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Charlotte's Light Rail: Lynx Blue Line


dubone

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Crews were working on Sunday to get the grade crossings at 7th and 8th streets opened up. At a glance it looks like most of the structural portions of the intown sections of track are on the homestretch.

Its been a long while since CATS has provided any updated timeline information on the BLE. Anyone know anything? I am not offering this as a likely precident but  I'll add that the Mesa Az extension to their LRT opened yesterday 7.5 months early......(Its a smaller project, in a different climate, yada yada)

EDIT: there was also Sunday work on the 7th street platform extension

Since we are technically in a drought, that might help speed up construction!

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I drove the route last night as well. I too was impressed with the progress they have made with civil construction. The only slow spots look to be 1) Harris and Tryon (nothing other than some road widening) and 2) the stretch from 36th to Sugar Creek where bridge work (over the NCRR at Craighead) and the Sugrar Creek stuff seems to just be getting started. 

Based on the original construction schedule we should begin to see rails being laid in the next two months. I'll bet 7th street to 36th will be the first section to be built. 

The U city parking decks appear to be nearly structurally complete.

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I drove the route last night as well. I too was impressed with the progress they have made with civil construction. The only slow spots look to be 1) Harris and Tryon (nothing other than some road widening) and 2) the stretch from 36th to Sugar Creek where bridge work (over the NCRR at Craighead) and the Sugrar Creek stuff seems to just be getting started. 

Based on the original construction schedule we should begin to see rails being laid in the next two months. I'll bet 7th street to 36th will be the first section to be built. 

The U city parking decks appear to be nearly structurally complete.

Will they be laying tracks in only one direction, or will they start at both ends and meet in the middle? Seems the campus portion may be ready for tracks relatively soon.

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IRRC they have the project divided into three sections for the contracting process. There is only one rail construction contractor, but there is no reason they need to build continuous sections so its possible that the campus section could get started before the Harris crossing materializes. I suspect its dependent upon the length of rail they are assembling, its not uncommon to use lengths that can't be delivered by truck.

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It looks like work is beginning on extending the walking path of the Blue Line from Publix to, I assume, Tremont on the east side of the tracks. The overgrown embankment along the backside of Atherton Lofts is in the process of getting leveled. Its going to be very tight when/if they get to the part of the building that houses the market and the gym, with only a sidewalk's width between the building and the fence.

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In the second picture, the track you see in the foreground connects the NCRR/NS to the CSX, over which the bridge for the BLE is getting built.  NS sends freight to CSX's Pinoca Yard and vice versa.

All major rail lines in Charlotte have the ability to converge at this point (NCRR/NS, CSX, BLE, Red Line, ACWR).  Wouldn't it be nice to have a bi-level Gateway Station built right next to this bridge?      

Edited by ChessieCat
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In the second picture, the track you see in the foreground connects the NCRR/NS to the CSX, over which the bridge for the BLE is getting built.  NS sends freight to CSX's Pinoca Yard and vice versa.

All major rail lines in Charlotte have the ability to converge at this point (NCRR/NS, CSX, BLE, Red Line, ACWR).  Wouldn't it be nice to have a bi-level Gateway Station built right next to this bridge?      

No. If you can't get a single seat into downtown you're wasting money.

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Don't get me wrong, the Gateway Station's current proposed location would help further develop Third and Fourth Wards, but a station where ChessieCat is talking about would have the greatest connectivity with most/all lines in the city. Commuters would be able to seamlessly transfer to the Blue, Red and Silver Lines, along with possible commuter lines to Concord, Gastonia, Rock Hill, and Monroe. Not to mention Amtrak and high speed line along the NCRR and ACWR. The only line it would not connect to would be the Gold Line, but it would still connect with the Blue Line. There could even be a smaller stop at Gateway, for commuters to disembark in Uptown.

With the ADM grade separation not happening anytime soon, it might be the best location for a multi-modal station.

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Yes. The Blue Line can handle a lot more capacity if the passengers are there.  They just add train frequency and vehicles. 

 

 

Here is an aerial from the BLE's facebook update. Grr, I still wish they had kept an incorportated the mature trees that used to be at the forgettable apartment building in the foreground into their surface lot.  

 

On the Blue Line, it is interesting how long they made the bridge.  That does add to future flexibility as that area will likely be the location of railroad and new street connections over time.  

11892480_519331434885211_250682248550653

 

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If you don't build connectivity to the main arterty (Blue Line), you're wasting money. 

If the idea is commuter rail to get people from the suburbs to jobs downtown then connectivity to the blue line is not as necessary as a single seat to downtown. A lot less people would ride if they have to transfer - especially since that opens them up to delays on TWO systems. Commuter train delay plus light rail delay to get to your office means people ditch transit and go to their cars even if it is less reliable on most days.

Additionally you create a pinch point for ridership that may discourage others to ride as the blue line gets VERY busy between the new station and points Uptown. You could solve this by running trains from Uptown to the new station but that would easily confuse riders who would not understand why the trains run from end to end all day long.

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If the idea is commuter rail to get people from the suburbs to jobs downtown then connectivity to the blue line is not as necessary as a single seat to downtown. A lot less people would ride if they have to transfer - especially since that opens them up to delays on TWO systems. Commuter train delay plus light rail delay to get to your office means people ditch transit and go to their cars even if it is less reliable on most days.

Additionally you create a pinch point for ridership that may discourage others to ride as the blue line gets VERY busy between the new station and points Uptown. You could solve this by running trains from Uptown to the new station but that would easily confuse riders who would not understand why the trains run from end to end all day long.

The Blue Line would be elevated while the commuter lines would run at ground level at this location.

I get your point about a one-seat ride but the current proposed Gateway station in 3rd/4th wards is not the central business district.  Commuters disembarking there will still need to hop on the Trolley to get to their office buildings on the other side of uptown.  

Where should the station be?  CTC?  That would be a cluster and impossible to route Amtrak through...

Edited by ChessieCat
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Will UNCC students hogging the deck in University be an issue? I wonder if some students will literally leave their vehicles there days at a time?

 

 

Also, will any BLE stations in University be connected to their greenway?

 

I hope in all of this, University will have some wide sidewalks and Pedestrians islands.

 

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Will UNCC students hogging the deck in University be an issue? I wonder if some students will literally leave their vehicles there days at a time?

 

 

Also, will any BLE stations in University be connected to their greenway?

 

If we're being honest, for the first 5-10 years of the BLE's operation, students parking at the JW Clay/McCollough/UCityBlvd parking decks will be a frustrating reality. I remember being a commuter student at UNCC. You park where you can. Because the campus parking dept will always ticket you in the time it takes you to use the bathroom in an on-campus building. It's insane.

 

Once the bike facilities are improved along UCBlvd, WT Harris, and N Tryon, students will hopefully start biking more even if they live in one of the many far-away, non-campus "student" complexes. But one can also hope that many commuter students will disperse their parking throughout the entire length of the Blue Line. Fully-connected networks, FTW!

Edited by SgtCampsalot
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