Charlotte Center City Streetcar Network

[KJHburg]

^^^ coming soon a Charlotte version of that Houston video as our drivers, walkers etc are not any better.  I just hope no one gets hurt seriously or killed.  These trains streetcars etc are nothing to play around with as they can not stop on a dime.  

[tozmervo]

I couldn't snap a photo, but the first cantenary poles (that I've seen) are going up at Johnson & Wales way

[kermit]

New, still plastic wrapped, vehicle delivery at the North Yard this morning. I assume unit 405. 

Only one more to come.

[t_money]

1 hour ago, kermit said:

New, still plastic wrapped, vehicle delivery at the North Yard this morning. I assume unit 405. 

Only one more to come.

I was thought there was going to be a photo with this post

[kermit]

1 hour ago, t_money said:

I was thought there was going to be a photo with this post

Was on wrong side of train, will get one on my way home...

Edited December 11, 2019 by kermit

[XRZ.ME]

So should CATS order more Siemens train sets for Blue line now.

[kermit]

33 minutes ago, XRZ.ME said:

So should CATS order more Siemens train sets for Blue line now.

Yes! 

1) It appears to me that they have no spares during peak.

2) Changing to 5 minute headways at rush and 10 minute all day would make a big difference in ridership. 

3) afternoon rush crowding is severe south of CTC

3) The 100 series cars are now approaching 15 years old.

Unit 405:

 

Edited December 11, 2019 by kermit

[Matthew.Brendan]

So we can expect CATS to move on this sometime in the next 15 years?

[tozmervo]

I believe it's about $3.5-4 million per train vehicle, so I'd recommend getting city council to cough up the dough. 

[Matthew.Brendan]

What’s the current budget? Is that a public document?

Is there an outline for planned costs, maintenance, purchases etc?

[kermit]

1 minute ago, tozmervo said:

I believe it's about $3.5-4 million per train vehicle, so I'd recommend getting city council to cough up the dough. 

I haven’t looked at the numbers but sales tax revenue has been over performing for a long while. Since they have said they have no intent of using the current transit tax revenues on system expansion (I was surprised that they went to the city for Silver Line planning $) I think the current operating budget has some wiggle room.

[just guessing]

[tozmervo]

4 extra vehicles were funded and purchased in 2008 after the blue line blew past projections.

The FY 2020 budget is in the MTC minutes here: https://charlottenc.gov/cats/about/boards/MTC Agendas/MTC_Agenda_Summary_190424.pdf

I believe the challenge is competition with lots of other capital spending needs, like improving the bus system. One of the reasons that headways are so poor on some routes is that CATS doesn't have enough busses to run more often. I can't recall the exact number, but I believe one of the hybrid-type busses is like $900k (not including adding full time bus operators)

[kermit]

[ignorant spitballing here...]

or, the city /CATS could be innovative and sell bonded carbon offsets to finance the new vehicles. I am sure it would be easy to price the reduced carbon outputs of 3,000 (?) additional daily riders produced by higher frequencies. 

If increased ridership does not materialize from higher frequency (I really think it will based on the crappiness of daily riding), then just shrug and just allocate the vehicles to the Silver Line.

Given the RNC generated delay in Gold Line opening it also appears that there is a window where Gold Line vehicles could be run on the Blue Line to augment service for some period of time to test the frequency thesis. (Only after the vehicles have been tested of course)

Electric vehicle charging infrastructure is working on a similar revenue stream: https://www.navigantresearch.com/news-and-views/ev-charging-to-tap-carbon-credits-for-new-revenue-stream 

 

 

Edited December 12, 2019 by kermit

[Yeahdoug]

On 12/9/2019 at 6:35 PM, tozmervo said:

I couldn't snap a photo, but the first cantenary poles (that I've seen) are going up at Johnson & Wales way

I’m staring at one now, they seem ridiculously tall. Like 4-5 stories high  

[t_money]

6 hours ago, kermit said:

Yes! 

1) It appears to me that they have no spares during peak.

2) Changing to 5 minute headways at rush and 10 minute all day would make a big difference in ridership. 

3) afternoon rush crowding is severe south of CTC

3) The 100 series cars are now approaching 15 years old.

Unit 405:

 

DO NOT HUMP!  

[Jasons0013]

Thinking the eventual line to Eastland is looking better and better now that the MLS HQ and practice fields are going there.  Even if it will take an hour to get uptown.

[kermit]

So why is the new dedicated bus lane in 4th. Why couldn't CATS have put it on Trade and shared dedicated space with the Gold Line? What am I missing? 

[Yeahdoug]

1 hour ago, kermit said:

So why is the new dedicated bus lane in 4th. Why couldn't CATS have put it on Trade and shared dedicated space with the Gold Line? What am I missing? 

With the street car, will there be any bus stops on trade anymore? I live on trade so I don’t mind the lack of a bus lane tbh. 
 

i think 4th lets it tie into the new bus part of gateway station. 

[tozmervo]

In order: 

• Pouring concrete at the square
• Laid tracks at the square
• Grand Bohemian street shot
• Station platform at Mint St
• Looking toward future Gateway Station, feat. 3 installed catenary poles

[DCtransplant]

Poles up on the west side

Also pouring concrete at trade and tryon this morning

 

[XRZ.ME]

street light pole also serving as caternary pole



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[michaelef]

Hopefully the street lights are LED unlike the ones they installed on the first half of the line. 

[tozmervo]

[gman430]

 

[NOLA2CLT]

great pics Gman....are you by chance gonna be able to do Hawthorne Bridge?