A new light rail station is coming to Charlotte’s South End. Here are possible spots.

Charlotte is moving forward with plans to build another light rail station in South End.

The City Council on Monday unanimously approved a $1.9-million contract with engineering consulting firm Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. to plan and design the new station for the LYNX Blue Line.

It would be between the New Bern and East/West Boulevard stations, according to a city document.

Construction would require a blend of public and private funding. City officials did not provide a cost estimate on Monday.

Charlotte has identified two possible locations:

▪ Adjacent to Publix (2222 South Blvd.)

▪ Adjacent to Sycamore Brewing (2161 Hawkins St.) and Atherton Mill and Market (2000-2140 South Blvd.)

Council member Larken Egleston said this station is much-needed. “I think that is a big win,” he said of making progress with the station design.

City planners pegged this station as a priority in the South End Vision Plan in 2018, as the neighborhood experiences explosive growth. One part of uptown that dips into South End saw a population increase of roughly 720% from 2010 to 2020, according to new census data.

Due to South End’s industrial roots, the vision plans says, some streets and intersections surrounding the Blue Line Rail Trail are not yet pedestrian-friendly.

That includes the roughly half-mile distance between Tremont Avenue and Remount Street, with no pedestrian crossing over the tracks.

“In certain areas, the distance between housing and commercial services is less than a few hundred feet, yet the trip between them is a half mile on existing streets,” the plan states. “As a result, pedestrians ‘hop the fence’ to cross the rail line, creating a growing safety and accessibility concern.”

The Blue Line has 26 stations, spanning from Interstate 485/South Boulevard to UNC Charlotte. Stations in South End include Carson, Bland Street, East/West Boulevard and New Bern.

Other changes to South End

But this new station isn’t the only change coming to South End.

The city in 2019 kicked off initial construction of the Rail Trail Bridge, an $11-million investment that would cross Interstate 277 and physically link South End and uptown.

Pedestrians and cyclists will get new access between the East Morehead Street bridge, north of Carson Street, and Stonewall Station.

To venture into uptown for now, pedestrians must share a bridge with heavy car traffic.

This story was originally published September 13, 2021 at 5:18 PM.