Jump to content

Lynx Blue Line (South Corridor)


monsoon

Recommended Posts

As it is a milestone for the whole state and not just simply Charlotte, Easley should have been present even if he hates transit, hates CLT, hates Tober and hates money pits. Unless he had a good excuse I think it shows poor leadership to not attend.

It's hilarious that Tober drove the train... wow.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Replies 1.5k
  • Created
  • Last Reply
It would have been nice, but I don't really think it's that important, and FWIW, Easley clearly does support transit or they wouldn't have funded 1/4 of CATS and TTA's projects. Which is more important, commiting $100M or having the Gov at the ceremony? He usually only makes appearances at major economic coups like NASCAR HOF, Dell plant, Fed Ex, etc.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I know exactly when they cut the 9th Street station from the plans, because I have and email in my sent box decrying the decision. It was the week before 3/18/2002.

At the time, I believed it was a huge mistake because it would make it almost twice the distance to walk from the First and Fourth Ward neighborhoods to get to the LRT, and also I believed they were cutting the Trolley to 9th also, so I thought they'd rip up what they had just built.

What they really did was create a 7th Street Station to serve Imaginon, and the nightlife in the area (there wasn't originally a 7th Street LRT station planned). However, they didn't cut the 9th Street station, they simply shifted it to the NorthEast corridor, so we end up with BOTH 7th and 9th/10th on the final LRT Blue Line. That way, it gets paid for in that project as an intermediate station, rather than the original project as a weak end of line station.

I agree with the decision at this point because I believe the people living in 1st and 4th Wards will be leisure riders of the train in evening and weekends, so that will be during the trolley running times. Any time that it they need to take it during the day, the extra 2-3 blocks is not a major hinderance.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had been meaning to ask about this. When was the old 9th St. station cut from the plan? Even though it was underused I was surprised to see that the LYNX train wouldn't travel the extra block or two to a readymade station.

At least if that area ever comes under consideration for a major development project, CATS can sweeten the deal by re-opening the tracks down to 9th St. and making an easy addition to the Blue Line.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Perhaps it is my bias, but I see this as a major event (symbolic, yes) on par with the things you mentioned, actually, more important than those things. He is less than 3 hours from Charlotte, closer if travelling by plane or helicopter, and could have attended a ribbon cutting for a mere 30 minutes and exploited a great opportunity to show solidarity on transit with other leaders, lend weight to transit in Charlotte and this line in particular, show our state's commitment to responsible future oriented growth (which could be very important when trying to fund future projects through a new administration), I could go on.

Again, I feel it is poor leadership to have not appeared, I did not say he doesn't support transit. If no one else had considered this ceremony to be important then perhaps his absence would be more acceptable, but given the turnout it was conspicuous. And politically it would have behooved him to have appeared, since there is still the perception of eastern NC vs. the rest of NC.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't live in the Charlotte area anymore but am wondering if a South Park station is planned?

No, under the current plan Southpark does not have a spur. Many (including myself) would like to see this at some point but I'm not counting on it happening for quite some time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, you did say "even if he hates transit, hates CLT, hates Tober and hates money pits," which unless it was tongue-in-cheek, I'd say is way over the top considering the financial commitment made... so I just felt the need to remind folks about that before he gets unnecessarily dragged through the mud. I do agree that it if he had come, it would have been a positive show of support for future sustainable growth in NC. Hell, why wasn't I invited? :D
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.