Red Line talks are simmering again. What it means for Lake Norman transit (Lake Norman Citizen)
There is no imminent rumble of wheels on the railroad tracks through north Mecklenburg and south Iredell – in fact, in places, limbs and tall weeds are proof of the “O Line” rails’ long-term idleness. But there is a faint signal, a murmur, that the decades-old vision for a northern corridor of Charlotte-region passenger rail service has the possibility of revival.
“I believe there is a window,” Sustain Charlotte founder and executive director Shannon Binns said. “CATS has maintained contact and communication with Norfolk Southern and I think there is something behind the renewed effort.”
“The Red Line is a critical piece of the region’s transportation network,” he said. “I am hopeful, optimistic, that conversations have begun and we are nearer to making this happen. I think that is why there is this push to get the 30 percent design done. I don’t think they would be advocating for this kind of investment unless they detected a viable opportunity to make this a reality. “I think we’re closer than we have been for a long time.”