Rendering: CATS
Jan. 23. By Dave Vieser. The new cost estimate for the CATS Red Line is in: $1.38 billion—more than twice the original $640 million estimated pricetag.
Building the Red Line is still considered a top priority among four transit funding options unveiled yesterday by the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) for the consideration of legislators in Raleigh.
Quotable
“The Red Line is definitely doable within all four options that were presented by CATS,” said Cornelius Mayor Woody Washam. “I am totally in favor of the approved version of taking these four workable directives of future potential options to the citizens for feedback and input.”
Mayor Washam
Money
Now comes the big question: Where does money for these projects come from.?
A one-penny increase in the sales tax seems to be the most popular solution at the moment. Forty percent of the proceeds would go towards transit, rather than 50 percent, a decrease apparently designed to make a sales tax package more acceptable to a majority of the General Assembly.
It will now be up to legislators to decide if they want to give citizens a vote on increasing the area sales tax.
That decision in Raleigh is no slam dunk, and even if the GOP caucus ultimately says “yes, put it on the November ballot,” will taxpayers go along? Washam hopes so.
“This is critical for the future of transit in Charlotte, Mecklenburg County as well as the Lake Norman Region,” Washam said.
We need to conduct a detailed cost benefit analysis.
We need an accurate projection of use and technology.
Why are we using propulsion technology invented in 1893? What should we be using – surely not diesel?
Impact on carbon footprint and environment?
Detailed analysis on traffic mitigation accomplished by transit rail?
We need to re-evaluate location of rail access points that benefits and moves most population
Must address competition of airport parking revenue preventing desire to have transit rail terminate at airport without need for transfer buses.
We need to understand realistic and complete design, build and operate costs.
We need to full disclosure on the amount of tax revenue, the source and rate impacts on individual tax payers for next 30 years.
Posted by Jeff Tarte | January 23, 2025, 11:56 amGood points Jeff Tarte. Also, how many people in North Mecklenburg ride CATS daily to and from Charlotte now, vs. what is projected for the Red Line? In addition, what is the current daily ridership for train transit in Charlotte? I am worried this will turn into a very expensive and underutilized boondoggle.
Posted by Scott Jeffords | January 23, 2025, 12:06 pmFirst question that requires an answer: how much money has Mecklenburg County collected to date from the 1998 half cent transit tax increase for the Red Line.
Nothing should happen until we have that answer – to the penny! This will tells us a number of things.
Posted by Jeff Tarte | January 23, 2025, 12:10 pmFirst question that requires an answer: how much money has Mecklenburg County collected to date from the 1998 half cent transit tax increase for the Red Line.
Nothing should happen until we have that answer – to the penny! This will tells us a number of things.
Posted by Jeff P Tarte | January 23, 2025, 12:11 pmSounds like the train to nowhere in California. Google it!
Scrap it. Use the money to expand the roads.
Posted by Jimmy | January 23, 2025, 1:14 pmI’m confounded as to how we can conjure up $1.4B for a project with dubious transportation benefit yet could not come up with a tenth of that to widen I77 without toll lanes.
Posted by Kurt Naas | January 23, 2025, 1:17 pmMaybe the Red Lind project should proceed on the same model as the I-77 Express Lanes. Let a private entity fund developing, building and operating it, with the right to collect fares.
Of course, no private entity would do that because there doesn’t appear to be projected ridership to make it an economically viable project.
Posted by Gerry Mander | January 23, 2025, 2:24 pmPlease Mr Mayor. Enlighten us as to how “This is critical for the future of transit in Charlotte, Mecklenburg County as well as the Lake Norman Region,”
Posted by Bucky Dornster | January 23, 2025, 3:28 pmThey lie every single time. Wake up. And if you think this slight increase over the original project is the final cost then you are delusional.
Posted by Skippy | January 24, 2025, 7:19 amThis project will pad the pockets of many. Follow the money. We don’t need a mugger mover!
Posted by Don Jackson | January 24, 2025, 8:18 amInteresting to note as DC workers are required to go back to their offices, the main complaint is they will have to fight for PARKING. DC has one of the best light rails in the nation, yet federal workers don’t want to take it? What makes us thing it will be different here? After all, the Red Line still goes nowhere NEAR where people will have jobs.
Posted by Bucky Dornster | January 24, 2025, 9:14 amCan we vote on this? I literally don’t think one resident in the Lake Norman area would want this and say it’s a good idea. Seems like a very 1990s idea and project.
Mayor, literally wtf, this is so dumb.
Posted by Rossshuermer | January 24, 2025, 4:40 pmAs the article states, a referendum will be placed on a future ballot to allow citizens to vote on a potential tax increase to fund this project. Half of the tax increase will be routed to local municipalities to fund certain projects within that respective town.
Posted by Todd Sansbury-Town Commissioner | January 27, 2025, 11:58 amThese “train to nowhere” and “why can’t we widen 77” comments have me a bit confused. Have none of you looked at a map of the proposed line? Where are you going on one and not the other? I know that not everyone works downtown or in university or south end, but a whole heck of a lot of people do. Do you never go to dinner, or a concert, or a sporting event, or the theater, or a museum, or any of the many other things people do downtown besides work? Some people don’t do those things, I get that. But quite a lot of people do, and having transportation options is very nice.
Posted by Kathryn McClelland | January 28, 2025, 12:29 pmAwesome Kathryn. BUT, those of us who use 77 pay for it directly with gas taxes and tolls. Let those who will be USING the rail pay for it, not we who will never ride it.
Posted by Bucky Dornster | January 30, 2025, 8:06 am