Charlotte Center City Streetcar Network

[tozmervo]

Turn on safe browsing, this money shot is NSFW

[lit]

People were parked on the tracks last night so the Gold Line operators just laid on the horn. This went on for a few minutes. The cops had to go into Hooters and get the guy

[davidclt]

30 minutes ago, lit said:

People were parked on the tracks last night so the Gold Line operators just laid on the horn. This went on for a few minutes. The cops had to go into Hooters and get the guy

IMG_3367.MOV

The train needs a missile launcher. That wouldn't solve the problem but it might incentivize people to not park on the farking tracks. Otherwise they really should be enforcing this vigorously.

[JerseyBoy]

53 minutes ago, lit said:

People were parked on the tracks last night so the Gold Line operators just laid on the horn. This went on for a few minutes. The cops had to go into Hooters and get the guy

IMG_3367.MOV

Will Charlotte have plans to automatically tow a vehicle when an incident like this happens? In D.C., the city has stationed wreckers up and down the H St. streetcar corridor that are quickly dispatched when a vehicle is blocking the tracks.

[navigator319]

Will Charlotte have plans to automatically tow a vehicle when an incident like this happens? In D.C., the city has stationed wreckers up and down the H St. streetcar corridor that are quickly dispatched when a vehicle is blocking the tracks.

Hah this is Charlotte not a real thought out operations plan. There is not a chance of anything like that.

[kermit]

On 6/11/2021 at 2:45 PM, davidclt said:

The train needs a missile launcher.

Sometimes the GOP has ideas that can help make transit more efficient, this would be a perfect job for the "Jewish Space Laser," ^TM  I am sure CATS could subcontract with JSL corporate to melt cars that park on the tracks using their fancy laser. I'll bet we could funnel JSL corporate real time parking violation data from Ring camera images and construction web cams  along the tracks. Since the tech already exists this would be much more cost effective than trolley-based missiles and I bet republicans would be pretty pumped to pay for it if they return to power.

Edited June 14, 2021 by kermit

[tozmervo]

They were dealing with it when the historic trolley was running. I'm not sure what their policy was at that time. 

Truth is, this could happen at any point along the route. A couple days ago a tractor trailer was parked on the tracks near Tryon.

[KJHburg]

I forgot my own rule about avoiding streets with the streetcar but not one in sight in testing today.  

[nakers2]

On 6/11/2021 at 3:08 PM, JerseyBoy said:

Will Charlotte have plans to automatically tow a vehicle when an incident like this happens? In D.C., the city has stationed wreckers up and down the H St. streetcar corridor that are quickly dispatched when a vehicle is blocking the tracks.

I've seen things like this happen even in Europe, but I have noticed over the past few days the cars parked along the curb for the food cart at the square slowly shifting to Tryon Street in front of the Corporate Center.

[JacksonH]

2 hours ago, nakers2 said:

I've seen things like this happen even in Europe, but I have noticed over the past few days the cars parked along the curb for the food cart at the square slowly shifting to Tryon Street in front of the Corporate Center.

Yes, this happens everywhere.  I was on a streetcar in New Orleans once and the streetcar hit a car on the tracks, causing a delay.  Of course it didn't help that the streetcar conductor was drunk.  (Hey, it's New Orleans.   What do you expect?)

[CarolinaDaydreamin]

On 6/15/2021 at 5:22 PM, JacksonH said:

Yes, this happens everywhere.  I was on a streetcar in New Orleans once and the streetcar hit a car on the tracks, causing a delay.  Of course it didn't help that the streetcar conductor was drunk.  (Hey, it's New Orleans.   What do you expect?)

Knowing NOLA, the police officer who showed up 30min later was also drunk and was probably in the conductors wedding. 

[SpiritOf76]

Took a walk in Hawthorne. What is up with the cuts in the concrete? 

[tozmervo]

Might be some random sampling / retesting of concrete strength. 

[KJHburg]

Looking up E Trade wait till trains are whisking by. 

[QCxpat]

On 7/3/2021 at 8:38 PM, KJHburg said:

Looking up E Trade wait till trains are whisking by. 

City LYNX Gold Line "whisking by" Independence Square today - 10:40 a.m.

Edited July 5, 2021 by QCxpat

[kermit]

This WCNC story on Phase 2 Gold Line construction “beginning” is incredibly brief and somewhat contradictory but it features these two statements;

Quote

Crews will install pavement markings in the historic West End with hopes to open the 4-mile stretch of streetcar service by the end of the year.
 

