The first time the east and the west side have been connected by rapid transit.
The Gold Line Street Car has been in construction for a while and after a lengthy period of delays and controversy, the extended Gold Line is here.
For the first time, you can get all the way from Plaza Midwood to Johnson C. Smith University, and all for free. There’s a special promotion going on for the rest of the year, where the line will be operating for free until the end of the year. Starting in January, the line will go back to the regular cost of $2.20. The line will operate every 20 minutes from 5am to 2am every day. This second phase has also added an extra 11 stops.
According to the official website, “The Phase 2 project extended the existing streetcar tracks by 2.5 miles on the east and west ends of the line, connecting the Historic West End to the Elizabeth neighborhood through uptown Charlotte.”
Some of the other benefits of this project, aside from the upgraded car and additional spots, will be art integrated into stop shelters and vehicles, as well as a realignment of Frazier Avenue in West End and the reconstruction of Hawthorne Lane Bridge in Elizabeth.
[featured image by William Doll II from Pexels]