Lake Norman Red Line train faces critical vote tonight

Is this the end for the Red Line commuter train to Lake Norman?

The Metropolitan Transit Commission is scheduled to vote tonight on whether to stop work on a study that's working to find a new route for the train, which has been planned for at least two decades.

The Charlotte Area Transit System has long planned to build the train on freight tracks controlled by Norfolk Southern. But the freight railroad has repeatedly said it won't share the tracks with a passenger train.

CATS has decided to look for other routes, and a consultant, WSP, is studying another corridor for the train.

But Huntersville Mayor John Anarella believes that's a waste of time. He supports building the train on the Norfolk Southern tracks, but said spending time and money to find another location is a waste of time.

The MTC is the governing body for CATS. It's comprised of nine voting members: The city of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, The N.C. Department of Transportation and the six Mecklenburg towns.

The meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. in Room 267 at the Charlotte Mecklenburg Government Center, 600 E. 4th St.

This story was originally published March 28, 2018 at 10:58 AM with the headline "Lake Norman Red Line train faces critical vote tonight."