Charlotte LYNX Light Rail

Description

On 24 November 2007, the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) began operation of the 9.6-mile (15.5-km) LYNX Blue Line light rail, which had been under construction since February 2005. The line extends from central ("uptown") Charlotte southward to near the Interstate 485 expressway, running more or less parallel to South Boulevard and the Interstate 77 expressway. Part of it uses an abandoned Norfolk Southern Railroad right of way, and part runs alongside NS tracks that remain in freight service. The section of this right of way between central Charlotte and Tremont Avenue has already used by the Charlotte Trolley, a heritage streetcar operation that will run in mixed service with the LYNX trains beginning in spring 2008.

The LYNX fleet consists of sixteen articulated Avanto light-rail vehicles built by Siemens. This model is also used in Houston, Texas, and has been ordered by Portland, Oregon.

[front] | [back] Daily pass purchased at the Sharon Road West station.

Schedules

These are unofficial condensed schedules based on the ones that took effect on 2 June 2008. They include Charlotte Trolley service. They may have been superseded by now, and may have errors in transcription, so you should not consider them as authoritative. I created them for my convenience so I wouldn't have to print out as much for a trip to Charlotte. For the current official schedules, see the CATS Web site.

Monday through Friday inbound and outbound
Saturday inbound and outbound
Sunday inbound and outbound

Other Sites

The LYNX home page on the CATS Web site, with official information on schedules, fares, etc.
The Charlotte Observer's Transit Issues page, with reports on the opening of the light-rail line and other developments, guides to all the stations, and a downloadable two-page graphic spread from the newspaper.
LYNX Rapid Transit Services article on Wikipedia

Pictures

Pictures marked [New] were added on 14 January 2007.

[picture] The 7th Street station is the northern terminal for light rail trains. One track extends another couple of blocks to 9th Street, but this is to be used only by the Charlotte Trolley, at least until the light rail is extended northward to the university area. (November 2007)

[New] [picture] A pair of trains meet at the 3rd Street station. The platform canopies, in different colors on the two sides of the station, are the public art for this station. (January 2008)

[New] [picture] A southbound train crosses 2nd Street, just before entering the tunnel through the convention center (January 2008). Compare this view [picture] from about the same location in January 2002, when a single track through uptown was being laid for the Charlotte Trolley, and the tunnel had not yet been built.

[New] [picture] A northbound train enters the tunnel, in a view from the Stonewall station which is just to the south. (January 2008)

[New] [picture] A southbound train passes under the Morehead Street overpass, just south of the I-277 expressway (January 2008). Compare this with a similar view [picture] of the Charlotte Trolley almost four years earlier.

[picture] North of the Bland station, we get a good view of the Charlotte skyline.

[picture] Just north of the East/West station, a train crosses East Boulevard.

[New] [picture] A southbound train crosses Tremont Avenue, in a view looking down the Atherton Mill spur used by the Charlotte Trolley. CATS has added a derail to this spur so the trolley can't enter the main line when it's not supposed to. (January 2008)

[New] [picture] Two trains are parked outside the Light Rail Operations Center, a short distance south of the New Bern station. (January 2008)

[New] [picture] Two of the Gomaco replica trolleys used by the Charlotte Trolley are parked outside the Light Rail Operations Center. Trolley service is to resume sometime in spring 2008. (January 2008)

[New] [picture] Several huge textured concrete discs are lined up next to the tracks, in the median of South Blvd. north of the Scaleybark station. This is one of the LYNX public art projects. (January 2008)

[picture] Looking north from the platform at Woodlawn, we can see the bridge that carries the light rail over Woodlawn Road. At the right is the end of the Norfolk Southern freight track that once extended into uptown Charlotte along the current light rail route.

[picture] Looking south from Woodlawn, we can watch some Norfolk Southern switching action, along with the light rail trains.

[New] [picture] The Sharon Road West station features a pedestrian bridge which connects the station with South Blvd., crossing over the Norfolk Southern Railroad line that runs parallel to LYNX here.

[New] [picture #1] | [picture #2] A southbound train arrives at Sharon Road West.

Groundbreaking, 26 February 2005

The groundbreaking ceremony for the line took place in conjunction with the grand opening of the CATS South Tryon Bus Facility which lies on the west side of the line, a short distance north of Clanton Road, and south of the New Bern station.

[picture] CATS chief executive officer Ron Tober gives a speech. Behind him, just to our left, is Charlotte mayor Pat McCrory. The backdrop shows an artist's rendering of one of the light rail train, which will be built by Siemens.

[picture] The ceremonial shovels are about go to to work. Mayor McCrory is third from right, and CEO Tober is three places further to the left.

[picture] A fair-sized crowd attended the ceremony.

[picture] After the groundbreaking, visitors could tour the new bus facility. Here we see the administration building on the left, covered parking spaces for buses on the right, and a parking garage for CATS workers in the background.

[picture] Inside the bus maintainance facility.

[picture] On the upper level of the complex, at the rear, one service bay has tracks in it so that it can be used for servicing light-rail trains.

Opening Day, 24 November 2007

Opening day featured events at four stations. Thanks to the free rides and good weather, large crowds turned out. About 60,000 people rode LYNX on opening day (Saturday). The next day, which also offered free rides, about 40,000 more people rode, many of them to the Carolina Panthers home game that day.

[picture] Charlotte mayor Pat McCrory arrives at the CTC/Arena station to give a speech [picture].

[picture] Then the crowd and the mayor board the a train for a trip over the length of the line to the I-485 station. Of course, Mayor McCrory gets the "railfan window" at the front of the train [picture].

[picture] All the trains were packed like rush hour in New York, at least up until I left in mid-afternoon. Passengers were forced to leave the trains at the ends of the line, to make room for people waiting to board.

[picture #1] | [picture #2] Here are two views of the crowd at the East/West Blvd. station. Note the low-platform sections with signs for the Charlotte Trolley which will share tracks with LYNX between uptown and Tremont Avenue.

[picture] South of the East/West station along Camden Road, South End businesses set up tents with exhibits, samples, etc. There was also a bandstand with live music.

[picture] A long line of people wait for a chance to board a train at the 7th Street terminal. The lines here and at I-485 grew so long that CATS ran special bus service (the "LYNX Bus Bridge") to carry people back to their starting points, so they wouldn't have to wait to finish their round trip.