Charlotte Center City Streetcar Network

[KJHburg]

Here are some photos of the Houston Metro which is like our upcoming streetcar.  In downtown Houston they run on dedicated lanes but still have many crossings with cars (and pedestrians)  Outside of downtown they take up a lane on some streets and mix with traffic.  Did not see any accidents but did hear a train blow as a car with California plates was turning in front of the train.  Not smart. 

anyway they run long trains.   along Main Street through the heart of downtown they have very protected lanes but still of course a lot of cross traffic. 

[RANYC]

Given our street cars don't appear to be in dedicated lanes, is there any advantage that the street cars currently under construction in Charlotte have over electric buses/vehicles?  Are they just a type of electric vehicle constantly connected to the source of power without needing to peel off the route for some recharging yard or power station?

[kermit]

4 hours ago, RANYC said:

Given our street cars don't appear to be in dedicated lanes, is there any advantage that the street cars currently under construction in Charlotte have over electric buses/vehicles?  Are they just a type of electric vehicle constantly connected to the source of power without needing to peel off the route for some recharging yard or power station?

In general streetcars have a significantly higher capacity than buses, although this is advantage is being pissed away by CATS due to the ridiculously low frequencies they plan to run. That said, the ability to add lots of capacity along the Gold Line by increasing frequency is very important in the future of the neighborhoods around it.

The biggest advantage of streetcars over buses is their perceived permanence. There is little evidence that bus routes stimulate densification, developers just don't trust that the bus won't be rerouted or cut at some point in the future, but rails in pavement appear to encourage much more investment around them. So, if operated at reasonable frequencies, streetcars can lead to the sort of land use change we need to decarbonize, and the capacity advantages of rail mean that the corridor can support those densities without adding to traffic.

The carless apartments in Seversville were criticized because they were not on rail (but there is a bus stop nearby). Neighbors (and thus the council) didn't feel the bus was sufficient transit capacity for residents. This was just a 100 unit building, the bus is capable of carrying every future resident of the building, so I think this building (and its narrow approval) was an interesting illustration of the psychology of rail vs. bus.

[FWIW the Gold Line will run without wires for a few blocks through the middle of uptown thanks to batteries in each vehicle]

Edited October 23, 2020 by kermit

[KJHburg]

^^ I parked facing a Houston Metro train today and I can say they have about 7  minute frequencies and this was mid morning. 

Notice the concrete rumple bumps not sure what they call them to keep cars off the tracks at this point. 

[Blue_Devil]

23 minutes ago, KJHburg said:

^^ I parked facing a Houston Metro train today and I can say they have about 7  minute frequencies and this was mid morning. 

Notice the concrete rumple bumps not sure what they call them to keep cars off the tracks at this point. 

Those rumple bumps ain't gonna stop my F-450 from going into the passing lane my friends, yee-haw! /s

[sakami]

I walked the Hawthorne bridge today and it is starting to look like it is all coming together. The bridge tracks have finally been connected to the tracks recently installed on the street. 

[tozmervo]

I've heard rumor that they are doing burn-in runs of the streetcar vehicles on the blue line. Has anyone seen that?

[CLTProductions]

2 hours ago, tozmervo said:

I've heard rumor that they are doing burn-in runs of the streetcar vehicles on the blue line. Has anyone seen that?

Yup I did today

[elrodvt]

3 hours ago, tozmervo said:

I've heard rumor that they are doing burn-in runs of the streetcar vehicles on the blue line. Has anyone seen that?

Ar first I thought you said they were doing burn-outs. ;-)

Now that would be entertaining. 

[michaelef]

4 hours ago, tozmervo said:

I've heard rumor that they are doing burn-in runs of the streetcar vehicles on the blue line. Has anyone seen that?

I’ve seen three-car trains on the blue line recently. I think they were using the streetcar 

[Yeahdoug]

Def seen gold line cars on the light rail. 

They are also now aggressively ticketing and towing people that park on the tracks. Hopefully in preparation for testing. It was like an episode of parking wars watching people get tickets on Sunday from my porch 

[Blue_Devil]

3 hours ago, Yeahdoug said:

Def seen gold line cars on the light rail. 

They are also now aggressively ticketing and towing people that park on the tracks. Hopefully in preparation for testing. It was like an episode of parking wars watching people get tickets on Sunday from my porch 

Who in their right mind would think it wise to park on tracks....

[KJHburg]

4 hours ago, Yeahdoug said:

Def seen gold line cars on the light rail. 

They are also now aggressively ticketing and towing people that park on the tracks. Hopefully in preparation for testing. It was like an episode of parking wars watching people get tickets on Sunday from my porch 

I wish that show was back on it was great.  I love the Philly episodes the best. 

[videtur quam contuor]

Arguing at pay window at the impound yard as if that were a productive activity.

[Yeahdoug]

3 hours ago, Blue_Devil said:

Who in their right mind would think it wise to park on tracks....

It’s been a free for all in Gateway since the tracks were poured. Many parking over night, until they towed like five cars last Sunday morning. Lol

[sakami]

Shelters went up at the Hawthorne Lane/8th Street stop yesterday 

[sakami]

I think the cops are going to have to bring the tow trucks over to Hawthorne soon. I’m watching people park on the road picking up pizzas even though there are available parking spaces an extra 10 steps away. 

[SpiritOf76]

Hawthorne bridge. Not sure what happened with the side rails and the holes in the 3rd pic 

[Kosa]

Absolutely pointless project and a massive waste of money. Articulated electric buses with dedicated bus lanes and 10 minute headways would've been drastically cheaper and provided much faster service. 

Edited November 8, 2020 by Kosa

[jjwilli]

 

Can’t wait to see these cars on the Gold Line. You can see the old ones still hanging around in the background.

Edited November 8, 2020 by jjwilli

[dubone]

I hope the replica trollies can now do something like the Lakewood Trolley concept.   Those replica streetcars have been really awesome pilot programs to kickstart a new line.   

I love the tram / modern streetcars!   So excited to see them on Trade St.  

[a2theb]

20 hours ago, dubone said:

I hope the replica trollies can now do something like the Lakewood Trolley concept.   Those replica streetcars have been really awesome pilot programs to kickstart a new line.   

I love the tram / modern streetcars!   So excited to see them on Trade St.  

That P&N line between Savona and Cedar St. is even worse shape than it was 4 years ago when Lakewood really gained traction. At this point I would be willing to bet is completely off the table.

[nakers2]

Not sure why this was suggested to me, but how much would y’all pay me to slap some of the “Pour Now, Chip Later” stickers on the contractor’s trucks? 

[navigator319]

I hope the replica trollies can now do something like the Lakewood Trolley concept.   Those replica streetcars have been really awesome pilot programs to kickstart a new line.   
I love the tram / modern streetcars!   So excited to see them on Trade St.  

I thought these were sold to a city in Virginia?

[KJHburg]

completed tracks near the Square where the trains run by the sidewalk.  I hope there is plans to limit where people can cross with barriers of some sort or pedestrian accidents will happen by distracted walkers.  These trains will not stop on the dime.  Houston has that where the tracks are right at the sidewalk.  No jaywalking maybe with chained off areas with pedestrians crossing on the street corners.