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Lynx Blue Line (South Corridor)

monsoon

By monsoon
in Charlotte

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foxmccleod Unincorporated Area

foxmccleod

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Regarding the Trade St. Canopy. I posted earlier in the thread exactly what that was. Of course I can't find the material name right now, but it is a type of hard plastic that is the same being used on the new Olympic Stadium in Bejing. It gives durability and protection from the weather, but is translucent. I agree, though, so far it does not look like a good quality job, but I am skeptical that it will all be fixed and finished lookin' good, since there tends to be flaws like these in any project that gets fixed in the end.
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MZT Burg

MZT

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The morning I saw two trains (4 LRV's) travelling together. I wonder if it is possible for them to travel fully loaded like that? It would make the stops a lot slower, of course. But it would be cheaper than enlarging the platforms for 4 LRV's at once.

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MZT Burg

MZT

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I got home tonight and there is a CATS postcard with a pass code for 3 free days on the blue line. There was also someone on my bus last night explaining route changes and fares, etc. Looks like CATS is trying to coax people into changing their habits.

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dubone Megalopolis

dubone

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I was walking home from Target last night and saw 3rd Street station illuminated from within, and I think that looks very inviting and cool. It is definitely 'place-making'.

I don't think there would be much need for 4-car trains, since it would be better to just double the frequency rather than having all 4 show up at once. The only thing they save is a couple minutes of waiting when there are more people riding than can fit in a 2-car train, and the cost of a driver, which is not a major factor considering how many buses are out there.

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MZT Burg

MZT

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I had asssumed that 7.5 minute frequency is the maximum. But maybe that's not the case. IE if there is enough ridership to merit more trains, they could improve the frequency down to 5 or 4 minutes or something.

Even if that's not possible, I suppose just running 7.5 minute frquency for longer portions of the day could help with overload, at least to some point, before they have to expand the platforms.

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dubone Megalopolis

dubone

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7.5 minute frequency is the highest we plan to go here, but it isn't maximum. There was mention in some public meetings that they could double that they could go to higher frequency if they had enough demand. I bet it would require more trains to be bought, though, but I'm not sure on that (the same goes for having all the trains 4-car, there just aren't enough to do that). It is much more effective to run an additional 2-car train a few minutes behind than to have a single 4-car train stop twice at each station to let people on and off both sets of 2. (The platforms only support 2 at a time.).

If we get to a point like Denver where there is enough ridership for 6-cars, assuming that is a fact, then it would simply be some construction money to expand the station platforms and buy the added trains. That is part of the reason they decided to cut the longer platforms that serve 3-car trains. The 2-car platforms could support all of the expected riders by simply adding frequency. If they get to a point where ridership justifies more capacity, then they can just fund that additional money. Who knows, they might even be able to do it as part of the extension of the Blue Line (NE), if they wildly exceed initial expectations and need the bigger stations sooner.

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ChiefJoJo Town

ChiefJoJo

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7.5 minute frequency is the highest we plan to go here, but it isn't maximum. There was mention in some public meetings that they could double that they could go to higher frequency if they had enough demand. I bet it would require more trains to be bought, though, but I'm not sure on that (the same goes for having all the trains 4-car, there just aren't enough to do that). It is much more effective to run an additional 2-car train a few minutes behind than to have a single 4-car train stop twice at each station to let people on and off both sets of 2. (The platforms only support 2 at a time.).

If we get to a point like Denver where there is enough ridership for 6-cars, assuming that is a fact, then it would simply be some construction money to expand the station platforms and buy the added trains. That is part of the reason they decided to cut the longer platforms that serve 3-car trains. The 2-car platforms could support all of the expected riders by simply adding frequency. If they get to a point where ridership justifies more capacity, then they can just fund that additional money. Who knows, they might even be able to do it as part of the extension of the Blue Line (NE), if they wildly exceed initial expectations and need the bigger stations sooner.

