Charlotte's CityLYNX | A New American Streetcar

I have enjoyed exploring the new and improved Charlotte CityLYNX Gold Line as it completes its Phase 2 extension. There's a lot to like -- but a lot still to improve. What is the role of a streetcar in a modern American city like Charlotte?
00:00 Video Intro
00:38 Intro to Streetcars
01:07 History of the Gold Line
02:28 What Makes Transit "Good"
04:02 Service Frequency
05:58 Ride Quality
06:13 CATS Mobile App
06:57 Is It Useful?
08:24 Service Speed
09:16 Streetcars vs. Busses
10:44 Conclusions
#Charlotte #Streetcar #Transit #UrbanPlanning

[@alanthefisher]

Charlotte is definitely a hot spot for new transit and housing, this is a fantastic video. I do think that eventually they will have to create or dedicate lanes to the gold line when it starts becoming more popular and traffic gets worse in the downtown.

[@PeopleNotCars]

Thanks Alan! I completely agree. I really appreciate the kind words, I'm a big fan of yours.

[@Ausseye]

YOOOOO ! love your videos and not just bikes, and the only reason I'm here watching these videos is because you guys really made me interest in transit and Charlotte is my home town. I miss some of the old trolleys my mom took me on as a kid but the improvements they are making are great. Its amazing that the trains run through some of the big universities, (though not Queens) I really think there is something to be gained here, and connection to the triangle would be amazing, It would be insanely nice if i could take a train from my home town to my school (NC state) that already has rails that go right through campus for freight and AMTRAK but its not as cost effective or convenient as I would like it to be, so alas the 3 hour drive to school it is.

[@erikgustafson9319]

Now what about Light metro

[@eaglei0n]

Charlotte city leaders create a 10 year growth plan which include projects like this to jump start development. It worked for the blue line perfectly. The real effects of the project won’t be felt for a few years.

[@eno3085]

You dont need a grade seperated Light Rail. You just need to take out the two Car lanes and switch them for a 2 way Light Rail Corridor. This works well for many european Cities. And it improves ridership by making traffic worse (at some times). At most times you dont even need this many lanes anyways.

[@drdewott9154]

That and of course makes the tram able to go straight past the car traffic. But yeah it seems North American systems always go to the extremes, whether its with extreme old streetcar construction which just doesn't make sense, or extreme light rail construction which in many aspects look more like a metro system. You pretty much never see anything in the middle, in between like what the vast majority of tram projects and systems in Europe are.

[@teddybruscie]

Yea Charlotte learned from Atlanta not investing early in public transit before your city gets too big is key. If Charlotte had waited until the population is as high as it is now, traffic would be like Atlanta traffic. We still have to battle Nimbys for high density development and public transit expansion, but the city is committed to these goals. And by 2050 it will be a shining beacon of a great southern city. If we can change zoning laws and convince Nimbys of this project, we can get it done a lot sooner.

[@TheBaldr]

Charlotte's population is already bigger than Atlanta for a number of years. Atlanta downtown area is larger by 5 times than Charlotte's uptown. Charlotte's 1950's city belt ensured that Charlotte's uptown couldn't grow, so the corporate centers were spread to different areas of the city. It may not be 5 time less people going into uptown, but it is magnitude less and therefore will never have the same traffic problems as Atlanta.

[@MarkRowsey]

This is a really well made and well explained video! My son and I rode the streetcar during Christmas break up and down the entire line. He and I rather enjoyed it. Also, I've lived in the Charlotte area almost 35 years, and today I learned that CATS has an app. I can even buy a ticket on it. I never knew that! One other note, however, that could have been mentioned in the video (and maybe someone already made a comment on your Reddit post about this) is that construction of this line can be a business killer. I work near one of the stops and have watched the construction from the very beginning. We lost so many great mom and pop businesses along Elizabeth and Hawthorne during the lengthy construction of this project (several years). During construction, the road is basically shut down, and buses are re-routed. Many businesses lost a lot of money, or just shut down during construction. Although I see your point about investing in transit and "if you build it, they will come" attitude, the city is going to have to find a better way to mitigate this issue. Thanks!

