Charlotte (Queen City News)
CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — The planned CATS Silver Line light rail expansion through the Town of Matthews has been derailed over a lack of funding, town officials confirmed with Queen City News on Thursday.
“The current plan for additional sales tax to fund transit in Mecklenburg County does not include sufficient revenue to build the Silver Line East through east Charlotte and Matthews as light rail,” Mayor Higdon said in a written statement. “Matthews recently learned that the line would instead need to be built as bus rapid transit (BRT), while all the other lines in the plan would be funded for rail. This is inconsistent with the plans for Silver Line East that have been in place for decades, inconsistent with years of conversations related to funding the regional transit plan, and inconsistent with what Matthews would like to see for our community – and our future.”
The initial Silver Line proposal stretched 29 miles from south of Matthews into Uptown and then west just beyond Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
“Matthews has asked and is continuing to ask that the only sales tax legislation brought forward to the General Assembly for authorization and then placed on the ballot for voters to decide must include sufficient funding for the entire system to be built as rail. This is achievable, but not in its current iteration. We continue to remain hopeful that our regional partners and the business community will come to agree that a revenue plan that funds transit for all is the only acceptable solution to pursue,” Mayor Higdon said in a written statement.
CATS has begun the process of expanding multiple lines, including milestones for the planned Red Line and Silver Line.
“Funding the entire transit plan including the Silver Line East as light rail is important to Matthews for a multitude of reasons, including its ability to serve CPCC Levine Campus and the planned Hendrick Advanced Manufacturing Campus in the same manner as the rest of the system,” Mayor Higdon said.
This is a Developing Story. Check back for updates
