Charlotte Gateway Station and Railroad Improvements

[MarcoPolo]

Kermit, yes this is one of the report images.  The plans which are coming together for the actual development are, to put it mildly, somewhat more refined   

I've lost some faith in CATS, as is evident in my previous postings.  Suffice it to say, odds are high the planned interface with this important hub will be, to put it mildly....underwhelming.    I hope to be proven wrong.

[kermit]

1 minute ago, TGIBridays said:

They used to have a bunch of renderings on the station area planning site (https://www.catssilverline.com), but that seems to be gone now that public input has ended. 

CATS somehow manages to rearrange their web presence weekly, but real time LRT vehicle tracking....

[B Randy]

2 hours ago, kermit said:

As usual my memory is unreliable. Here is what I found:

The rendering I was thinking of (it does not include the Silver Line) but does include rail trail. 

This Gateway Station area report has lots different perspectives to the above. Frustratingly there does not appear to be any mention of the Silver Line in the report: https://charlottenc.gov/cats/transit-planning/charlotte-gateway-station/Documents/CGS MSAP - Final Report.pdf

CATS definitely published maps of the Silver Line route for public meetings, and one of those maps sketched the route and Gateway station with decent detail. I am still looking for this map.

 

These images can be archived.  Completely new approach has emerged.

[TheRealClayton]

3 hours ago, kermit said:

As usual my memory is unreliable. Here is what I found:

The rendering I was thinking of (it does not include the Silver Line) but does include rail trail. 

This Gateway Station area report has lots different perspectives to the above. Frustratingly there does not appear to be any mention of the Silver Line in the report: https://charlottenc.gov/cats/transit-planning/charlotte-gateway-station/Documents/CGS MSAP - Final Report.pdf

CATS definitely published maps of the Silver Line route for public meetings, and one of those maps sketched the route and Gateway station with decent detail. I am still looking for this map.

 

You aren't going to find renderings with Silverline, as the preferred alignment is downstairs, under the project.

[DMann]

Under, does that mean ground level?

[CLT Development]

21 minutes ago, DMann said:

Under, does that mean ground level?

no like a tunnel. in other words the cluster fudge of construction isn't ending anytime soon lol

Edited January 6, 2022 by The Real Clayton

[DMann]

Oh My!

[JRCLT]

My question is if the third line is added you could get on the train from the rail trail?? Assuming the third line is likely to accommodate more capacity for commuter i guess it would make sense? Faster boarding and hopping off.

Also: First underground station in charlotte? Cool.

[CltFlyer]

I wonder how far the hypothetical tunnel would extend past the station.  Probably impossible from a cost stand point, but I could see it being beneficial to have it continue underground through Tepper's proposed stadium district and Pipe and Foundry land.

So if it comes fruition,  Charlotte finally has a subway then ?? (If MARTA counts for Atlanta, this counts for us)

[TGIBridays]

12 hours ago, CltFlyer said:

I wonder how far the hypothetical tunnel would extend past the station.  Probably impossible from a cost stand point, but I could see it being beneficial to have it continue underground through Tepper's proposed stadium district and Pipe and Foundry land.

So if it comes fruition,  Charlotte finally has a subway then ?? (If MARTA counts for Atlanta, this counts for us)

I guess since they're doing a lot of new development in that area, a cut and cover tunnel wouldn't be quite as disruptive and difficult as tunneling up trade.

In my dreams, I would make the Silver Line an automated light metro.  That way the service frequency wouldn't be reliant on CATS hiring enough operators and that would mean full grade separation along the route and a more reliable service.  Of course, that would be a lot more expensive.

[15895]

2 hours ago, TGIBridays said:

I guess since they're doing a lot of new development in that area, a cut and cover tunnel wouldn't be quite as disruptive and difficult as tunneling up trade.

In my dreams, I would make the Silver Line an automated light metro.  That way the service frequency wouldn't be reliant on CATS hiring enough operators and that would mean full grade separation along the route and a more reliable service.  Of course, that would be a lot more expensive.

 

Like the Honolulu HART? That'd be perfect.

[TGIBridays]

13 minutes ago, AirNostrumMAD said:

 

Like the Honolulu HART? That'd be perfect.

I'm not really familiar with HART, but yes I believe so. The Vancouver SkyTrain is really what I was thinking of.  I only learned about these types of systems from RMTransit's videos on youtube who talks about the SkyTrain all the time.

[Desert Power]

On 1/7/2022 at 10:21 AM, TGIBridays said:

On 1/7/2022 at 10:05 AM, AirNostrumMAD said:

 

Like the Honolulu HART? That'd be perfect.

I'm not really familiar with HART, but yes I believe so. The Vancouver SkyTrain is really what I was thinking of.  I only learned about these types of systems from RMTransit's videos on youtube who talks about the SkyTrain all the time.

Vegas Monorail is like this too

[15895]

1 hour ago, Desert Power said:

Vegas Monorail is like this too

How so? Heavy Light Rail and monorail are well different 

[Desert Power]

2 hours ago, AirNostrumMAD said:

How so? Heavy Light Rail and monorail are well different 

I was referring to the automated operator aspect.

