CATS Gets Green Light For Silver Line
I have a complaint about the LYNX light rail service in Charlotte. There’s not enough of it. I want more. It looks like I may get my wish.
The Metropolitan Transit Commission (MTC) voted unanimously this week to proceed with plans to build another LYNX line that would travel along side Highway 74 between CPCC’s Levine Campus in Matthews and the intersection of Park Street and Wilkinson Blvd. in Belmont, with stops in uptown Charlotte and near the airport along the way. It’s now up to the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) to update plans for the so-called Silver Line.
The objective of the new Silver Line is to ease vehicle traffic on I-85 and Highway 74. Can I get an “Amen?” Unfortunately, it won’t happen overnight. It’s projected that the new line would not be completed until 2030. Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles told WCNC-TV, “If I could wish for anything, it would be that we could move our transit line and get it done more quickly than we can.” I’m with you, Mayor.
Phil Harris/WKQC
I’m a big fan of mass transit. I’ve used it just about everywhere I’ve lived. I use it here and everywhere I visit. In many ways, it has made my life easier. And I know I’m not alone. The current Blue Line has proven itself to be a useful resource for many people. If ever there was a worthwhile investment for the future of the growing Charlotte region, it’s more mass transit.
Other projects being explored by MTC and CATS include extending the Blue Line south into Pineville and over to Ballantyne, as well as moving the Silver Line further west into Gaston County. I just hope they can find the money for all of it.
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