Mecklenburg leaders OK transit plan — and leave Matthews off light rail expansion

Mecklenburg transit leaders on Wednesday chose a regional plan that includes bus improvements and train expansions — but leaves out light rail to Matthews in the immediate future.

Metropolitan Transit Committee members chose a fiscally restricted version of the county’s transit plan. It builds the Red Line commuter rail from uptown to Lake Norman-area towns, includes improvements to the bus system, extends the Blue Line to Carolina Place in Pineville, extends the Gold Line streetcar from the Rosa Parks Community Transit Center to Eastland and builds the Silver Line only from Charlotte-Douglas International Airport to Bojangles Coliseum.

The spending plan was introduced by the MTC in January. The group includes elected officials in Mecklenburg County who review and recommend all long-range transit plans. The board is made up of voting and non-voting members.

“This is the 2030 plan,” interim CATS CEO Brent Cagle said in a press briefing before the MTC meeting. “It has a different phase for two projects. But that’s because of financial constraints. But fundamentally, this is the plan that everyone’s been talking about, literally, for 10, 15, 20 years.”

For the town of Matthews, the decision is contrary to what they’ve been planning.

Matthews Mayor John Higdon read a statement before the vote denouncing the plan as a “bait and switch” for his town that has been planning for light rail for over 30 years.

“Despite my multiple pleadings to this MTC for over a year now, there has been absolutely zero attempts made to compromise with Matthews in any way whatsoever on the plan,” Higdon said. “The MTC has remained steadfast in support of a severely flawed funding model. A plan that was drawn up by Charlotte business leaders and championed by most town managers, not mine.”

How far the Silver Line extends into eastern Mecklenburg County has been a point of frustration for Matthews leadership for nearly a year. At April’s MTC meeting, town leadership tried to persuade the body to shift the plan to spend 45% on rail as opposed to 40% in hopes of securing enough rail to expand the Silver Line to Matthews’ Central Piedmont Community College campus. That proposal was shut down.

The MTC, however, voted to “study and evaluate” options to extend the Silver Line East, which includes Matthews, including seeking other funding opportunities.

Davidson Mayor Rusty Knox, the MTC’s vice chair, said expansion of the Silver Line to Matthews would have cost nearly as much as all the proposed rail lines combined. Like other communities, Matthews will have an improved bus system – the backbone of the transit system, Knox said.

Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles thanked members of the MTC for their hard work in getting the plan across the finish line.

“This is an important step to fulfilling our shared vision for the future of mobility in Mecklenburg County,” she said. “The future of our transit system is about connecting communities and creating economic opportunity and helping everyone who lives in our community to have a better quality of life.”

NC legislature bill

But much is still unknown as Charlotte officials wait on the green light from Raleigh to put a 1-cent sales tax on the ballot this November.

A bill filed by Republican Sen. Vickie Sawyer, whose district extends into Mecklenburg County, caps spending on rail to 40% of the generated sales tax. Before any other rail projects can begin, the Red Line must be 50% completed, under her bill.

Sawyer told The News & Observer last week she believes her version of the bill – which dedicates a strict portion of the sales tax to rail, bus and road projects – still has a “50-50” shot of making it through the legislature.

Republican Sen. Todd Johnson of Union County said other legislators are hesitant to choose winners and losers. He wants to see the transit bill made part of a larger statewide strategy to expand transportation projects to address needs across the state.

A different bill filed by Republican Rep. Tricia Cotham allows more spending for rail but has sat idle since its introduction.

Knox, Davidson’s mayor, said it could be June or July before the plan makes its way through Raleigh. If legislators move in Mecklenburg’s favor, there will be a short window for local officials to convince voters to pass the referendum.

The business community will be key in getting it across the finish line, he said.

“When I hear people say, ‘This is great, we’re going to be able to take the train and see the Panthers’. And that’s not in my top 10,” he said. “This is educational opportunities with Johnson C Smith and Johnson and Wales and Central Piedmont, UNCC and Davidson College. This is employment opportunities. It’s workforce incubator opportunities and things like that that are far more important than going to see the Panthers.”

This story was originally published May 29, 2025 at 6:00 AM.