[@drdewott9154]

What bugs me the most is that they really didn't use the advantages that having a tram can provide. That being larger vehicles (the Siemens LRV's used on the lines are only the same size as a bi-articulated bus), dedicated lanes and speed. Like if you ask me, the system should, as a minimum, have had trams around 30 meters long or more, dedicated transit lanes wherever possible (preferrably with grass to make the urban area greener and more pleasant), and traffic signal priority wherever possible. It just seems like a massive waste to spend that much money and then bug it all down with those bad design choices. But I digress. I'd say if you want a masterclass example for what a small city tram could look like, I suggest looking up the Odense tramway in Denmark. Denmark in many ways is one of the most car centric nations in Europe, but this project is doing so many things right. 5 section Stadler LRVs at a 7 minute frequency, dedicated right of way along the whole of the allignment, pedestrian space integration, signal priority, and serving several hot spots, including the Central station, sports complex, main pedestrian street, central tourist attractions, 2 major malls, the City's biggest university, Its brand new mega hospital, and a rail link to a regional line at its southern terminus. Heck in the downtown they even used the construction of the tram to completely redevelop a stroad that was built straight through the heart of the city in the 60's into a dense, pedestrian friendly urban area with a parking garage underneath. It'll really be a game changer once it opens in May

[@jmr9923]

Thanks for putting the spotlight on Charlotte. Love the video, looking forward to learn more about our non-vehicular transportation.

[@PeopleNotCars]

I appreciate the kind words! There will definitely be more of Charlotte in future videos I have planned.

[@garrettbuell3172]

I live on the east side of the line and work on the west. I was hoping this would be a viable commute option for me, but the time it takes to run almost the entire line kills it. My 15 minutes drive would be replaced by a 45-60 minute ride (depending on how long I have to wait for a streetcar to arrive). I’ll still be happy to use it to go to events or go out in uptown though

[@davidverzwyvelt1962]

Man! I also posted pictures of the light rail/good line. I love taking my kids on rides, it has been one of the main things we've loved to do on Saturdays for years now. When I posted pictures of the street car, there were a lot of grumpy people. But, we love the light rail, and it totally makes sense for us to use. Park for free and access to much of the city round trip for dollars. Also, the area around the light rail have transformed from not so great areas to really nice, modern apartments and retail, etc

[@mrmaniac3]

Some people are just party poopers through and through. How could you look at a cute little rail vehicle and frown lol they're cool

[@MultiCappie]

Minor correction: maintenance + longevity costs per vehicle are thus: Streetcar < Battery/Fuel Cell/Trolleybus < Diesel < Hybrid bus That's not including fuel, with which it might be possible for hybrids to catch diesels on TCO (total cost of ownership) and put further distance between streetcars and rubber tired vehicles. Also not including infrastructure construction and maintenance, with which Streetcar costs and Trolleybus costs take a jump. Most critically, if preferences significantly favour one mode over others, one must also calculate not only increased ridership revenue but also less tax revenue lost in surface parking lots and deferred road widening/maintenance. And if an electric mode is significantly preferred, ideally one also factors in reduced healthcare costs with the decrease in pollution and increase in walking.

[@RandomJane104]

I live in Charlotte and you just tipped me off to the CATS mobile app. I didn't know that existed. No more fumbling with the Blue Line ticket machines. Thanks!

[@jrcat2258]

Nice video! Literally better information than the city provides!

[@PeopleNotCars]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@alum6390]

That is pretty sad.

[@tetunoffensive]

Great vid and encouraged by the continuing progress. Approval to study for phase 3 including looking at things like priority with street light signals for faster operations. Also just announced some federal $’s going towards I77 exits on the west side that could change the area dramatically with a mock up that looks like a smaller birkdale. Have to believe the investment came knowing they would be anchoring around the Wesley heights gold line stop. Very underrated how development will anchor itself around permanent transit. You don’t get that from bus lines.

[@merccadoosis8847]

Hi PNC Good video. Some have asked whether the investment in such rapid transit is worth it. I cannot speak for Charlotte but can readily do so for our system here in the Twin Cities. We invested in a light rail system and its creation led to a disruption in commerce for a short while. Years later we have already recaptured the cost of this investment because LRT increased the amount of local transportation for shopping, for attending entertainment such as sports, theater, and restaurants, and significantly reduced traffic congestion thereby facilitating traffic flow. It has been conclusively proven that for every dollar invested in the system we have recovered close to $3 dollars. Of course, as with Charlotte and other localities this has been slowed due to covid. That was unavoidable as we have seen similar impacts on many other industries. Bottom line is, investment in light rail was well worth it.