[Third Strike]

Phase 1 of the Gateway Station is 90% done. 
 

https://twitter.com/nc_by_train/status/1491141790837227520?s=21

 

Edited February 9, 2022 by Third Strike

[JRCLT]

I l o v e trains. For many reasons.

[j-man]

2 hours ago, Third Strike said:

Phase 1 of the Gateway Station is 90% done. 
 

https://twitter.com/nc_by_train/status/1491141790837227520?s=21

 

What will phase 2 consist of? Hopefully the buildings will get started.

[JRCLT]

What will phase 2 consist of? Hopefully the buildings will get started.

Phase 2 will lead to buildings, yes. The station itself also.

[kermit]

Was perusing the latest CATS quarterly report to the FTA (from September 21, the next one has not yet been posted). Very little new news in it but I'll repeat the official timeline info for Gateway Station:

• Winter 2021/Spring 2022 – Execute Developer Agreement and begin design of the development, including the development of the South Block to relocate intercity bus and CATS buses into a permanent facility
• 2022-2023 – Complete Geotechnical Analysis and Phase 2 Environmental Report; complete engineering and design of the master development
• 2023 – Phase 1 Infrastructure Construction complete
• 2023-2026 – Begin Phase 2 construction, relocating Amtrak at CGS and constructing the CATS bus facility with FTA Grants and local funds

There was also this rendering which is noteworthy because it does not show the Silver Line (the platforms on the Graham st side are for intercity rail). This lends support to the Real Ricky Clayton Fan's statement that the Silver was going underground here. The other noteworthy absence from the rendering is the railtrail.

Edited February 14, 2022 by kermit

[ajfunder]

On 2/11/2022 at 1:12 PM, kermit said:

Was perusing the latest CATS quarterly report to the FTA (from September 21, the next one has not yet been posted). Very little new news in it but I'll repeat the official timeline info for Gateway Station:

• Winter 2021/Spring 2022 – Execute Developer Agreement and begin design of the development, including the development of the South Block to relocate intercity bus and CATS buses into a permanent facility
• 2022-2023 – Complete Geotechnical Analysis and Phase 2 Environmental Report; complete engineering and design of the master development
• 2023 – Phase 1 Infrastructure Construction complete
• 2023-2026 – Begin Phase 2 construction, relocating Amtrak at CGS and constructing the CATS bus facility with FTA Grants and local funds

There was also this rendering which is noteworthy because it does not show the Silver Line (the platforms on the Graham st side are for intercity rail). This lends support to the Real Ricky Clayton Fan's statement that the Silver was going underground here. The other noteworthy absence from the rendering is the railtrail.

Isn't that the original 2030 plan rendering from like CGS 1.0? Would be kinda neat if things came full circle.

[kermit]

^ It would be standard CATS behavior to use a ridiculously old rendering in a quarterly report.

different paragraph:

As I drove to the Amtrak station this morning (on my way to Raleigh), I was stopped by a Blue Line train on 12th st. It made me viscerally sad that I still need to drive to the train station.

Nice day though…

 

Edited February 15, 2022 by kermit

[drumsy]

News today of a potential sale of the Salisbury Depot to the city of Salisbury for the purpose of turning it into a transit hub.

https://www.salisburypost.com/2022/03/03/city-historic-salisbury-foundation-negotiating-sale-of-salisbury-depot/

[Hushpuppy321]

On 2/11/2022 at 4:12 PM, kermit said:

Was perusing the latest CATS quarterly report to the FTA (from September 21, the next one has not yet been posted). Very little new news in it but I'll repeat the official timeline info for Gateway Station:

• Winter 2021/Spring 2022 – Execute Developer Agreement and begin design of the development, including the development of the South Block to relocate intercity bus and CATS buses into a permanent facility
• 2022-2023 – Complete Geotechnical Analysis and Phase 2 Environmental Report; complete engineering and design of the master development
• 2023 – Phase 1 Infrastructure Construction complete
• 2023-2026 – Begin Phase 2 construction, relocating Amtrak at CGS and constructing the CATS bus facility with FTA Grants and local funds

There was also this rendering which is noteworthy because it does not show the Silver Line (the platforms on the Graham st side are for intercity rail). This lends support to the Real Ricky Clayton Fan's statement that the Silver was going underground here. The other noteworthy absence from the rendering is the railtrail.

Do you know if the rough timeline detailed from the CATS Quarterly Report is anything similar in timeframe to Raleigh’s Union Station buildout/construction?  I don’t know why it seems that everything transportation related in Charlotte seems to happen/develop at a snails pace and be much more expensive & less comprehensive than projects in other Peer Cities.

[LKN704]

Is it actually confirmed that the station will be below-grade at Gateway? 

This is the first I have heard of it, and if true, that's pretty exciting. Below-grade could mean many things though I guess and doesn't necessarily mean a tunnel...could be in a trench, etc. 

Are there any links to the station plan at Gateway?