CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) officials are investigating what caused the crossing arms to lower along the Blue Line Extension for about two hours Wednesday afternoon.
CATS officials said the gate arms along the rail crossings were engaged and lowered. CATS officials worked with the Charlotte Department of Transportation and Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department to fix the problem and announced the issue had been resolved around 5:15 p.m.
A CATS spokesperson said a technical issue caused one of the train system fail-safes to activate, resulting in all crossing arm gates along the alignment to engage. The root cause of the issue is still being investigated.
The malfunction along the Blue Line Extension cause traffic issues for drivers and pedestrians in the area.
In a statement, CATS official said, “The fail-safe system acted as it was designed to, protecting pedestrian and motor vehicle traffic, as well as the rail right-of-way.”
The grand opening of the Blue Line Extension, which runs from 9th Street in Uptown to UNC Charlotte’s main campus, is still on track for March 16.
CATS officials reminded drivers and pedestrians not to go around lowered gates under any circumstances and find alternate routes.