CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Voters in Mecklenburg County, N.C., on Tuesday (Nov. 4) approved a 1% sales-tax increase to fund a transportation plan, including a commuter rail line.
The Charlotte Observer reports that the referendum approved by a 52%-48% margin is expected to raise more than $19 billion over 30 years. The measure requires 40% of the funds to road projects, 40% rail projects, and 20% to the regional bus system.
The rail projects to be funded include the Red Line commuter rail project between Charlotte and the Lake Norman area north of the city. Earlier this year, the Charlotte City Council authorized the $93 million purchase of 22 miles of Norfolk Southern’s O-Line for that project [see “Charlotte council approves …,” Trains.com, Feb. 11, 2025]. An addition to Charlotte’s light rail system, the east-west Silver Line, will also be supported by the new funding.
The news site The Assembly reports the Red Line is expected to be the first project completed, but will take about 10 years. The most immediate impact of the vote is likely to be expansion of bus service, with purchase of new buses likely in 2027 or 2028.
I think most voters must vote for these sales tax increases with the expectation that they will get more and better highways. Charlotte, (unlike New York, Boston, etc.) is one of those cities where most of the time you can drive your car rather than be stuck on a bus or rail line. Glad I don’t live in an area that has now or ever will have public transportation. Only good thing I can say about public transportation is that it got me to go to college so I could get a better job and buy a car and get a job in the suburbs.
If I correctly interpret the map, about half of the Red Line route isn’t in Mecklenburg County. The Red Line is only part of the sales tax increase; there are other uses for the tax proceeds. For the Red Line to happen, it would need suburban county buy-in. How likely?