Charlotte's Light Rail: Lynx Blue Line

[nonillogical]

Are these numbers tickets sold? Considering you can simply step on the train and ride for free, I suspect the actual ridership numbers are quite higher.

I doubt its all that significant. I've been on full trains several times when they did ticket checks. I never saw more than 2 people removed from the train.

[kermit]

BLE is aparently already $22 million over budget due to problems with utility relocation. The additional money may prevent additional delays in project completion (the open date has already been changed from january 2017 to Summer 2017).

http://www.wsoctv.com/news/news/local/city-council-expected-approve-22m-blue-line-cost-i/njtzt/

[HopHead]

BLE is aparently already $22 million over budget due to problems with utility relocation. The additional money may prevent additional delays in project completion (the open date has already been changed from january 2017 to Summer 2017).

http://www.wsoctv.com/news/news/local/city-council-expected-approve-22m-blue-line-cost-i/njtzt/

 

The way the article is worded, it's not really $22M over budget because of this utility moving issue: Money saved on other parts of the project will help cover the cost, keeping the project still under budget.

[dcharlotte]

Do any Charlotte employers encourage the use of transit and pay for their employees to use transit? Many employers in DC (including the federal government) pay for their employees to use METRO. 

[11 HouseBZ]

I believe certain departments of the city of Charlotte ride for free. They show their city ID's as a pass if checked.

[grodney]

Duke pays 100% transit costs for employees.

[dubone]

I know that the banks provide transit tickets to be bought from pre-tax income, but then again, they also provide it for parking fees too so it isn't favoring transit.

[JRNYP2C]

I doubt its all that significant. I've been on full trains several times when they did ticket checks. I never saw more than 2 people removed from the train.

There has to be a way to fix the "free rides" that are taking advantage of the system.  I think that if the numbers that are being tossed around are true, then put the fare to that figure and I would believe the profit/loss margin isn't so wide.  It kind of ticks me off that at some point in the near future, one could actually ride from Pineville to UC and back for free.  I know in other cities of our size, there are turnstiles that you have to insert the card/ticket BEFORE you get on the actual platform. 

[ajfunder]

I don't know which cities you are thinking of but there are not many modern LRT's in cities that use turnstiles. Seattle, Denver, Norfolk, Portland, Houston, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Tucson, and many more all use the honor system like Charlotte. It is not a big enough issue to warrant turnstiles and out of the dozens of ticket checks I experienced only one person has been busted for not buying a ticket. I'm sure some people take advantage of the system, but that number is so minuscule fare gates are just not economical or sensible, especially when much larger systems don't use them either.

[kermit]

^ I'll add San Diego, Dallas, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, St Louis, Baltimore and Buffalo to the list of cities that use the same proof of payment system we use on their light rail systems.

 

I ride the blue line two round trips per week (and bike past the New Bern, E-W and Bland street stations) nearly every day, enforcement activity is visible on the majority of these trips. Even if CATS decided to make a change controlling access to at-grade platforms is VERY difficult.. For example, how would you control access to 7th street station, you can't fence off the tracks where they cross 6th and 7th street. In addition, the uptown and Southend stations are significant pedestrian throughways.

 

I actually think its a big advantage to have platforms that are not access controlled -- its quicker to move from transit to neighborhood and its easier to run for a drink (or whatever) if you realize you have 5 minutes to kill before your train arrives. This sort of seamless interaction is impossible in heavy rail systems like MARTA, Metro, MTA etc. I will concede that our unimpeded platform access would be a much bigger advantage if we had countdown timers to the next train like in Portland -- the current announcements are just too infrequent to be useful.

Edited January 26, 2015 by kermit

[dubone]

Arrowood is finally getting some development as a direct result of the light rail!

 

http://obswhatsinstore.blogspot.com/2015/01/mcdonalds-is-making-moves-on-south.html

 

 

McDonalds is moving to the other side of the line to be more visible after being blocked by the train.  SMDH 

 

 

I guess that is good news for the fast food on North Tryon that the train will go to the median.

[Spartan]

For me, the biggest issue is lack of walkability to and from any stops between 485 and Scaleybark. Why is it so difficult to walk to OMB from Scaleybark? 

 

What is so difficult about it?

[SentioVenia]

^ I'll add San Diego, Dallas, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, St Louis, Baltimore and Buffalo to the list of cities that use the same proof of payment system we use on their light rail systems.

 

I ride the blue line two round trips per week (and bike past the New Bern, E-W and Bland street stations) nearly every day, enforcement activity is visible on the majority of these trips. Even if CATS decided to make a change controlling access to at-grade platforms is VERY difficult.. For example, how would you control access to 7th street station, you can't fence off the tracks where they cross 6th and 7th street. In addition, the uptown and Southend stations are significant pedestrian throughways.