CATS began testing the new modern streetcar in February, with hopes of having the line opened by this summer. City officials hope to have Phase 2 completed by the end of this year.

https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/gold-line-streetcar-phase-2-construction-uptown-charlotte/275-eeeb0e4a-6d46-46a1-b6e2-45e95abd4488

The story is dated July 9, 2021

[southslider]

On 7/10/2021 at 6:11 AM, kermit said:

This WCNC story on Phase 2 Gold Line construction “beginning” is incredibly brief and somewhat contradictory but it features these two statements;

As usual, reporting on CATS boils down to two words in those two statements...  "hopes" and "stretch"

[a2theb]

On 7/10/2021 at 6:11 AM, kermit said:

This WCNC story on Phase 2 Gold Line construction “beginning” is incredibly brief and somewhat contradictory but it features these two statements;

https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/gold-line-streetcar-phase-2-construction-uptown-charlotte/275-eeeb0e4a-6d46-46a1-b6e2-45e95abd4488

The story is dated July 9, 2021

I am completely lost here, the Frazier/WH Way alignment has been done for awhile and other then some continuing station work (i.e. digging up then re pouring the same concrete over and over) the line on the westside is complete.  Is this an old article that got reposted somehow?

[JRCLT]

I believe landscaping is the last item off the checklist. If I’m not mistaken they said it would be the last thing to do during passenger service.

Phase 2 won’t be necessarily complete until the landscaping is complete and all items are done. If you meant the finishing of the project versus passenger service was contradictory in this case it does not seem that way. I may have misunderstood, if so correct me.

Actually sorry I did misunderstand sorry about that. Ignore what I said above ^

[tozmervo]

2 hours ago, a2theb said:

I am completely lost here, the Frazier/WH Way alignment has been done for awhile and other then some continuing station work (i.e. digging up then re pouring the same concrete over and over) the line on the westside is complete.  Is this an old article that got reposted somehow?

I can't figure out what the contractor must be continuing to screw up on some of the platforms. The past week or two they've had teams of 10 or so each at the JWU, Cedar St, and Gateway platforms replacing concrete. The number of workers tells me that the contractor is being forced to pull out the stops to get whatever the problem is fixed. Based on the amount of concrete removed, it may be simply a finish problem. It's hard to tell from a drive-by.

[kermit]

I guess the WCNC article above trickled out from the stochastic time machine:

I am excited to take the Gold Line to an Independence game. (I was excited to take it to Earl's as well but...)

Edited July 13, 2021 by kermit

[Hushpuppy321]

18 hours ago, kermit said:

I guess the WCNC article above trickled out from the stochastic time machine:

I am excited to take the Gold Line to an Independence game. (I was excited to take it to Earl's as well but...)

If the Federal Grant deadline is in August then the StreetCar will open for service by then.  Punchlist items may still be outstanding (which is typical) but any items interferring with Safety or Operation of the Service will be corrected first, hence the concrete cutouts & replacement along the tracks in the last few months.

[Urban Cowboy]

20 hours ago, kermit said:

I am excited to take the Gold Line to an Independence game. (I was excited to take it to Earl's as well but...)

The loss of Earl's and other retail/restaurant struggles in midtown is frustrating. CPCC and Novant's land grabs have created dead blocks without much street interaction. The gold line should spur some private development, but if we're supposed to see a pedestrian reawakening here, then I think we're in for a rude awakening. There aren't many places to go. I pray the Elizabeth/Midtown office tower gets built because this area is sorely underutilized. Novant should consolidate their parking along 5th and Elizabeth Ave. Elizabeth Avenue has a ton of potential - but it's being held back IMO because it needs more small storefronts along it to really create a dynamic energy. It could be a really hip area to hop off the gold line and Novant + CPCC would both benefit in the long run. But it currently feels like an afterthought that barely survives on the hospital lunch crowd.

[SouthEndCLT811]

I made a similar comment this weekend going to the new Big Ben/Devil's Logic before the soccer game.  The potential is there but the Novant/CPCC bookend to that stretch seem to be holding the area back

[RANYC]

On 7/13/2021 at 1:18 PM, Urban Cowboy said:

The loss of Earl's and other retail/restaurant struggles in midtown is frustrating. CPCC and Novant's land grabs have created dead blocks without much street interaction. The gold line should spur some private development, but if we're supposed to see a pedestrian reawakening here, then I think we're in for a rude awakening. There aren't many places to go. I pray the Elizabeth/Midtown office tower gets built because this area is sorely underutilized. Novant should consolidate their parking along 5th and Elizabeth Ave. Elizabeth Avenue has a ton of potential - but it's being held back IMO because it needs more small storefronts along it to really create a dynamic energy. It could be a really hip area to hop off the gold line and Novant + CPCC would both benefit in the long run. But it currently feels like an afterthought that barely survives on the hospital lunch crowd.

It's funny you should bring this up.  I checked out Big Ben the other night and was bemused by the situation on Elizabeth.  Feels like there's potential there for an entertainment district, or at least a vibrant, pedestrian-prioritized corridor of amusements and revelry.  Yet, no one has thought to consider that stretch for a brewery  or beer garden or even an apartment tower.  I've wondered what might be holding it back from fulfilling its potential as a bustling and walkable corridor of mixed uses...a rare scene in Charlotte.