2223 replies to this topic

[MZT]

What is interesting about this to me is how the concept of something being "on the line" makes it not particularly relevant where the destination really is. Imagine living at Scaleybark. You could get to either end of the line in 15 minutes, and anything that is a short walk from a station would seem to be "nearby".

The next thing we need to work on is getting more business to stay open late. Charlotte is still kind of a drowsy place that like to close up at 9:00.

[Raintree21]

So assuming that the crowds will eventually die down, are there stop bells like there are on buses? You know where you push the button to alert the driver that you want to get off at the next stop so they don't stop unnescesarily at stations where there is no one waiting and no one wants to get off? Would that screw up their timing if they don't stop at each station for the alloted 30 seconds?

[ScottCLT]

I rode from uptown to Pineville and back today. Overall a very pleasant experience excluding the huge crowds and waits. The trains are very nice -- actually, I think they are the exact same trains that Houston has. The same layout, the same voice, the same "dings," and the same horn. Pretty sure they are the exact same ones.

One thing that I think has gotten no recognition is 3rd Street Station. In my opinion, it's the most creatively designed station there is. Yeah, CTC is a great station and looks cool. But have you seen 3rd Street Station at night????? It's INCREDIBLE! Just drive down 3rd street after dusk and trust me...you will have your eyes focused on your rear-view mirror more than the road after you pass it. 3rd Street Station gives a great quirkiness (which is something we don't see a lot of in Charlotte) to this area of town.

Here are some pictures I took along my ride...

Cranes in Southend


Long lines at 485 Station


Don't want to wait for the rail? Long lines for the bus, too.


Beautiful trains on the elevated track


Crowded Trains!


Bland Street Station


3rd Street Station

[DigitalSky]

Happy Light Railing everyone.

[fulcrumsf]

This was an absolute great introduction to Light Rail in North Carolina. I am used to crowded lightrail/heavy rail as I lived in SF for approx. 10 years and witnesses rush hour commutes and Giants game fans. I rode the lightrail today from Bland St station. I had a beer at Tavern on the tracks, then hoped on the lightrail to watch the Bobcats lose a nail-bitter to the Celtics, then back to Tavern on the Tracks to have a couple more beers. All while crowded both ways like a pack of sardines. None-the-less I had a great time, and people on the train seemed to be excited just to have the privileged of being able to ride the lightrail even though it was crowded. It was a great feeling indeed.

[norm21499]

I caught the train with a friend of mine about 11:40 at the Archdale Station. We rode the train to CTC statio got off, and then rode the train back to Archdale. My friend had never been on a train before and he was really amused by the whole thing. He said he would definately ride it agian in the future! As we were walking back to his house (he lives about 2 blocks fmro the station) a strange car driving with no headlights began following us. After swerving around a car, this strange vehicle finally stopped. the driver rolled down his window and said "hey, you guys got any money?" My friend told me no and we kepted walking.....the car then drove down to the end of the block and proceeded to make a u-turn. I then began to panic and was getting ready to run. The car then drove up onto the sidewalk and made an attempt to run us over. The car blew one or two tires driving up and down over the curb, and then turned onto the next block. My friend calle dthe police on his cell phone and we never saw the car again. We didnt see the license plate or anything, we were too freaked out to pay attention. My friend said he will still ride the train regardless LOL.....but he will carry a knife for his walk home from now on.

[Xss]

I know I am not from Charlotte and have not been a lot in that town, but every time I saw that light rail being under construction in downtown. And finally, years after, it is done : kudos to Charlotte! Being from Europe I've always had that feeling that public transports are not extremely well developed in the US (apart in some cities like San Fran), so I consider a light rail to be a very good step forward for a middle size city like Charlotte. Next time I will go to Charlotte I will try to have a ride on it!  
So, maybe that question was asked before, but I didn't really follow the development of the light rail : this is the south corridor. Any ideas when the North, East and West lines will be done (if there are planed)?  

[monsoon]

Xss, on Nov 25 2007, 03:49 AM, said:

....
So, maybe that question was asked before, but I didn't really follow the development of the light rail : this is the south corridor. Any ideas when the North, East and West lines will be done (if there are planed)?  

This topic has the answers to your questions.    

-----

It's great to see this train finally running.   I am out of town so I missed opening day, but I am going to try and hitch a ride on it in the next few days.  Thanks to everyone who took photos for us to see.

[davidclt]

davidclt, on Nov 24 2007, 11:34 PM, said:

After dinner, we wandered back to Stonewall to catch the train back home.  It was packed to the gills and then we realized the Bobcats game had just let out.  Everyone seemed to be in a good mood and people were making jokes about us being like NYC.  Regardless, I do hope this is indicative of the type of support our new train is going to get in the future - it's exciting!

One more comment about our ride home.  It's clear there are a few kinks remaining to be worked out.  We were going SB but the train was still reading "To 7th Street" and the voice was not announcing stations.  We all got a small chuckle out of that and then a woman on the train pointed out that there may be someone depending on knowing the stops so they know when to get off.

I will say the way they "turn the train around" is seamless and clever.

[reverbandwhiskey]

Sad to see that the bike racks are exposed to the elements when there is a perfectly good parking garage right there.     It is also a very high theft risk.   Too bad they rejected my proposal for bike lockers like these:

  

http://www.bikelink.org/  is a really good example of one of these systems currently in operation.

