CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) held a virtual meeting Tuesday night to discuss the Lynx Silver Line project, which would connect Matthews to Belmont with light rail including stops in Uptown and at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
Another meeting is scheduled for noon on Wednesday. Both meetings will focus on the future of the service and possible changes to station stops along the Silver Line.
A virtual open house will also be hosted on the CATS YouTube channel.
The Silver Line is a planned, 29-mile, 31-station light rail from the city of Belmont in Gaston County through Charlotte and Matthews, into Union County. Key connections include stops at Bank of America Stadium and near Charlotte Douglas, although passengers would still need to take a moving sidewalk to reach the terminals.
Topics that are expected to be discussed during these public meetings include the potential alignment and station changes in the area near Bojangles Coliseum, as well as around Uptown.
The meetings come at a time of transition for the system, which has seen its share of struggles over the last few years, including bus drivers calling out from work forcing delays citywide and the need to alter routes. Another issue is operator and passenger safety after multiple incidents, including the killing of driver Ethan Rivera in an apparent road rage shooting.
John Lewis recently resigned as CATS CEO, saying he was looking at other opportunities. On a recent episode of Flashpoint, Lewis discussed the importance of the Silver Line and how Charlotte could use federal grant monies to help fund the project.
"We have an incredible opportunity," Lewis said. "Federal investment in public transit is the highest it's ever been. We have a bit of a competitive edge in Charlotte now that we are ahead in the design for the Silver Line."
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