[@brandonchan4537]

ngl, I didn't think this sort of video will only have 2.1k views only.(as of 8 March 2022) The quality reminds me of other popular urban and transport related videos such as not just bikes and more , it's editing may not be a sophisticated but it's worth much more! hopefully that since it did managed to recommend me this video, it might blow up soon, and you'll get lots of future viewer. 👍you gained a sub and I wholly recommend this channel

[@PeopleNotCars]

Thank you Brandon! I really appreciate it. More coming soon.

[@brbailey]

Agree totally.

[@Unmannedperson]

One other advantage of streetcars/trams over buses (electric or otherwise): Rubber tires shed microplastics, and asphalt leeches oils. Steel wheels and steel rails only shed iron oxide (rust), which is relatively harmless.

[@godowrk3360]

Subscribed! Really cool and well done video for a small channel. Can’t wait to see you grow

[@Basta11]

Frequency is a function of ridership. When there is more demand for the service, then frequency will increase. Ridership is a function of density, people live walking distance from stations or else they'll just drive. With many many land use regulations aimed at limiting density and promoting sprawl - single family zoning, minimum parking requirements, plenty of highway funding, neglected pedestrian infrastructure, etc, it will be hard to get enough ridership to support this type of transport.

[@jarynn8156]

But it also creates a self fulfilling prophecy of failure. Low frequency means low reliability which means low ridership, shooting the project in the foot before it even really begins. If a city wants to build out mass transit systems, they really just need to bite the bullet and accept that it will cost them money to operate for awhile.

[@Basta11]

@@jarynn8156right but ridership doesn’t come without a change in development- mean more density around the stations. This only comes when anti-density laws are removed, chiefly minimum parking requirements, single use and single family zoning.

[@jarynn8156]

@@Basta11 Agreed, cities have to let businesses and developers build, but that still doesn't mean it's a good idea to cut frequency. Developers aren't going to want to build around a completely unused rail line, so you need to make it as cheap and effective as possible to encourage people to make minor sacrifices to use it

[@eaglei0n]

Oh. And I LOVE this video. Very good job

[@CregwithaG]

I take this every day to get to the corporate center…great video !

[@carm1549]

@12:02 I find it funny you captured my biggest frustration with the conflict between the streetcar and Trade St. Illegally parked cars

[@RHTeebs]

I personally believe Charlotte needs a tram system. Not only because transit is becoming more and more pressing for people; but, also, because the city needs more than one way to get to Charlotte Motor Speedway. Last time I went, the traffic was 4-5 miles long. It look me over an hour just to drive 2 miles. The trams really need to connect up to the speedway. People need another way to get there.

[@cnj420]

I am in SLC and really appreciate our public transit.

[@cade2277]

the issue is america looks at public transit as more of a investment than anything, like its not worth it unless we make money. I dont believe youre supposed to make money off public transit, its to get cars off the streets and to move people efficiently and to have an economic impact near the stops. Which in turn will help the city bring in more money.

[@jarynn8156]

I wish cities would build more metro lines. Took a trip to Boston recently and while the green line (their light rail service) got the job done, it felt like a notable downgrade in speed and convenience compared to the red and orange lines, both of which were proper heavy rail systems. The light rail service was slower, its boarding process was a lot clunkier, and stops were less intuitive for the uninitiated. Though I guess it was still better than their silver line, which is just a bus route but with some dedicated tunnels in the downtown area.

[@nathanwaldron4259]

Do you have any idea how much more expensive metro is than light rail?

[@jarynn8156]

@@nathanwaldron4259 Yep. Doesn't change my opinion that heavy rail metro systems are still a far better riding experience than light rail systems.

[@averywright4220]

I think people forget that this is a newer system and it’s going to take time to grow into itself, especially when it’s going up against a car centric city

[@chriswalker1993]

Great video.

[@il-dottore]

06:41 Interestingly enough, the app for Phoenix's transit has that *_exact_* UI but purple. I wonder where CATS and Valley Metro got that app from

[@I_Snort_Drywall]

Now, Charlotte is planning to extend the line farther east and west. They also want the car to run in it’s own lane to reduce congestion. All in all, excited for the route Charlotte is taking.