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monsoon Gigalopolis

monsoon

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I don't think you would see the situation where they would do double loading on the trains. i.e. Train stops, first set loads/unloads, then stops again while second set loads/unloads. It's too confusing for the people to handle and gives them anxiety. The other problem is it is a fairly inefficient use of the equipment because if you double load the train, you have to do it at all stations until you either dis-engage the cars or get everyone off the second set of cars.

I've traveled on a lot of transit systems and I can't say that I have ever seen this, (and I've seen some weird things) but then again that isn't to say it couldn't happen here. I think they would be better served, if this is really needed, by either extending the platforms, and or adding a few pullouts so they could offer some express service.

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Spartan Gigalopolis

Spartan

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I don't think you would see the situation where they would do double loading on the trains. i.e. Train stops, first set loads/unloads, then stops again while second set loads/unloads. It's too confusing for the people to handle and gives them anxiety. The other problem is it is a fairly inefficient use of the equipment because if you double load the train, you have to do it at all stations until you either dis-engage the cars or get everyone off the second set of cars.

I've traveled on a lot of transit systems and I can't say that I have ever seen this, (and I've seen some weird things) but then again that isn't to say it couldn't happen here. I think they would be better served, if this is really needed, by either extending the platforms, and or adding a few pullouts so they could offer some express service.

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uptownliving Town

uptownliving

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I found it interesting the people that showed up and those that didnt show up at the ribbon cutting for the LYNX Blue Line yesterday.

Those in attendance:

Almost the entire City Council and Mecklenburg County Commision along with top tier executives from both the city and county (no surprise there)

-Both Senator Dole and Burr were there

-Previous Charlotte Mayors Richard Vinroot, Sue Myrick, and Harvey Gantt

-Mayors of all the Mecklenburg Towns

-Mayors of Asheville and Greensboro

-David King who is leading up the efforts to redo the TTA plans. Formerly of NCDOT.

-Almost the entire Mecklenburg Delegation of the NC Legislature

Those not in attendance

Governor Easley

Lieutenant Governor Beverly Purdue

NCDOT Director Lyndo Tippet

Congressman Mel Watt

I was really surprised to not have any representation from the NC Governor's office considering the amount of money the State has sunk into this project. However it was nice to have Mayors from outside of Mecklenburg there. My guess is they were there to see how our project turned out and to maybe replicate in their respective cities.

The person that stole the show was Ron Tober. He actually drove the first train full of all the politicians. Yes it was a readymade political cartoon... and no he didn't drive them over a cliff...at least not in real life :)

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voyager12 Town

voyager12

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I don't expect the trains to be filled to capacity once service begins in earnest. The Rhino and those opposed to the system will glory in this I am sure. We are going into what are usually the coldest months in Charlotte and this may deter people from wanting to wait in the open air stations. Overall it will just take a little time for people to get warmed up to this new option, no pun intended.

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nowensone Burg

nowensone

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...

Those not in attendance

Governor Easley

Lieutenant Governor Beverly Purdue

NCDOT Director Lyndo Tippet

Congressman Mel Watt

...

The person that stole the show was Ron Tober. He actually drove the first train full of all the politicians. Yes it was a readymade political cartoon... and no he didn't drive them over a cliff...at least not in real life :)

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MZT Burg

MZT

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They won't be filled to capacity the first day but I'm sure they'll be well occupied. Most of the people on rides 12 and 24 will switch immediately, and now there will be crosstown busses to bring people to the stations.

This morning they seemed to be testing the system under high frequency. I saw 3 trains just while waiting for my bus.

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Atlside Whistle-Stop

Atlside

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Is anyone concerned how the CATS Lynx train will impact traffic as they leave the rail yard or as the trains head north and south bound where these trains will cross over the street?

This looks like the only area along the line where it seems most likely that cars will crash into the trains.

I wonder why CATS did not elevate the tracks here.

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