord Mills

 

CityLYNX Streetcar:

-Create a true urban circulator

-Construct phases 1 & 2 as well as the Beatties Ford Rd segment

-Relinquish the Central Avenue corridor to LYNX Silver Line

-Construct new segments in the following locations using dedicated ROW wherever possible:

   1. I-85 to Uptown along Freedom Drive corridor

   2. Queens University-CHC-Metropolitain-Uptown corridor

 

LYNX Circumferential BRT:

-Construct a BRT circumferential route from Southpark to the airport via Tyvola Rd and Billy Graham Pkwy.

-Eventually extend in phases from the airport to Northlake via I-485, Northlake to UNCC via WT Harris, and UNCC to LYNX Silver Line via Harris and Sharon Amity

 

Commuter Rail:

-Provide Commuter Rail service to

   1.  Monroe via CSX

   2.  Gastonia via P&N

   3.  Salisbury via NCRR

   4.  Rock Hill via NS if they will allow.

Last summer I started work on a map and it never got finished because school I just decided to start over again using this plan as the basis for it and decided to post the very very rough plan here before I really started work on it to ask you guys anything you'd like to see in your CATS dreams. 

 

I'm considering splitting the red line into 2 lines on the same tracks. LYNX red line rapid transit from Uptown to Northlake and commuter service from Uptown to Mooresville.

 

So yeah, any ideas before it's too late to make major changes would be really appreciated.

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/jccecwydslpygps/Screen%20Shot%202015-07-03%20at%2012.40.23%20AM.png

Edited July 3, 2015 by Hector Mundo

[cltbwimob]

Rock Hill keeps popping up as a place where a rail connection to Charlotte may make sense but is difficult to execute (the existing rail route is roundabout since it requires going all the way to the airport before turning South). One alternative to traditional commuter rail service might be to use the Texas A-Train (Denton, TX to "Dallas") model.

 

The A-train runs 21 miles from downtown Denton to an Outlying DART LRT station in Carrolton (near the end of the Orange line which runs downtown). It runs on a refurbed abandoned rail corridor which is parralel to I-35E. Applying this model in Rock Hill would use the existing NS tracks for service something like:

• A downtown RH station (there is actually plenty of room for a park and ride station)
• A Fort Mill station (again, plenty of room for park and ride)
• Terminate at the I-485 blue line station allowing for a timed, cross platform transfer to the Lynx -- perhaps on new, stub tracks in the area between the current LRT and the parking deck. (a downtown Pineville station would be technically possible but I don't think it would be worth the time for the stop)

This service could be fast (perhaps less than 15 minutes from end to end) and cheap. NS would certainly expect lots of double tracking before they would consent to the use of their tracks. The current double tracking project on the NCRR around Harrisburg cost around $6 million per mile (new LRT is typically $40-100 million per mile). Other merits of the service would be:

• Not interfering with the important junction between the NS main / the intermodal yard and the Columbia line (this line)
• Not adding traffic to the NS Charlotte to Atlanta main
• Nearly all of the investment would be in York county which would make inter-jurisdictional funding much simplier
• Might be a nice downpayment on future CLT-Columbia intercity rail

The two seat ride to downtown is certainly sub-optimal (the vehicles could not run on blue line tracks due to FRA regulations) and double tracking the Catawba river bridge would be expensive. However, I wonder if a York county would be willing to pay $100 million to connect to CATS and provide an alternative to I-77 in NC? I really can't imagine NC paying real money for Rock Hill rail service.

I don't think the existing roundabout for a hypothetical commuter rail line to Rock Hill because commuter rail is typically a high-speed operation with few stops.  As such, the roundabout would likely only add a few minutes of travel time compared to a straight shot into uptown.  It would certainly be faster than the two-seat "A-train" to the blue line then connect to the blue line for a ride uptown. Plus, commuters could still connect to the blue line if needed because the NSRR tracks and the blue line tracks are in the same ROW between Archdale and 485.  Archdale and 485 stations could have commuter rail stops added to the existing stations and become transfer stations for both lines.

