The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) operates both
a modern light rail route and a heritage trolley line.
This photo shows 7th St. in Uptown Charlotte. Both lines run here,
but at this station only, each has its own track. This is the terminal of the LYNX Blue
Line, a 9.6 mile route that goes generally southwest from here to
I-485/South Blvd. In this view, car number 110 will become the
trailing unit on the two-car train soon to proceed outbound.
The other rails are utilized by the Charlotte Trolley, a two-mile line
that goes from 9th St. (two blocks behind the camera) to Atherton Mill.
The crossover switches are visible just beyond the station that allow
the necessary movements for each service.
There
are at least two distinctions that Charlotte has when compared with the
other cities -- San Francisco, New Orleans and Philadelphia -- that also operate
both kinds of electric transit. The vintage trolley came before light rail in Charlotte, and both
share the same right of way for almost two miles, with
six stations south of 7th that share common platforms. |