[@eduardog3000]

I miss the cute green and yellow trolleys.

[@jakirus.whitley]

Nice Video!

[@pebblepod30]

It's amazing how new technology (without much discernment or investigation) can sometimes set a country back so far & so comparatively badly. I mean the invention of the car, replacing livable & cheaper to maintain cities.

[@douglasm2501]

Frequency is 90% of the problem. I live near a station on the west side. We frequently go to over to Plaza to eat. Seems like almost half the time we just miss the street car. To wait for the next one and then take the 30-40 min ride over there can be an hour so we often end up Ubering. IMO it's not suitable for commuting with a 20 min frequency and no set schedule. The ROW is the other big problem. Especially late at night, they didn't even bother to give it signal priority. It's ridiculous to have to stop at every street light at 1 am when there's no other cars at the intersection. 10 min frequency and signal priority would go a long way to making the Gold line a success.

[@transittown7891]

Beautiful streetcar

[@bradleydilks6376]

Great video. City Council approved the funding to start the design work on phase 3 but I fear they will end up cutting back the line because they want it to be like the blue line. It won’t be and shouldn’t be. The reason it was as cheap as it was is because you are running it in the current right of way of the road. They tested a bus only lane on Central and some people were mad so they nixed the test pretty quickly. So without a road diet to gain the needed space for a dedicated lane I feel they may extend it into the heart Plaza midwood but won’t go much further East. I use the Blue Line daily and will say there is no comparison between riding a light rail vehicle and the bus and even in mix traffic on one of the busiest routes this would be a great improvements for those that use the system. There are some design flaws like on street parking which could be easily eliminated. There is talk of being able to control the lights so they don’t have to stop which would definitely improve the service. I have high hopes for it but will need to feel out the new council members as there was a lot of changes this past election.

[@nathanwaldron4259]

The only thing I have to say is I don’t think extending the gold line further east is practical because that’s where the silver line will run and it will be a more desirable transit option

[@truedarklander]

I mean making them intersect would be a positive I'd say

[@jamesedgar3442]

The Central Ave bus is the most-used route in the system, and it's not even close. Replacing that 40-seat bus with a 200-person train makes a lot of sense. And let's be honest - the LYNX train lines are designed to get commuters to choose trains over cars to get to and from work. That's a different purpose than replacing a bus route.

[@COASTER1921]

The GoPass app for the Dallas metro area is the same payment app (just different branding), and only recently did it become what I would consider usable. It used to be one of the worst fare payment apps out there.

[@danieldougan269]

We have one bus rapid transit line here in Indianapolis with plans for a few more. Our BRT line has a dedicated lane, and it's OK. We had to fight tooth and nail to even get that against all the anti-tax people. But it's not nearly enough, and it doesn't go to nearly enough places. The suburbs have to buy in to make this system more robust, and they haven't yet. There is a lot of resistance to it here. It sounds like Charlotte is a few steps ahead of us.

[@jamesedgar3442]

Perhaps, but the suburbs haven't bought in here either. The LYNX Blue Line goes from I-485 in the south, through Uptown, and then northeast to UNC Charlotte. It should keep going into Concord (that's con-CORD, not CONK-erd as the narrator said). South, it should continue through Pineville, Fort Mill, and end in Rock Hill. But all of those suburbs had a fit in the design phase, demanding that their towns not be included. Also, we still have a big percentage of the population that thinks people who don't own cars are a lower life form than those that do.

[@singing4fun]

You have a really nice voice :-)

[@numberonencfcfanlestgooo7014]

holy shit i commented on that post now this video shows up in my recommended... wowz

[@urmum20179]

i’ve rode on the blue line and liked it, there are certainly better systems out there but charlotte has a good system and it’s better than having nothing *cough cough* raleigh… i’m glad raleigh is putting in transit overlay districts (fingers crossed) which will add more housing, buisness, and brt to major corridors, but a light rail system like this could increase connectivity to outer suburbs and drastically cut down traffic on roads such as falls, capital, new bern etc.

[@fraudsarentfriends4717]

A Trolley will last longer than a regular bus. The old trolley still works and it's close to one hundred years old. A regular bus will be totally worn out and off to the junkyard in less than 20 years.

[@Thelastairbendy]

i mean its free until next year and according to that wiki, how is this more than a lightrail

[@empirestate8791]

Put this thing in dedicated lanes, and I guarantee ridership will skyrocket.

