The towns of Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson and Mooresville, NC are hoping for a economic boost with a North Corridor Rail Line. For years now these towns have been lobbying for a rail line that would bring business and revitalize neighborhoods near the rail lines.
However a recent article in the The Charlotte Weekly has politicians of these towns scrambling to find ways to keep their vision alive.
Here is a excerpt from the article:
The Blue Line has been a financial boon for south Charlotte since it opened, but with tax revenue drying up, the next major piece of Charlotte's mass transit system may be more than a decade away. That's unless leaders from Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson and Mooresville have their way.
Funding for the North Corridor commuter train, a track system that will connect the four northern towns with Charlotte's center city, has all but evaporated. With no tax revenue to fund the project and no federal money on its way, Lake Norman leaders and Charlotte transportation officials must find another payment plan or watch the project slip in priority behind the Northeast Corridor to University City.
"Everyone wants it (North Corridor)," said Jim Bensman, Cornelius commissioner and Lake Norman Transportation Committee member. "There are a lot of ideas of how to pay for it, and we need to find the best possible solution to get all the lines built."
That search for funds has left the project's future in limbo and sent local leaders scrambling to meet with lobbyists, state and federal representatives and engineers to find cash or cut costs.
Originally, local officials expected the Mecklenburg County Transportation Tax would pay for the North Corridor commuter train and the Northeast Corridor light-rail line. As the economy went south, so did the tax revenue.
That downturn left the project leaders in a bind. The 25-mile, $375 million North Line and its 12 stops could be running in two years, but it doesn't meet ridership requirements for federal funds. The 11-mile, $1.135 billion Northeast Corridor, does meet federal standards to cover 25 percent of the construction costs, but it's likely a decade away from transporting a single passenger. With a possible funding model, the Northeast Line has moved to one of the top spots on the to-do list for the Charlotte Area Transit System, the agency that plans, builds and operates local mass transit service, including CATS buses and the South Corridor light-rail line.
That thinking initially sparked an outcry from mayors in northern Mecklenburg who believe the North Corridor would make an immediate economic impact, which in turn could help raise money to pay for the Northeast Line.
For many of us who live in the Lake Norman area of Charlotte any improvements along the rail line as well as transportation options to Uptown Charlotte can only be beneficial for our communities.
To recieve area information regarding the Lake Norman towns of Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson, and Mooresville NC click the button below.
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