Carolyn Flowers, CEO of the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS), provides a status update at the 2012 Charlotte Chamber Transportation Summit.

1. Charlotte Chamber
Transportation Summit 2012
Carolyn Flowers, CEO
Charlotte Area Transit System
April 13, 2012
City of Charlotte

2. Growth of the Bus System
1998 2012
City of Charlotte

3. Bus System Services
 One of the safest in Country
 Accident rate less than 0.35 per
100,000 miles
 87% of all routes are on-time
 90% of customers rate quality of
service high
 Countywide Transit Service Plan
complete
 New routes implemented
o Gold Rush Expansion
o Matthews/Mint Hill Road Shuttle
o Grier Heights route to Walmart on
Independence Boulevard
City of Charlotte

4. A New Era: Light Rail Transportation
 LYNX Blue Line entered service in 2007
 LYNX Blue Line ridership surpassed initial
ridership projections by > 60% in less than
three years
 TOD Impacts
o Pedestrian-friendly development
o Mix of residential, retail employment and
civic development, $1.4 billion Transit
Oriented Development (TOD) investment
 $18.8 million in new tax revenue (prior to
revaluation)
City of Charlotte

5. LYNX Blue Line
 9.6 miles from Charlotte Center City to I-485/South Boulevard
o 15 stations
o 7 park and rides
 Ridership
o 14,000 – 15,000 daily
o 27,000 – 35,000 special events
o 5 million annual
 $462.7 million capital investment was a funding partnership
between
o USDOT $199.0 m (43%)
o NCDOT $115.0 m (25%)
o City/CATS $148.7 m (32%)
 $10 million annual operating cost is paid from the local half-cent
Sales & Use Tax revenue
City of Charlotte

6. Economic Impact on
Transit Sales & Use Tax
Sales Tax Gap FY2007-FY2035
$400.0
$350.0 FY2007 - FY2035
TotalGap = $2.3 Billion $325.1
$300.0
$260.0
$250.0
$200.0 $207.9
$175.8
$162.5
$150.0 $148.6
$125.7 $130.4
$106.3 $109.3
$100.0 $95.0 $95.8
$85.0 $84.0
$70.2 $73.6 2006 System Plan
$50.0 $70.4 $64.5
$57.4 $59.0
Current Forecast
$0.0
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
2027
2028
2029
2030
2031
2032
2033
2034
2035
City of Charlotte

7. 2030 Transit Corridor System Plan
 Adopted by the Metropolitan Transit
Commission in 2006
o Guide for growth of mobility options in the
region
 30-year long range plan
o Build-out of a multimodal transit system
o Introduction of rapid transit modes of
transportation
 Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the
NC Department of Transportation (NCDOT)
are key financial and technical partners
 FTA is the largest investor in projects i.e. 50%
to 80% of eligible projects
 Every $ received from NCDOT is matched
≥ 100% with local half-cent sales tax funds
City of Charlotte

8. Our Next Major Project:
LYNX Blue Line Extension
 LYNX Blue Line Extension (BLE)
o +9.4 miles
o Implementation in 2017
o +25,000 daily riders
o Improvements to North Tryon Street
o Connects UNC Charlotte
campuses
 FTA approved project
o Awarded $39.6 million
o 1 of 4 projects identified as “ready-to-
go” in President’s FY2012 budget
 Financially sustainable project
o $1.10 billion (YOE)
o FTA issued Record of Decision in
December 2011
o Request to enter Final Design in
March 2012
City of Charlotte

9. Red Line (Commuter Rail)
• Commuter rail from downtown Charlotte to
Town of Davidson (or Iredell County)
• Currently not eligible for federal funding
• Seeking NCDOT participation
o Financial partners
o Leadership with private railroads
• Proposed build-out in 2018
o P3 (Public-Private-Partnership)
• Candidate for design-build
City of Charlotte

10. Red Line Regional Rail
• Dual Benefit Corridor
o Integrates the efficient movement of
both goods (freight) and people
(transit)
• Economic Benefit
o Attract new residents, employment
and private business, strengthening
the North Corridor as a focal point
for the regional economy
• Unified Benefits Approach
o Maximize regional value creation,
value capture and value distribution
though a Joint Powers Authority
(JPA)
City of Charlotte

11. Streetcar Starter Project
Presbyterian Hospital to Charlotte Transportation Center
City of Charlotte

12. ULI-Rose Panel Concepts
Limited Access Express Way
BRT/Express Bus
Street Car
Local/Feeder Bus
City of Charlotte

13. Combine Busway and HOT
Independence Boulevard with Exclusive Busway*
Buffer Vehicle Lanes HOV Exclusive HOV Vehicle Lanes Buffer
Busway
ULI Recommendations with Combined Busway and
HOT*
Buffer Vehicle Lanes Vehicle Lanes Buffer
HOV
Busway
City of Charlotte

14. Potential Development at
Park and Ride Station
City of Charlotte

15. Thank You
City of Charlotte