[@starburst23]

"Alighting" is the opposite of boarding :)

[@brbailey]

To measure the success of the Blue Line, just look at the billions and billions of dollars of investment along the line from Uptown, down to South End and beyond. What used to be a run-down, commercial, warehouse, ugly retail district is now full of hip, urban apartments, condominiums, restaurants, retail, and office space -- all walkable, with easy access to the Blue Line.

[@brbailey]

Perhaps do a video highlighting how light rail can bring investment and change to an area, using the Blue Line as an example.

[@wclark3196]

Jesus, look at all those parking lots!

[@Xavplay]

The gold line streetcar is not a transit mode, it’s a tourist attraction. 2 bus lines complete the same route the gold line follows but go way further. The gold line is for people to get around uptown fashionably. If we really want to make climate impacts and get people out of their cars we need everyone to see that taking the bus is fashionable and effective form of transit. We don’t need $150 million trains that are slower and less flexible (if the road was blocked or shutdown so would the streetcar) we need fast reliable public transit that actually caters to transit users and not economic growth. Who cares about ridership numbers. Those people aren’t giving up their cars, which is the true goal. Of course we want people to ride transit but it’s more powerful to say I can live in Charlotte without a car ,opposed to I leave my car at home when I hangout uptown or on central ave. In conclusion speed is king. And public perception and socioeconomic status are the barriers to having great public transportation in Charlotte!

[@kingoftsedeq1392]

If you are from Raleigh why do you act like Charlotte is a different city in a different Country? Raleigh which is where I am from but I lived in Charlotte for 10 years is in the same State. I just don't hear people from Dallas addressing Houstonians like that. Its the State of Texas. People I know from Raleigh do the same thing and act like Charlotte is this distant city outside NC. 😄

[@blackpanda7298]

I love their streetcars, but not their frequency 😂

[@jerrydavis3548]

Charlotte do not need streetcars they need more lightrails line in the downtown area of charlotte need build the lightrail line to be underground in downtown when leave downtown come back on top ground

[@I_Snort_Drywall]

They may do this with the Silver Line they are planning

[@jamesedgar3442]

@@I_Snort_Drywall The underground Silver Line through Uptown has been nixed due to outrageous costs.

[@turkeytrac1]

Sorry my dude, but the "rail revolution " was kicked off April 22, 1978 in my home town of Edmonton Alberta, with their LRT. That's 22 yrs before the 21st century.

[@spikedpsycho2383]

If transit ridership declines or happens to be inherently low, the emphasis they bring up is that they require more subsidies because the current system is not geographically broad enough to serve the area originally thought possible; “WE NEED MORE IN ORDER TO …………………..whatever” or “Our original goal was to…………”. If ridership increases or grows beyond their capacity at a certain point in the foreseeable future it’s an invitation for more subsidies to expand, or worse held over our heads as an “I told you so moment” even if that was or will be 20 years down the road. Streetcar is Old, obsolete transit. In 2014; FBI agents posed as transit-oriented developers willing to bribe the mayor of Charlotte to get his support for a streetcar line, light rail, and related projects. The now-ex-mayor Patrick Cannon gladly accepted bribes in exchange for lying to investors and pushing city planning agencies to fast track the developments. When on the city council, Cannon had opposed construction of a streetcar line, but mysteriously changed his vote when he became mayor.Like rock-papper-scissors, you have three categories that defeat one another. In this case you have….1: Those that support transit don’t use it (the politicians who think ”we” should use it…be it for the sake of the planet, energy, whatever) 2: Those that use/want it cant afford 3: Those that can afford it have no use for it. Rich people don’t use transit, politicians don’t use it, but enjoy cutting the ribbon, the people that need transit the most are watching it slowly erode as politicians piss money away on public vanity projects.

[@hlatino03]

Yes it makes sense...and STOP deleting my comments.

[@daleva187goligo]

streetcars are so lame, might as well just take a bus at that point... light rail, subway and rapid transit, that's how you move people around a city

[@jamesedgar3442]

If you tried to build a subway from scratch in the 2020s, it would probably cost $1 billion per mile. No chance of any new subways in any city.

[@senorchill503]

Gold line. What a waste. They hold up traffic, beep at you when in the lanes with tracks even when you are a red light.