CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The second phase of Charlotte’s CityLYNX Gold Line streetcar has begun operation, adding 11 stations and expanding the line from 1.5 miles to 4 miles.
The expanded route began operation Monday. It connects Johnson C. Smith University, on the city’s west side to Elizabeth, on the east side. Eventual plans call for expansion of the line to 10 miles, but funding is not yet in place.
The system uses Siemens S700 streetcars, built at the company’s Sacramento, Calif., plant. A Siemens press release reports the six streetcars are battery-electric hybrids, allowing them to run through a section of downtown without catenary wires. Siemens also built the 42 light rail vehicles used on the city’s Blue Line.
