Charlotte Center City Streetcar Network

[pathb]

Received the email below from CATS.  Still no commitment to revenue service start date, but streetcar testing "Coming Soon."  Looking forward to seeing these running and can't wait to take my first ride.  

[CharlotteWkndBuzz]

It's going to be pretty special seeing these modern streetcars passing through Trade & Tryon intersection. 

[JacksonH]

2 hours ago, CharlotteWkndBuzz said:

It's going to be pretty special seeing these modern streetcars passing through Trade & Tryon intersection.

It's going to be special as long as they aren't empty when they pass by.

[Yeahdoug]

Hopefully they have a free period to get people using them.  Will they be free and rideable during the testing phase? 

[kermit]

2 hours ago, Yeahdoug said:

Hopefully they have a free period to get people using them.  Will they be free and rideable during the testing phase? 

No riders during testing -- they are evaluating safety and reliability.

Edited February 3, 2021 by kermit

[Hushpuppy321]

4 hours ago, Yeahdoug said:

Hopefully they have a free period to get people using them.  Will they be free and rideable during the testing phase? 

I would wager that there will probably be a two week period where we can ride for free once it opens for Revenue Service.  The BLE never had one but I think this will since the entire line has been shutdown for so long.

[AP3]

Someone please tell me why we are installing different bulbs on the light posts...drives me nuts!

 

[Yeahdoug]

22 minutes ago, AP3 said:

Someone please tell me why we are installing different bulbs on the light posts...drives me nuts!

 

The left is just missing the glass cover. These new light are bright AF. Which is good, but the covers throw a ton of light sideways and up. They light up my whole condo now two floors above them. 

[AP3]

3 minutes ago, Yeahdoug said:

The left is just missing the glass cover. These new light are bright AF. Which is good, but the covers throw a ton of light sideways and up. They light up my whole condo now two floors above them. 

Okay, that makes me feel better.  I've seen them installing the globes and then just the LED units along the line...There are a few posts by me that have no globes so wasn't sure if they were testing something out.  So ready for them to flip the switch on the lights on Trade St west of 77!

Edited February 3, 2021 by AP3

[michaelef]

Talks about phase 3 including ROW for the gold line 

https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2021/02/05/cats-maps-out-ambitions-while-coping-with-covid-19.html

[kermit]

6 minutes ago, michaelef said:

Talks about phase 3 including ROW for the gold line 

https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2021/02/05/cats-maps-out-ambitions-while-coping-with-covid-19.html

the relevant bit: (emphasis is my own)

Quote

Streetcar service stopped in June 2019 as work continued on a 2.5-mile, $150 million extension from uptown to Johnson C. Smith University. Funded with $77 million from city government and $73 million from the feds, the combined 4-mile line will begin testing later this month. Service will begin in the spring after numerous delays, including a three-year debacle replacing the Hawthorne Lane Bridge.

That leaves six miles to be built on the 10-mile streetcar line, mostly to the east and ending at the former Eastland Mall property, in the third and final phase. Funding for that final portion has yet to be determined — and the price tag is likely to go much higher.

“An issue we have is, for the third phase, we have to start thinking about operating it not as a streetcar but more like light rail,” Lewis said. “Phase 1 and phase 2 are in the dense, urban uptown area, where you’re competing against people walking. When we’re going out to Eastland, we’re competing against the car. Having a 10-mile line that is in traffic stopping every two or three blocks, that’s a long trip.”

Lewis said to expedite travel times for the longer stretch to the east, CATS will “have to look at potentially operating in our own right-of-way,” which is more expensive and requires more planning and land. Dedicated right-of-way means that the streetcar in that part of the route would not be in lanes with tracks sharing space with auto traffic.

Lewis said updating designs and cost estimates for the third phase will begin later this year.

 

Edited February 5, 2021 by kermit

[southslider]

Will be interesting to see where the exclusive right-of-way goes between Pecan and The Plaza.

[tozmervo]

3 hours ago, southslider said:

Will be interesting to see where the exclusive right-of-way goes between Pecan and The Plaza.

I really can't fathom they'd pull off a dedicated ROW through the core of plaza midwood. Maybe as far as Morningside drive, but west of that intersection you're expanding the central ROW through demolition of structures.

[kermit]

 

Why does this feel like an April Fools joke? I won't believe it until a fellow UPer posts photos...

Edited February 10, 2021 by kermit

[pathb]

 

 

[Yeahdoug]

I’m pretty sure all they did was run it a little on the first phase. Didn’t see or hear anything come down the other side of Tryon. 

[navigator319]

just floor the damn thing 

[Yeahdoug]

1 hour ago, navigator319 said:

just floor the damn thing 

[CharlotteWkndBuzz]

Since that CTC/Arena streetcar stop is so crucial for the BLE transfer, I hope they improve the platform access from Trade St with the future CTC redevelopment.  Would be nice to put in some escalators or something.  Right now, it's not the most efficient way to get from Gold to BLE and vice versa. 

Edited February 10, 2021 by CharlotteWkndBuzz

[KJHburg]

saw this on Twitter and this dude is on UP 

A train going over Hawthorne bridge 

from CLTDevelopment 

Edited February 11, 2021 by KJHburg

[DEnd]

On 2/6/2021 at 8:33 AM, tozmervo said:

I really can't fathom they'd pull off a dedicated ROW through the core of plaza midwood. Maybe as far as Morningside drive, but west of that intersection you're expanding the central ROW through demolition of structures.

They could go to Plaza with only minor teardowns.  From Plaza to Pecan you could make the right lane streetcar, busses, and right turn only, Make a no left turn on Thomas, and add a Left turn lane at Pecan.  Add in signal priority  and you should be able to get decent time through there.  If you give Central a bit of a road diet and are OK with a 35mph speed on the line then you can do the same through out the corridor.  You'd probably have to buy a lane worth of ROW that way plus bump outs for bus stops so that busses don't stop the streetcar at adjacent stops.   Of course if they do that I'd also advocate for a separated bike lane for as long as they can possibly get.  The major downside  to that approach is travel time.  I don't know what the reduction would be over say a fully separated ROW  where you can get higher speeds.

There's also another option.  Add a public parking deck at pecan station and instead of turning on Central at Clement continue down to commonwealth  stop at Pecan and Commonwealth and then up Plaza to Central to the planned stop at Plaza on Central.  This would ad a direct connection to the Blue line, ad fairly convenient parking to Plaza Midwood, and add an extra street car stop to the business district.  The downside would be a couple of extra minutes of travel time, and added cost.  

[kermit]

CBJ sez:

Quote

If that round of testing [pre-revenue testing] goes smoothly, the Gold Line should be carrying passengers by late April or early May.

https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2021/02/11/charlotte-streetcar-likely-to-reopen-by-may.html

[Mgelbach]

Went out last night for some pictures of the testing in uptown!

[Yeahdoug]

They are cutting up and working on track through Gateway. Might be a little bit until we see it on W Trade. 

[michaelef]

Two interior shots. The first one shows a ticket machine you would see on CATS buses. The second one has what looks like tap card readers. Any news on updates to the app or possible tap transit cards?