 

I actually think its a big advantage to have platforms that are not access controlled -- its quicker to move from transit to neighborhood and its easier to run for a drink (or whatever) if you realize you have 5 minutes to kill before your train arrives. This sort of seamless interaction is impossible in heavy rail systems like MARTA, Metro, MTA etc. I will concede that our unimpeded platform access would be a much bigger advantage if we had countdown timers to the next train like in Portland -- the current announcements are just too infrequent to be useful.

 

Add Berlin, Germany to that list as well. 

[HopHead]

I'm actually heading to San Diego later this week and I'm interested in checking out their light rail system... I made sure my wife didn't get a rental car. Minus doing some brewery hopping it looks we won't need a car (that's what Uber is for). I'm sure I'll find plenty of things to be envious of aside from the weather. 

Edited January 27, 2015 by wend28

[tozmervo]

I hear that they keep it classy.

[SentioVenia]

Ron Burgundy?

[tozmervo]

I think the idea was that 3-car service would only take place during special event service until all the stations were expanded (hence 485 and Stonewall being prioritized). To kermit's point, Woodlawn has never been mentioned until now, so who knows.

 

Ok, so in reading through the recent FTA quarterly report (good stuff), Woodlawn is being added to the project via change order. That makes me think they're hacking together funds here and there to add stations into the original scope as they're able. 7th Street is also mentioned in addition to Stonewall. That said, there's still no clear list of which stations are being extended so far.

[kermit]

^  that gets my vote for the groovyest nerd-doc of the month. I hope to read that every quarter.

[tozmervo]

Also: the art-in-transit proposals were approved by the city council. This also includes fancying-up the 11th st and 277 underpasses. http://charmeck.org/city/charlotte/cats/planning/ArtinTransit/inprogress/Pages/Blue-Line-Extension.aspx

[Guest]

Also: the art-in-transit proposals were approved by the city council. This also includes fancying-up the 11th st and 277 underpasses. http://charmeck.org/city/charlotte/cats/planning/ArtinTransit/inprogress/Pages/Blue-Line-Extension.aspx

the BLE stations are vastly improved designs. wow, hadn't seen these, love them.

[nonillogical]

Also: the art-in-transit proposals were approved by the city council. This also includes fancying-up the 11th st and 277 underpasses. http://charmeck.org/city/charlotte/cats/planning/ArtinTransit/inprogress/Pages/Blue-Line-Extension.aspx

I'm going to sound like a total art snob but so be it, a lot of the station installations look terrible. They tend to get better towards UNCC, but the 36th street installation oddly seems by far the weakest, lacking either interesting concept or interesting aesthetics. Some of the others towards uptown have good concepts, and might look good in execution, but their 2d representations look like something out of a mid-90s textbook. I love the bench at the UNCC stop, I think that is the nicest element by far. The 9th street station looks great, but I wouldn't call it much of a public art piece.

 

Don't get me wrong, I love that they are employing different artists to do something unique to each stop rather than some bland singular aesthetic. I just wish the taste level were generally higher when the city selects these, as I'm still upset about the winged gateway things along the Tryon/277 bridge. 

[MilZ]

I'm going to sound like a total art snob but so be it, a lot of the station installations look terrible. They tend to get better towards UNCC, but the 36th street installation oddly seems by far the weakest, lacking either interesting concept or interesting aesthetics. Some of the others towards uptown have good concepts, and might look good in execution, but their 2d representations look like something out of a mid-90s textbook. I love the bench at the UNCC stop, I think that is the nicest element by far. The 9th street station looks great, but I wouldn't call it much of a public art piece.

 

Don't get me wrong, I love that they are employing different artists to do something unique to each stop rather than some bland singular aesthetic. I just wish the taste level were generally higher when the city selects these, as I'm still upset about the winged gateway things along the Tryon/277 bridge.

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2015/01/26/5473443/cats-recommends-artists-for-lynx.html

Here are the prices for each station's art, from yesterday's paper, It's no surprise that UNCC's is the most expensive with the intricate bench.

[archiham04]

Sugar Creek and Old Concord are designed by a professor of mine from State!

[birky]

These prefab barriers now line a stretch of N Tryon between the I-85 connector and the post-office.  The project is really moving along up in Univ City.

 

[KulBC]

 

Wall is coming along nicely on Tryon at the 85 connector. 

 

 

 

 

Construction has started at the intersection of Tryon and University City Blvd.

 

Edited February 11, 2015 by KulBC