LYNX Blue Line To Add Three-Car Trains

Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) Receives $18 Million TIGER III grant

“This grant provides CATS the ability to move towards operating three-car trains along extended platforms on the LYNX Blue Line,” said Carolyn Flowers, CATS CEO. “The money received today will also be used to enhance the power along the line for running more light rail cars, which will assist CATS in future operational savings by being able to run longer trains.

Read More at CATS Receives $18 Million To Increase Ridership Capacity Along LYNX Blue Line

UNC Charlotte Begins PORTAL Building

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC) has come up with the financing for a new $37 million research and development building, without the help of the state legislature. The Partnership, Outreach, and Research for Accelerated Learning (PORTAL) Building is being built at University City on the 102-acre Charlotte Research Institute (CRI) campus.

Irwin Creek Wastewater Plant Upgrades Begin

The Irwin Creek Wastewater Plant treats about 10 million gallons per day of wastewater that is produced by people who live or work in its service area which includes much of uptown and west Charlotte. Constructed in the 1920's, much of the equipment and structures are decades old and in need of rebuilding a significant portion of the structures and equipment on the site. Council also approved a contract for $2.7 million with an engineering company, Hazen and Sawyer, to provide project management and administration services. This includes observation of construction, facility startup services and operator training.

Light Rail Extension Gets One Step Closer

Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) received its Record of Decision from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for the LYNX Blue Line Extension light rail project.

The 9.4-mile alignment would run from Uptown Charlotte to the UNC-Charlotte campus and include 11 light rail stations and four parking facilities. The system will operate generally within the existing railroad right of way from Uptown to NoDa, then transition into the median of North Tryon Street from Old Concord Road north, with the last station on the UNC-Charlotte campus.

The FTA Record of Decision determines that the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) have been met for this project. The next major step is attaining a Full Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA) from FTA, which means the federal government would fund half of the cost needed to build the Blue Line Extension. State and local funds would make up the remaining half.

Final Design is the last phase of project development. It includes right-of-way acquisition, utility relocation, preparation of final construction plans, construction cost estimates, bid documents and finalizing the project’s financial plan.

Read the press release CATS Receives Record of Decision from Federal Transit Administration