Charlotte Council advances Red Line rail to Lake Norman with $37.9m investment
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- City Council approves $37.9M to advance Red Line design to 30% by year-end.
- Charlotte bought former Norfolk Southern tracks in 2024 for $91M.
- State law requires 50% Red Line completion before other rail projects.
Charlotte City Council unanimously approved tens of millions of dollars on Monday to fund the next stage of a commuter rail project.
The Red Line is a planned 25-mile rail line that will run from uptown to Lake Norman-area towns including Huntersville, Cornelius and Davidson. The city’s $37.9 million investment will bring the rail’s design to 30% completion by the end of the year.
“The Red Line has been talked about for years,” said at-large councilwoman Dimple Ajmera. “This step moves us closer to reality.”
The line will build on existing tracks once operated by Norfolk Southern, which the city bought for $91 million in 2024. District 7 councilman Ed Driggs called the city’s decision to purchase the rail “gutsy” because it gambled on the success of a future sales tax increase.
Mecklenburg County voters ultimately approved that new one percent sales tax increase in November, which is projected to generate more than $19 billion over 30 years for regional transportation needs. The tax increase will help fund future road, rail and bus projects such as the Red Line, with 40% of the new revenue going toward rail projects.
Under the state law authorizing the tax, Charlotte must complete 50% of the Red Line before any other rail projects on the docket.
That’s why District 1 councilwoman Dante Anderson called the Red Line “critically important.”
Other projects — including the Silver Line light rail from the airport to Bojangles Coliseum and an extension of the Gold Line streetcar from the Rosa Parks Community Transit Center to Eastland Yards — must wait until the Red Line makes significant progress.
The total value of the city’s Red Line contract with HDR Engineering Inc. increased to $43.2 million with council’s action Monday, not including the rail purchase.
City Council already approved $5 million in September 2023 for the first planning phase , which covered an update to project goals, community outreach, grade crossings and track design and planning for station locations. It approved an additional $320,000 in March 2025 for right-of-way encroachment approvals.
The latest round of funding will go toward public involvement, station area planning, utility coordination, systems design and an updated engineering cost estimate, among other expenses.
This story was originally published March 9, 2026 at 9:59 PM.