 

I think the bigger impediment to commuter rail to Rock Hill is NSRR itself.  The railroad has proven to be intractable in regards to commuter rail as evidenced by their stance on the red line.  Considering the O-line has precisely one train per day and yet NS still maintains commuter rail and freight rail won't mix on that line, I have a hard time believing NS would consider allowing commuter trains on a line that actually has more than a negligible amount of traffic.  The one hope I have for commuter rail to Rock Hill (and why I believe negotiations between railroad and transit agency may be a little more amicable than they were for the red line) is that the Charlotte-Rock Hill-Columbia line does not receive a very high volume of freight traffic, but unlike the O-line, the south line does not parallel one of their main routes.  This means NS could not claim they are holding it in strategic reserve like they did for the O-line.  Of course, they could just flat out refuse to allow commuter trains on the line which is what I would expect from them.

 

I think a commuter rail line similar to the A-train proposal does have some merit to it, but I believe it would have to be built on new tracks.  The reason is that the European DMUs, such as those used by the A-train, do not meet FRA regulated coupler strength and front end impact load requirements.  The FRA does grant exceptions, but only when commuter lines using these light DMUs and freight railroads do not use the same track at the same time.  Once again, given NSRRs position on commuter rail lines that use (or, in the case of the red line would use) FRA-compliant equipment and could feasibly operate in mixed traffic, I would never expect Norfolk Southern to allow A-train type DMUs on their tracks as it would drastically alter their freedom of movement on the line.

 

Speaking of FRA requirements, I actually do not think that the FRA requirements would prevent A-train type DMUs such as the Stadler GTW or the Siemens Desiro from operating on blue line tracks.  As stated in the previous paragraph, the requirements that exist segregate light DMUs from heavy freight railroads, but I do not think they apply in the same way between light DMUs and light rail.  The whole point of the FRA rules is to keep the European style DMUs off freight railroads because they would not provide too much protection for passengers if they were to collide with a freight train.   I think it is actually possible to run the European style DMUs on light rail tracks from a regulatory standpoint, but I do not know if the blue line tracks are engineered to handle the extra heft of the DMUs which typically outweigh light rail vehicles by 20K-30K pounds.

 

Assuming there are no regulatory or engineering requirements that would prevent European-style DMUs from using LRT tracks, and assuming York county and SC would be willing to build an extra rail line from the state line to Rock Hill, I can see how an A-train type line from downtown Rock Hill to downtown Charlotte would be feasible.  It could even be designed to have a limited number of stops along the shared blue line segment so it would operate as an express train of sorts.  It must however, be able to make the full trip between Rock Hill and Uptown.  If it stops at I-485 and passengers then have to board a blue line train, I think ridership will be severely limited just like the A-train which carries a paltry 1500-2000 passengers per day. 

 

***Edit-One thing a hypothetical DMU based line could do is connect to the proposal I made for a DMU based light rail line between uptown and Davidson such that the line would run from Davidson-Uptown-Rock Hill.  On the continuum of transit technologies, it would lie somewhere between commuter rail and light rail with more frequent stops and faster acceleration than traditional commuter rail but less so than traditional electrified light rail.  This is a concept Jarrett Walker has dubbed rapid rail, and I think it would be highly useful in areas where Norfolk Southern will undoubtedly say "no" to traditional commuter rail because it would not use their tracks.  Below is an article on the NCTD sprinter. Even though it is called light rail, it is the kind of technology I would envision for such a line.

 

http://www.engine-driver.com/article/show/6952/ts2015-pacific-surfliner-extension-route-proposal-oceanside-to-escondido

Edited July 3, 2015 by cltbwimob

[kermit]

^ You are right that the A-train stragety is sub-optimal for the Rock Hill route -- the 'real' commuter route would not add much time. However, the benefit of the A-train strategy is its cheapness ($100-$200 million cheaper than traditional commuter rail if NS requires double tracking. Perhaps a $400 million cheaper than new ROW).

 

I had also forgotten about the time-seperation requirement for DMU service on active freight lines, so you are right,  the cheap version of this plan is off the table. Even with time seperation,  a through-service A-train (which would run on the Blue Line tracks into town) would be impossible due to the FRA/FTA prohibition on direct connections between heavy rail and LRT, so any through service would require entirely seperate ROW from Rock Hill to 485. Something that would almost certainly be cost-prohibitive.

