CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Charlotte City Council has voted to purchase 22 miles of a Norfolk Southern rail line for a long-discussed commuter rail project, and to seek a 1-cent sales tax increase to pay for a transportation plan including the Red Line project.
In a vote this evening (Tuesday, Sept. 3), the council voted 10-1 in favor of both items, the Charlotte Observer reports.
The city would pay NS $91 million — $74 million for the O Line right-of-way to Davidson, north of Charlotte, and $17 million for 1.6 acres of land near a downtown station site [see “Charlotte would pay Norfolk Southern $91 million …,” Trains News Wire, Aug. 27, 2024]. There is also an option to purchase an additional 7 miles of right-of-way to reach Mount Mourne for $17.75 million. That trackage had been part of the original Red Line plan, but plans have been scaled back because of resistance in Iredell County, which includes Mount Mourne.
The city will use short-term debt to purchase the line, and would reimburse itself with money from the sales tax, which would require approval by the state legislature. The one council member who voted against both measures, Tariq Bokhari, is one of two Republicans on the city council. He questioned whether the Republican-controlled legislature will approve the tax legislation, which would also face approval by local voters in a November 2025 ballot initiative.
