| July 18, 2002
Dear Mr. Morrill:
This letter follows up our previous conversations
concerning the future of Charlotte's historic trolley operations in the
South End and Uptown area. I will describe the plans we have developed
in conjunction with the Charlotte Trolley, and how we expect to proceed in
making those plans a reality.
After many months of study and discussion, the
Charlotte Area Transit System and Charlotte Trolley have agreed that
historic trolley and light rail operations in the South Corridor should be
fully integrated and operated by CATS when light rail service starts in
mid-2006. We reached this conclusion for the following reasons:
1. The historic trolley operation in the
South Corridor is intended to be more than just a tourist novelty. It
has been designed to provide a regular public transportation service
connecting the South End and Uptown Charlotte, which at the same time
preserving an important part of Charlotte's history. Because of the
nature of the planned trolley service, it logically should be considered to
be a part of the region's growing public transportation system.
2. Integration of the trolley and light rail
operations under a single operating management structure will help insure
that safety and service quality will be maximized benefiting both users of
the service and the general public.
3. Integration of the operations will help us
minimize operating and capital costs through economies of scale and
elimination of the duplicative administrative structures and activities.
4. Finally, we believe that integration of
the operations will help facilitate achievement of the economic development
potential for both the trolley and light rail operations.
For these reasons, the Charlotte Area Transit
System (CATS) believes that use of transit sales tax revenues for operating
and capital expenses associated with the historic trolley is justified.
However, this staff position must be received and approved by the
Metropolitan Transit Commission (MTC) before it can become a reality.
The MTC is the policy making board for CATS and is made up of elected and
appointed public officials.
CATS staff had originally proposed that integration
of the trolley and light rail operations occur in late 2005 or early 2006 as
we begin testing and training for the start up of light rail operations.
However, the Charlotte Trolley proposed that CATS assume operating
responsibilities earlier to help facilitate operation of a seven day a week
service between the South End and Uptown when the Convention Center link is
completed in 2003. Seven-day service will help support the hundreds of
millions of dollars in investment that has occurred in the South End and
Uptown along the rail corridor. In addition, we believe that assuming
operating responsibility for the trolley earlier than originally proposed
will give us valuable operating experience as an organization that will
benefit us as we prepare for light rail operations. It will also give
us the opportunity to develop a working relationship with the North Carolina
Department of Transportation's Rail Division staff. This still will
function as the Federally required safety oversight organization for CATS
rail operations.
As a result, CATS staff and representatives of the
Charlotte Trolley have begun meeting to develop operating and capital plans
for making the historic trolley operation a regular part of the CATS public
transportation system beginning in 2003. Our plan is to complete these
operating and capital plans this Fall and to incorporate them into the staff
proposal FY2004 Transit Program and accompanying budget. This Program
and budget will be submitted to the MTC by December 15, 2002. During
its review of the FY2004 Program and budget, the MTC will consider the
policy issue of using transit sales tax funds to make the historic trolley
operating a part of the regional transit system. The MTC must act on
the FY2004 Program and budget by March 31, 2003. In accordance with
the Transit Governance Interlocal Agreement, the MTC approved FY2004 Program
and budget must be reviewed by and concurred in by the Charlotte City
Council and the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners by June 2003.
Assuming success in achieving these approved actions, CATS would then assume
responsibility for the historic trolley operation in July or August of 2003,
following the start of the new fiscal year on July 1, 2003. (The exact
date for this to occur will be determined during the development of
operating plans in the months ahead and will be coordinated with the
completion of the Convention Center link).
Because the current trolley shop cannot remain
indefinitely at its Atherton Mill location, our capital planning will need
to include the development of a permanent operating and shop facility to
store and maintain the historic trolleys in the future. We believe
that Charlotte Trolley's original plan to utilize the old Duke Power Trolley
Barn at Bland Street as the permanent operating and shop facility for the
historic trolley operations continues to make sense. This historic
facility is well-positioned as it is immediately adjacent to the South
Corridor rail line and returning its use to a trolley facility will help
preserve an important part of Charlotte's history, creating an attraction
that will contribute to continued economic development. Accordingly,
it is our intention to include the ultimate purchase and renovation of the
Duke Power Trolley Barn in our capital plan and budget for the trolley
operation as part of our FY2004 Program and budget proposal to the MTC.
I must note that CATS' purchase of the Barn and actual renovation work
cannot be undertaken until FY2004 or sometime after July 1, 2003 assuming
the aforementioned approvals.
I hope that the content of this letter clarifies
our intention toward the historic trolley operation and the Duke Power
Trolley Barn. Please let me know if you need additional information
from us.
Sincerely,
Ronald J. Tober
|