NCDOT is considering a "temporary station" at Charlotte Gateway Station, records show
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A previous rendering of Charlotte Gateway Station. Credit: NCDOT
The North Carolina Department of Transportation is considering building a "temporary" station at the unopened Charlotte Gateway Station to begin running passenger trains, according to records obtained by Axios.
Why it matters: The current train station on North Tryon is inconvenient — and, some may say, embarrassing — for visitors arriving by train. NCDOT acknowledges the station is "poorly located, subject to flooding, too small, and not an ideal front door to the Queen City."
- NCDOT has invested $84.6 million in brand new train tracks and a platform in Uptown, and has successfully tested running trains to the site, but Charlotte Gateway Station hasn't opened yet.
- The agency is waiting for the city to begin the project's second phase — a mixed-use development with a transit hub to include the station, built in partnership with a private developer — which has not broken ground.
Driving the news: As an interim solution, NCDOT has discussed building a "temporary" or "early" station along Wilkes Place between Trade and Fifth Streets. The state-owned land is adjacent to the completed platform and across from the permanent station and future development site.
- NCDOT confirmed it is in discussions with its partners, including the City of Charlotte, about establishing an early station. The station needs additional infrastructure to "safely access and support serving customers."
- "There is currently no way to safely get from the platform to the ground nor a building to service travelers' needs," an NCDOT spokesperson said.
- The proposed temporary station building, according to one slideshow obtained by Axios, would be 4,828 square feet, including a 2,500-square-foot waiting room.
- No plans, including estimated costs or the timeline, have been finalized.
What they're saying: In a letter to Charlotte City Manager Marcus Jones, NCDOT Deputy Secretary for Multimodal Transportation Julie White wrote that the early solution would "ensure we reap the benefits of the completed infrastructure the State invested in as quickly as possible and provide the best possible access for visitors to Charlotte's Uptown."
- NCDOT is requesting $10 million from the Federal Rail Administration for an "early station" that could be completed in the next few years, according to the letter.
- The agency asked the City of Charlotte to provide half of the required nonfederal match ($1.25 million), contribute $1.5 million for upgraded facilities such as elevators, and cover any cost overruns.
- The NCDOT spokesperson said there are no updates on these funding requests.
Catch up quick: Over two years ago, in October 2022, NCDOT completed construction of the track, structures and signal infrastructure for the first phase of Charlotte Gateway Station. The project was on time and within budget, NCDOT says.
- However, phase two has not begun swiftly.
- The city is still working on a "preliminary master plan" with Spectrum Companies, a Charlotte-based developer, and Republic Metropolitan. It has not shared a timeline.
- The development is expected to include hospitality, shops, residential and office towers, the intercity passenger rail facility and a new bus facility.
- "Naturally a complex project like this can take time. There is nothing delaying the project," a city spokesperson told Axios in December.
Reality check: The project is years behind schedule. The city was supposed to review the master development plan in late 2022, the Observer reported at the time, with the headline: "Work on new $86M Amtrak station in Charlotte is done. You still can't catch a train there."
- Spectrum's managing director told Axios on Monday there were no updates and the project is still "in approval phases."
- In December, Axios Charlotte put Charlotte Gateway Station on a list of developments that are "ghosting us," aka developments we had heard no update on in years.
Between the lines: Charlotte Area Transit System officials discussed funding Charlotte Gateway Station through the proposed 1-cent transportation sales tax, but the General Assembly has yet to authorize a Mecklenburg County referendum on the tax increase.
- The Charlotte Gateway Station will one day connect with the Red Line commuter rail — the city's next rail line to be built — and the Silver Line light rail.
- Currently, the North Tryon station is only served by bus. Train passengers have limited options in the modes to reach their next destination.
The big picture: More people than ever are taking the train in North Carolina.
- NC By Train carried over 720,000 passengers in 2024, marking a 12% uptick from 2023 and a 55% increase since 2019.
- Rail officials attribute the record growth to the train service's convenience, affordability and environmental benefits. Charlotte Gateway Station is expected to boost ridership even more once it opens.
- "The project locates the busiest station in North Carolina into the heart of the City's Uptown," White wrote in her letter to Jones, "with substantially improved access to destinations, amenities, and transportation connections."
