Is light rail still on track?

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The light rail director is on the defensive tonight after he sent a letter to the contractor saying he had serious concerns the rail wouldn't get moving on time.

But what he’s been telling the public has been a very different story.

If you’re anywhere along the line, you can see the test runs – they are very public.

But it seems the CATS director didn't expect a letter he wrote Monday to the rail contractor to be made public.

“The letter was designed to get their attention, it got their attention,” Ron Tober said Wednesday night.

It got a lot of people's attention.

In the letter Tober writes, "We have serious concerns about Archer Western's ability to complete the two contracts with construction conforming to contract requirements within a time frame that will allow the project to be completed and opened for service by the end of November."

But in an interview Wednesday night he says he's confident the line is still on track.

“We're pointed to opening the line on November 26th,” he said.

But he admits to concerns with the construction company's work.

“We put them on notice -- schedule slippages are an issue and if they continue to have them they're going to put things in jeopardy,” Tober said.

By “things,” he seems to mean the line opening on time.

The public seems to doubt an on-time opening is still even possible.

April Wallace said, “I really don't think it’s gonna open on time.”

Linda Becker said, “I don't know, I hope so.”

Matthew Campbell moved here from New York and told us, “It’s so hard to get mass transit in place, I don't think any city's immune to delays.”

One thing is definitely delayed. There was some hope at least part of the line would open early. Tober said Wednesday that was no longer a possibility. All this, while the transit folks give the go-ahead to figure out a financial strategy for the north rail line.