CATS Long Term Transit Plan - Silver, Red Lines

[orulz]

The lynx is not entirely grade separated, but it is entirely in a dedicated right of way. It's not that uncommon. Even the Lynx has some median running segments, on South Blvd near Scaleybark and for the BLE on North Tryon.

However what is at least somewhat uncommon about Lynx is that, at least on the original blue line, every grade crossing is protected with gates, giving the train fully preemptive signal priority. I am not sure if that will be the case as well for the BLE but it has likely increased the safety and speed of the line.

[ajfunder]

The BLE will be the same with protected crossings. Unlike many systems where the only thing separating cars and the LRT is a rumble strip between the lanes, both the south corridor and BLE will be separated from traffic by public art, hedges , and trees in a dedicated median.

Complete dedicated right of way is fairly common with LRT, ie Seattle Link and Denver RTD ( not including the downtown line).

[orulz]

The VTA light rail in Sillicon Valley on First Street has a fully dedicated right of way separated by a median with grass, shrubs, trees, jersey barriers or at the very minimum a full height curb. However, the first street segment has no gates and no signal priority so the trains still have to wait at stoplights. Even most signal priority systems still require trains to wait at red lights for cars some of the time.

 

What is unusual about the BLE is not the median, shrubs, public art, and hedges, but the gates. Plenty of light rail lines are located within vegetated, protected medians, and have signal priority - which can extend a green light phase or speed up a red light phase in order to reduce delays. But the Blue Line has full signal preemption, to the same degree that a freight railroads have. I'm not aware of any other light rail lines built to this standard in the US. They may exist, but certainly there are not many.

 

Along the proposed alignment in North Tryon Street/US-29, existing roadway median openings would be eliminated or signalized. There would be no unsignalized crossings of the rail tracks. At major intersections, the light rail line would be grade separated from the roadway in order to minimize traffic disruptions. The tracks would also be grade separated where it enters the median of North Tryon Street/US 29. All other intersection crossings would be at-grade, and include railroad gates/signals and traffic signal pre-emption to control traffic.

 

Every single vehicular crossing will at least have crossing gates, which will be a significant benefit both to safety AND to speed. This is not light rail done on the cheap. Compare this with, for example, the recently built Expo Line in LA, where 40 out of the 46 grade crossings don't even have gates[*]. The Seattle line mentioned above also lacks gates and uses signal priority, not preemption.

 

This standard of construction was easy to achieve for the original blue line (south corridor) since it was in an existing railroad right-of-way, and certainly explains why such the line could be built to such a high standard for the comparatively low cost of $462 million. Maintaining the same standard for the BLE is probably the main reason that the line is so expensive.

[ChessieCat]

DART LRT in Dallas is certainly the weirdest, having its own underground ROW from Mockingbird station to downtown like a light subway, then running along the streets to Union Station with only rumble strips protecting its dedicated lane in mixed traffic while having signal priority traffic lights.  Strange indeed... 

 

It's easy to build LRT from abandoned freight ROW's, ain't it?  That's why the BLE will be interesting cause the section north of 16th St / Parkwood station is not abandoned... 

Edited March 27, 2014 by ChessieCat

[15895]

If I purchase a 10 ride Express pass, is that 10 round trips?

And the Neighborhood Village Riders - Is 80¢ fare one way?

Edit: finally found answer to my question on CATS website.

It's 10 one way trips

Edited May 9, 2014 by AirNostrumMAD

[tozmervo]

No, it's 5 round trips. Every time you board a bus you start a "ride," but you can continue the ride if you get a transfer ticket and re-board another bus within something like 90 minutes. So if you're commuting, you will have 2 trips used per day.

 

The riders are $.80 one-way, at least until July 1 when fares go up across the board.

 

http://charmeck.org/city/charlotte/cats/fares/Pages/fair-increase-public-hearing.aspx

[15895]

No, it's 5 round trips. Every time you board a bus you start a "ride," but you can continue the ride if you get a transfer ticket and re-board another bus within something like 90 minutes. So if you're commuting, you will have 2 trips used per day.

The riders are $.80 one-way, at least until July 1 when fares go up across the board.

http://charmeck.org/city/charlotte/cats/fares/Pages/fair-increase-public-hearing.aspx

thanks good info

[southslider]

^$.80 each way on neighborhood circulator and village rider routes

[nmundo]

I've been working on this for about a week. It's still a very, very rough draft but now seems like a good time to share it. Any feedback would be great.

 

[15895]

I love it.... (the current CATS - I can't see the one above my post)

I just wish there was a way to make the bus station more appealing. Can the Bus portion of Gateway get started at least? Sometimes the current CTC feels a little sketchy

Edited May 20, 2014 by AirNostrumMAD

[ah59396]

I've been working on this for about a week. It's still a very, very rough draft but now seems like a good time to share it. Any feedback would be great.

Nice job dude, this looks awesome!

[dubone]

Looks great.   There seems to be an error: a red line seems to be going between downtown Charlotte and Mooresville.  

[CLTProductions]

That would be absolutely unreal.

[grodney]

Very cool.  Typo on "Park-n-Ride".  I wonder if the Gold Line labels that are vertical would be even better if they were angled?

[HopHead]

Random question: if/when the line out to the airport gets built, where exactly at the airport is the stop supposed to be?

Edited May 20, 2014 by wend28

[tozmervo]

^^agree with angling gold line text

 

I would also axe all the street-type designations like St, Ave, etc. And maybe move the I-85 shield inside the beltway, it seems kinda lonely out there.

 

Also, based on a brief internet survey, it appears no one has figured out how to distinguish various "silver lines" from roadways. MBTA  and LA Metro just doesn't show major roads, Washington Metro shows them as the same color (but different weights). 

 

Love the map

[CltFlyer]

Have they decided on BRT or Light Rail for the Lynx Silver line yet?

[Niner National]

Have they decided on BRT or Light Rail for the Lynx Silver line yet?

Not that I'm aware of. I think they need to scrap the current plans for that line though and re-orient them for Monroe Rd. Independence is a lost cause and with them extending the freeway portion of 74, no meaningful development will occur along that line. At that point, it just becomes a ridiculously expensive commuter line that does very little to increase property values around it. Fares alone do not sustain any rail line in the U.S. that I know of, so improving property tax revenues is important.

[southslider]

LRT could follow Monroe Rd farther out, but 7th St seems too narrow closer in. Maybe follow Independence just for stations at Pecan and Coliseum, but then switch to Monroe.

[nmundo]

Does anyone know how they plan to put the silver line down trade? To fit it in there they would have to go either mixed traffic using the streetcar tracks(not rapid transit at all), elevated along the length of trade(undesirable), or underground(cool but prohibitively expensive).

[southslider]

The LRT option previously studied followed Charlottetowne and 5th between Independence and Uptown as side-running tracks exclusive of traffic, not using Elizabeth or Trade.

[ajfunder]

I believe they considered using a lane from 5th and 4th streets.

[southslider]

BRT was split between 4th inbound and 5th outbound with service all the way to Graham for Gateway transfers. However, LRT was all on 5th to tie into Blue Line at Arena.

[Third Strike]

On the subject of the Silver Line, how do you guys feel about the idea of light rail going down Monroe Road, but with its own dedicated ROW? Something similar to the Metro Light Rail in Phoenix:

 

http://goo.gl/maps/92iB5

[southslider]

Monroe Rd is fine. It's just 7th St through Elizabeth that seems too narrow. Maybe cut over to Randolph near Briar Creek. Granted, Pecan would be completely bypassed, but then Central should hopefully be served by Gold Line.