AN EXCURSION ON THE CHARLOTTE LIGHT RAIL & TROLLEY SYSTEM

(Click on images to enlarge. All links open in a new window.)

Our ride begins at the southern end of the line, which serves as a transfer point for many bus lines.

Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) did not skimp on the parking garage.

There is one light rail line. The northern end of the line is shared with an heritage trolley line. The heritage trolley has spurs at either end that are off the light rail line.

Tickets are purchased from machines on the platforms and in the parking garage. These seem to be a maintenance problem as many were seen to be out of order.

A day pass is $4.50. The only advertising I saw on the entire system is on the back of the fare card. As with most light rail systems in the United Staes. Payment is on the honor system. There are no ticket gates. I did not see a ticket inspector on the light rail vehicles. My ticket was inspected by the conductor on the trolley.

The vehicles are the Siemens S70 Model. Trains typically consist of two vehicles.

At the southern station, LRVs alternate tracks as they arrive so that one is usually standing at the platform. A group of passengers can be seen crowded around the one ticket machine on the platform that is working.

The floor at the ends of the LRV are elevated to clear the bogies and motors.

The seat bases in the articulated segment house sets of wheels that ride on stub axles.

There is a drivers cab at either end of each LRV.

Large windows in the aft bulkhead of the drivers cabs provide the passengers in the seats in the elevated floor region with a view down the line.

All street crossings on the system are either grade-separated or are protected by railroad crossing gates.

The signature station for the system is next to the transportation center and the stadium.

The downtown area is quite clean. I only encountered one pan-handler and he was asking for food rather than money. There was a strong police presence in the area.

One of the advantages of low-floor light rail lines is that no pedestrian bridges or tunnels are required between the platforms. A simple walkway across the tracks is sufficient.

The heritage trolleys stop at the same stations as the LRVs through the downtown area.

The trolley I rode was a replica built by Gromaco. There is also a restored trolley that actually operated in Charlotte many decades ago and can be chartered for special occasions. There is also a streetcar from Piraeus that is probably in operable condition but is not used for passenger operations as it does not have air brakes. There is also a trolley from Asheville that is being restored.

The wheel to the right is the hand brake. The gizmo sticking up in way of the center window is the control for making the vehicle go.

The trolley is manned by a motorman and a conductor.

If you ask a lot of questions and bring a camera, the conductor might offer to take your picture while wearing his hat.

The trolley and the LRVs share stations at the northern end of the light rail line.

The station at the northern end of the trolley route features a wheelchair ramp. The trolley I rode also had an onboard wheelchair ramp. The conductor stated that he couldn’t remember the last time the ramps were used. Wheelchair passengers prefer to wait for the LRVs.

The spur at the northern end of the line is used to queue LRVs on game days at the stadium. This allows several LRVs to be dispatched as sports fans exit the stadium.

The southern end of the trolley line is also a spur. The line ends at the trolley barn. The tracks of the light rail line can be seen to the right.

All street crossings are either grade-separated or features railroad crossing gates. This undoubtedly benefits the speed of the LRVs. It also benefits ride quality by reducing flat spots on the wheels due to skids during emergency stops. I regret that I did not time an end-to-end run. The light rail vehicles probably reached 55 mph between some of the stations. The top speed of the trolleys is probably closer to 30 mph.

The final shot is the trolley and an LRV meeting at a station south of downtown.

For more information, visit the following links:

Charlotte Area Transit System

Charlotte Trolley Museum

nycsubway.org webpages on the Charlotte light rail and trolley system

urbanrail.net webpage on the Charlotte light rail and trolley system

Wikipedia article on the Charlotte Light Rail line

Wikipedia article on the Charlotte Trolley

	Our ride begins at the southern end of the line, which serves as a transfer point for many bus lines.
	Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) did not skimp on the parking garage.
	There is one light rail line. The northern end of the line is shared with an heritage trolley line. The heritage trolley has spurs at either end that are off the light rail line.
	Tickets are purchased from machines on the platforms and in the parking garage. These seem to be a maintenance problem as many were seen to be out of order.
	A day pass is $4.50. The only advertising I saw on the entire system is on the back of the fare card. As with most light rail systems in the United Staes. Payment is on the honor system. There are no ticket gates. I did not see a ticket inspector on the light rail vehicles. My ticket was inspected by the conductor on the trolley.
	The vehicles are the Siemens S70 Model. Trains typically consist of two vehicles.
	At the southern station, LRVs alternate tracks as they arrive so that one is usually standing at the platform. A group of passengers can be seen crowded around the one ticket machine on the platform that is working.
	The floor at the ends of the LRV are elevated to clear the bogies and motors.
	The seat bases in the articulated segment house sets of wheels that ride on stub axles.
	There is a drivers cab at either end of each LRV.
	Large windows in the aft bulkhead of the drivers cabs provide the passengers in the seats in the elevated floor region with a view down the line.
	All street crossings on the system are either grade-separated or are protected by railroad crossing gates.
	The signature station for the system is next to the transportation center and the stadium.
	The downtown area is quite clean. I only encountered one pan-handler and he was asking for food rather than money. There was a strong police presence in the area.
	One of the advantages of low-floor light rail lines is that no pedestrian bridges or tunnels are required between the platforms. A simple walkway across the tracks is sufficient.
	The heritage trolleys stop at the same stations as the LRVs through the downtown area.
	The trolley I rode was a replica built by Gromaco. There is also a restored trolley that actually operated in Charlotte many decades ago and can be chartered for special occasions. There is also a streetcar from Piraeus that is probably in operable condition but is not used for passenger operations as it does not have air brakes. There is also a trolley from Asheville that is being restored.
	The wheel to the right is the hand brake. The gizmo sticking up in way of the center window is the control for making the vehicle go.
	The trolley is manned by a motorman and a conductor.
	If you ask a lot of questions and bring a camera, the conductor might offer to take your picture while wearing his hat.
	The trolley and the LRVs share stations at the northern end of the light rail line.
	The station at the northern end of the trolley route features a wheelchair ramp. The trolley I rode also had an onboard wheelchair ramp. The conductor stated that he couldn’t remember the last time the ramps were used. Wheelchair passengers prefer to wait for the LRVs.
	The spur at the northern end of the line is used to queue LRVs on game days at the stadium. This allows several LRVs to be dispatched as sports fans exit the stadium.
	The southern end of the trolley line is also a spur. The line ends at the trolley barn. The tracks of the light rail line can be seen to the right.
	All street crossings are either grade-separated or features railroad crossing gates. This undoubtedly benefits the speed of the LRVs. It also benefits ride quality by reducing flat spots on the wheels due to skids during emergency stops. I regret that I did not time an end-to-end run. The light rail vehicles probably reached 55 mph between some of the stations. The top speed of the trolleys is probably closer to 30 mph.
	The final shot is the trolley and an LRV meeting at a station south of downtown.