LYNX Red Line

The Red Line is a planned commuter rail extension for the LYNX network in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Red Line, or North Corridor, would serve as a commuter rail line between Mount Mourne in southern Iredell County and the proposed Gateway Station in Uptown Charlotte. It would primarily serve the towns of Huntersville, Cornelius and Davidson in northern Mecklenburg County.

It is proposed to follow a northerly path along the existing Norfolk Southern O Line right-of-way, roughly paralleling North Graham Street and North Carolina Highway 115, as it extends through north Mecklenburg County. Currently, it is estimated to be 25 miles (40.2 km) in length and cost $261 million to complete the first phase by 2012 and an additional $112 million to complete phase two by 2019.^[1] Additionally, the line would contain 1,200 parking spaces and 10 stations along the corridor.^[1]

Status in 2011, the Lynx Red line is now being planned to be built in one phase. Due to less revenue in the transit tax, in January 2011 the Metropolitan Transit Commission voted that the Lynx Red Line along with the Blue Line extension were the top two priorities, leaving the streetcar to be funded by the city and postponing further work on the LYNX Silver Line and the Airport corridor until after the Red Line and Blue line projects were completed. The Red Line is projected to be in operation by mid to late 2018. As of June 2011 the project is 90% designed and a operating agreement has been signed with Norfolk Southern but the project lacks nearly 80% of the needed funds to begin construction.

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} "Destination 2030". Charlotte Area Transit System: pp. 10. http://www.ingagepublication.com/publications/charlottelightrail/. Retrieved 2007-06-25. 
2. ^ "Rapid Transit Planning". Charlotte Area Transit System. Archived from the original on 2007-01-11. http://web.archive.org/web/20070111125354/http://www.charmeck.org/Departments/CATS/Rapid+Transit+Planning/home.htm. Retrieved 2007-01-13.