Charlotte Gateway Station A State & City Partnership June 24, 2015 Paul C. Worley, Director NCDOT Rail Division John M. Muth, Interim CEO City of Charlotte/CATS
NCDOT Rail Improvements Currently under construction: Piedmont Improvement Program $520M projects between Charlotte and Raleigh.
Location, Location, Location Southern end of the first phase of the federally-designated Southeast Corridor Southern bookend of the Charlotte to Raleigh Piedmont Corridor Busiest station in NC 194,115 got on or off trains here in 2014 Eight trains daily providing service to 12 NC stations Connections to New Orleans and Atlanta in the Southeast and Washington, DC and New York in the Northeast
The Missing Link a Station at the Right Location The current size, configuration, and location of the existing station results in inconveniences for passengers, inefficient operations, and maintenance issues, which limit ridership growth potential.
The Missing Link a Station at the Right Location For 25 years North Carolina s Amtrak has operated from 1962 Southern Railway Company structure, built to house freight and passenger operations 1,200 sq. foot waiting room too small and is often overcrowded Two miles from Charlotte City Center not suitable for pedestrian traffic Limited multi-modal connections served by one bus Main Line tracks also serve as station tracks Impacts Norfolk Southern freight operations Inadequate parking Prone to flooding Limited modal connections have likely resulted in decreased passenger train ridership due to the inconvenience related to location of the station
Good Stations + Right Location Impact Ridership Historically, in NC, ridership increases 17% on average when stations are upgraded or new station constructed. Examples: Greensboro, Durham, High Point, Kannapolis Largest impact at Cary, NC Station completed and staffed in 2011 ridership grew from 44,962 in 2011 to 87,548 in 2014
CGS Planning & Partnerships NCDOT and the City of Charlotte/CATS partnership to advance design and construction of Charlotte Gateway Station (CGS) Culmination of nearly 20 years of interagency planning and coordination Signing of revised Municipal Agreement State leads rail/track portion City/CATS leads station development portion City/CATS secured federal grant several years ago $20M remains for property acquisition and construction of CATS bus component Result multimodal transportation center that combines: Intercity passenger rail service CATS CityLYNX Gold Line streetcar and CATS local/express bus Intercity bus provided by Greyhound Includes commercial, retail and residential land use Adam Shultz photo
Planning Grant for Small Area Study Agency Funding Federal TIGER Grant $200k Request NCDOT Match $50K Total Grant Request & Match $250K 2014 TIGER VI Planning Grant NCDOT and City of Charlotte evaluates the transit-oriented development (TOD) potential for the GGS and surrounding blocks 21.6 acres Evaluates current needs through next 20 years Develops multimodal vision for CGS Identifies appropriate TOD scenarios Develops plan for CATS off-street bus component at station Six month study Release of RFQ soon!
Current funding request: 2015 Tiger VII Grant submitted to FRA for construction of Charlotte Gateway Station, Track/Safety Improvements NCDOT providing 50% match for grant 9 contiguous blocks for CGS project, $34M spent now worth $43M City/CATS providing future maintenance funds Agency Funding % Share Federal TIGER Grant $58.6M 50% Request NCDOT Match Property (right-of-way) $43M 30% State cash match $13.5M 20% Total Grant Request & Match $115.1M 100%
Large Projects Require Phased Approach Phase One would: Relocate passenger services from current location to Center City Charlotte Construct permanent track improvements and station platforms Construct interim rail station Subsequent phases would construct: Transit Hub Permanent Intercity Passenger Rail Station Mixed-use development PPP potential in all phases: NCDOT & City/CATS-owned land = leverage for private investment options
Phase One Station and Platform Interim Intercity Passenger Rail Station: New 10,000 sq. ft. building between Trade and 5 th streets Immediately north of future CGS site Accommodate 200 seated passengers,185 parking spaces Adequate functional space for day-to-day operations Platform and Canopy: 1,200 foot long elevated, ADA compliant, level boarding center island platform Accommodates current as well as next generation train sets 600 foot long canopy Will also be used for permanent station Cost: $20,517,600 Interim Station, Platform, and Greyhound Reconfiguration
Phase One Track and Structures Track, Structure & Signals Two 2,000 foot long station tracks paralleling Norfolk Southern mainline on NCDOT-owned right-of-way Separates passenger from fright operations Includes connector track to Charlotte Locomotive and Railcar Maintenance Facility Area will accommodate future third station track Cost: $ 51,616,320 Removal of Existing Track Infrastructure. 0 Build Bridges and Remaining Structures, Installation of Station Tracks, Signal Installation
Raleigh Union Station Groundbreaking May 8, 2015 Groundbreaking $79.8 million project scheduled to open 2017
The other bookend Being built as Partnership with City of Raleigh Federal, State & Local funding $79.75M Project cost Station property owned by city, state owned track and right-of way C H A R L O T T E G A T E W A Y S T A T I O N R A L E I G H U N I O N S T A T I O N Agency Funding Funding Federal TIGER Grant $26.5M NCDOT TIGER 2012 Match $9M Federal TIGER 2013 Grant $11.5 City of Raleigh Tiger 2013 Match $5.75M Federal ARRA Grant $15M City of Raleigh $12M Raleigh Union Station Value Engineering Process
Questions?