Streetcar Begins Operation in Uptown Charlotte

CHARLOTTE, NC – After years of construction, the first phase of Charlotte’s long-anticipated streetcar line is up and running. The first phase of the CityLynx Gold Line runs a mile and a half.

 

It starts near Time Warner Cable Arena at the Transportation Center, going through Elizabeth Avenue and Central Piedmont Community College, before ending at Novant Presbyterian Hospital.

 

The price tag for phase one: about $37 million, but two-thirds of that was paid for by the Federal Government. The city kicked in $12 million.

 

“It’s not just about transportation. It is about opportunities into parts of the city, that have been historically under-served,” says U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx.

 

Foxx, a former Charlotte Mayor, and one of the project’s biggest advocates told WCCB he’s optimistic funding will come through for a second phase that runs to Johnson C. Smith University. He says President Obama has $75 million in his budget for another street car grant.

The city has already set aside money to pay for it.

 

“It’s about momentum. You lose momentum, you lose money, and you lose opportunities to keep building,” Foxx says.

 

Meanwhile, businesses along the Elizabeth Avenue corridor are hopeful years of construction will bring the promised economic boost.

 

“The only concern I have is, I hope that it doesn’t deter people from the area trying to avoid the trolley lines, and, you know, because of the trolley coming through and so forth, but I think it’s going to bring a lot of business. I really do,” says business owner Jacqueline Cross.

 

You can take a virtual ride on the CityLynx Gold Line here.