Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I’ve read a couple pieces that suggest a red line transit train is in the works for 2030, connecting CLT to Lake Norman areas. Is this an actual plan being worked towards? Would it follow the current train tracks that run through Davidson? I am not from CLT but a job is bringing us that way and we are strongly considering Lake Norman areas. How long did it take to build the BlueLine and have it up and running? I also read here that Moresville doesnt support this plan while Davidson does. Does anyone have insight on why the neighboring towns might be in disagreement? Thank you!
Norfolk Southern refused to allow their tracks/right of way to used for the red line. The cost of acquiring new right of way is prohibitive.
“Norfolk Southern has refused to consider passenger service on its rails along the 30-mile corridor. Until this changes, delivering commuter rail in the north corridor will be difficult to do,” said CATS planner Jason Lawrence. “There’s no current path forward.”
It's actually been dead in the water, but certain proponents keep bringing the subject back to life and wasting money on the "pie in the sky" project. It's no secret that Norfolk Southern wants nothing to do with passenger service on this section of rail. Hopefully NS will stick to their position.
Way back before even the blueline was approved - there was speculation that the red line might be the first one built, since the tracks are already there. But there have been too many issues surrounding this line which were never solved.
Where would the train service depot go? Land just keeps getting more expensive everywhere, and it's hard to find a large lot without neighbors fighting against it.
Would Iredell county pay anything towards the project? The northern half of Iredell really doesn't give a hoot, and that's where the county seat is.
CATS tried to put forward proposals where they felt that stations should go - and this has always looked like a bit of quixotic project because commuter rail needs to have stations farther apart than light rail, and this line would not do much within Charlotte to reduce commute times into uptown.
Now we're in a post-pandemic environment where it's not even clear when uptown office towers will be filled to capacity.
Add to it the Norfolk Southern opposition, and this is going to remain a back burner idea until the silver line is done, which has much more support from Belmont, Charlotte, and Matthews.
Thank you for your time and comments. Since starting this thread, I have come across a couple things suggesting CATS isn’t giving up on the red line?
Also, I came across something briefly mentioning that the railroad company does still use this railroad every now and then.. does anyone know if that’s true?
Norfolk Southern isn't running freight regularly on the line. They do periodically run a locomotive down it, just to keep motorists aware that it's not abandoned track.
The red line may not be a completely dead possibility. I presume NS would sell for a price that motivates them. Think truly long term, as in "the next hundred years" and I suppose something could materialize.
But there are always other competing interests for tax dollars, and the towns north of Charlotte are not prepared to push for this line for now. They're pissed enough that the toll lanes were built on I-77.
Basically, nobody should plan their homes or business ventures around the red line. The Silver line has more momentum behind it, and even that one will probably will take a decade to become fully operational.
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
23,814 posts, read 34,693,648 times
Reputation: 10256
Quote:
Originally Posted by SGMI
Norfolk Southern isn't running freight regularly on the line. They do periodically run a locomotive down it, just to keep motorists aware that it's not abandoned track.
The red line may not be a completely dead possibility. I presume NS would sell for a price that motivates them. Think truly long term, as in "the next hundred years" and I suppose something could materialize.
But there are always other competing interests for tax dollars, and the towns north of Charlotte are not prepared to push for this line for now. They're pissed enough that the toll lanes were built on I-77.
Basically, nobody should plan their homes or business ventures around the red line. The Silver line has more momentum behind it, and even that one will probably will take a decade to become fully operational.
The silver line definitely has more momentum. Gaston County was looking into light rail and this is their dream come true. If the Catawba casino gets up and running I wouldn't be surprised if they threw in some money towards the silver line. It would be in their best interest.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