I am not going to lock my bike to one of those things and leave it there for hours.

[MZT]

davidclt, on Nov 25 2007, 08:25 AM, said:

there are a few kinks remaining to be worked out.  We were going SB but the train was still reading "To 7th Street" and the voice was not announcing stations.

One train I boarded, there was an someone (the driver?) announcing the stops in english and spanish, telling people to stay away from the doors, etc. I suppose they have that option, or will perhaps be trained to do that instead of relying on the automated voice.

I noticed that when you are on a platform, a voice says "train approaching in 2 minutes" but you're not told from which direction. I'd like to see better use of the LED displays too. All they were being used for was to inform people that the trains would end at 12:30 AM.

Edited by MZT, 25 November 2007 - 09:37 AM.

[fulcrumsf]

Charlotte Observer is reporting that the opening day Light Rail estimated run of 34,000 passenger trips in the first four hours. And 60,000 by the evening time. That is quite a lot considering the daily estimates will be around 9,000 on a weekday. I hope all of those people that experience the Light rail this weekend will continue to support it, and I hope we exceed the expected ridership numbers.

Edited by fulcrumsf, 25 November 2007 - 10:20 AM.

[Spartan]

Raintree21, on Nov 24 2007, 11:46 PM, said:

So assuming that the crowds will eventually die down, are there stop bells like there are on buses? You know where you push the button to alert the driver that you want to get off at the next stop so they don't stop unnescesarily at stations where there is no one waiting and no one wants to get off? Would that screw up their timing if they don't stop at each station for the alloted 30 seconds?

That would throw off their timing. They will stop at every station every time.

[Justadude]

It's amazing to watch this unfold from a distance.  It reminds me of the fanfare surrounding the Bobcats Arena kickoff with the Rolling Stones.

One thing I really enjoyed from the pics:  long lines to get on a city bus.  That is something that I have never seen before in Charlotte, and while I'm sure it was mostly a result of the overcrowding, I hope it's a sign of changes to come in Charlotte's anti-bus bias.

[MZT]

Minor quibble. Those were the express busses, which were not in service and available for weekend use. They have upholstered, reclining seats with taller backs, that all face forward. These seats are more comfortable, and muffle sounds so the interior is a little quieter.

For all the people that boarded those yesterday, who have never been on a regular city bus (plastic seats with grab poles and some seats facing the aisle), they will have a slighly higher opinion of the bus service than is really merited.

Edited by MZT, 25 November 2007 - 12:49 PM.

[Andyc545]

I rode last night at about 7:30pm.  I bored at East/West Blvd station.  I knew I was going to miss all of the morning events b/c I had to work, but was surprised to see how much chaos was taking place as late as it was.  There were booths still set up and tons of employees and volunteers making the experience remarkable.  I enjoyed my little LYNX Passport, and enjoyed how well done the stations were, although still had some minor work like trees to be planted and missing letters on the headers.  When the first train arrived, it was remarkable being so close to it, like when a dream becomes a reality.  When the doors opened, it was packed full, and had to squeeze into a standing spot, and this was after dinner time last night.  Rode standing to about half way to 485 then finally got a seat from someone leaving.  Stayed on to 485 then back up into the city.  Riding the bridge over 277 was unbelievable, and the nights views of uptown were one of the best perspectives that I have ever seen.  Unfortunatly b/c it was dark, I couldn't see much outside of uptown, added with the shaded glass, which will be great during the summer.  I was surprised how quickly the trains picked up, how quiety they were, and the experience was far better than I could have imagined.  The enviornment last night was monumentary for Charlotte.  I saw every race and every age, all talking with each other, getting along and making the "big city trasitioning experience" the greatest.  The Trade St. station was incredible, and 3rd St was extremely well done with its lighting at night.  From uptown I went back East/West and ate dinner afterwards at East Blvd Grill.  I look forward to using the line often and I think Charlotte is not just ready but extremely satisfied for what CATs has put together for our alternatives in transportation.  Look forward to riding it in the day probally on Thursday for photos.

[Shawn&Zae]

I rode it around 5:30 on Saturday at the I-485 station and it was an experience to remember.  The crowdedness of the train makes it feel like we were in NYC or some crowded transit system.  The northbound train I got on had a little glitch I guess, it didn't announce the stations or anything and the LED display was stuck on Sharon West, the train on the way back to I-485 was fine.

[swampfox43]

I actually found a You Tube clip of Lynx opening day.

[krazeeboi]

Riding the Lynx yesterday was a great experience for me. I took the southbound train at the CTC/Arena station sometime between 5-6pm; the wait was only about 30 minutes or so. My friend and I deboarded at the Tyvola station, and almost as soon as we did, the northbound train pulled up, and we rode back to the CTC/Arena station. Overall the ride was smooth; a bit crowded, but that was to be expected. It really did make Charlotte feel like more of a big city. Can't wait for the construction of the next line!

[Spartan]

I rode the entire length of the line tonight. I thought it was a good experience. Most of the problems from yesterday still seemed to be there- namely the software bugs that messed with the ITS devices. It was a little loud once you got south of Scaleybark Station where the train really picked up speed. It was cool to see Charlotte from that angle. It felt like a real city. The train was moderately full, some people had to stand. I really didn't expect that being on Sunday night and well after the pathetic Panther's game was over.