 

The A-train idea is clearly half-cocked, but it initially seemed to be a solution to the delimia of interjurisdicitonal funding for an SC rail service. As a Mecklenburg tax payer I don't think I would want to see my tax $ going to build tracks in SC. The A-train model (which we discovered is not technically possible) would likely have been the cheapest way for York to get connected to our rail system.

 

I need to stop kidding myself, I doubt I'll see any inter-county commuter service here in my lifetime.

[cltbwimob]

^ You are right that the A-train stragety is sub-optimal for the Rock Hill route -- the 'real' commuter route would not add much time. However, the benefit of the A-train strategy is its cheapness ($100-$200 million cheaper than traditional commuter rail if NS requires double tracking. Perhaps a $400 million cheaper than new ROW).

 

I had also forgotten about the time-seperation requirement for DMU service on active freight lines, so you are right,  the cheap version of this plan is off the table. Even with time seperation,  a through-service A-train (which would run on the Blue Line tracks into town) would be impossible due to the FRA/FTA prohibition on direct connections between heavy rail and LRT, so any through service would require entirely seperate ROW from Rock Hill to 485. Something that would almost certainly be cost-prohibitive.

 

The A-train idea is clearly half-cocked, but it initially seemed to be a solution to the delimia of interjurisdicitonal funding for an SC rail service. As a Mecklenburg tax payer I don't think I would want to see my tax $ going to build tracks in SC. The A-train model (which we discovered is not technically possible) would likely have been the cheapest way for York to get connected to our rail system.

 

I need to stop kidding myself, I doubt I'll see any inter-county commuter service here in my lifetime.

The A-train idea would technically not require a new ROW; all it would take is a second track in the NS ROW from I-485 station to Rock Hill.  It's the "double track" option if you will, though the DMUs would not be allowed to use the parallel NS tracks nor would freight trains be allowed to use the DMU tracks.

 

I think the idea is worth considering assuming nothing prevents A-train style DMUs from using blue line tracks.  If the A-train style DMUs can use blue line tracks, then half the route is already in place.  Mecklenburg could pay for the segment of track from I-485 to the SC line, and York County could pay for the remainder.  Assuming your guestimate of $100-$200 million for new track between 485 and Rock Hill is reasonable, it could be a very useful idea since NS is sure to say "hell no" to any actual commuter rail proposal.  However, trains must be able to traverse the full length of the route between Rock Hill and Uptown.  I do not think the A-train model where riders would be forced to finish their trip to uptown via a transfer to the blue line would be good here because it will severely limit ridership and likely not be a justifiable expense. 

Edited July 4, 2015 by cltbwimob

[kermit]

Why don't we have a local organization that can leverage the current dissatisfaction with toll roads in order to promote a new transit finance and development strategy?

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/eric-frazier/article26143090.html

When folks in North Meck seriously discuss tax increases just to NOT build toll lanes there is a serious opportunity for transit funding expansion.

 

Why isn't Sustain Charlotte doing this? Doesn't CCCP have a lot to gain from promoting transit? Why is no organization speaking up?

Edited July 7, 2015 by kermit

[kermit]

Los Angeles is discussing a plan that would allow transit riders to make a free transfer to bike share using their integrated fare cards. Its not yet clear how his would impact the membership structure of bike share systems (and its not yet clear they can pull it off). At a minimum it appears that the Los Angeles integrated fare card can be used to unlock a bike from a dock it you already have membership.

http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-california-commute-20150707-story.html

I have said before, CATS would benefit from stronger integration with bcycle. This will be particularly important after we get our new farecards and the BLE opens.

[emansius]

Los Angeles is discussing a plan that would allow transit riders to make a free transfer to bike share using their integrated fare cards. Its not yet clear how his would impact the membership structure of bike share systems (and its not yet clear they can pull it off). At a minimum it appears that the Los Angeles integrated fare card can be used to unlock a bike from a dock it you already have membership.

http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-california-commute-20150707-story.html

I have said before, CATS would benefit from stronger integration with bcycle. This will be particularly important after we get our new farecards and the BLE opens.

 

What is the deal with the new farecards...?

[tozmervo]

Best as I can tell, CATS is waiting until they win a grant to pay for updating the farebox system. It comes up repeatedly in various meeting minutes, most recently the "between the lines" sounds like it will be implemented prior to the BLE opening, as the new corridor should ideally have the new technology to start with.