New website provides info in advance of light rail’s arrival

The extension of light rail from Center City to UNC Charlotte is scheduled to begin operations in summer 2017, with two stations serving the main campus. To prepare for this transformational event, the University has launched a new informational website.

Lightrail.charlotte.edu is a campus resource for students, faculty and staff on how the Blue Line Extension will connect the University to Center City and other points along the light rail route to its southern terminus.

The Charlotte Area Transit System’s LYNX Blue Line Extension will allow for a new dimension of connectivity between UNC Charlotte and the neighborhoods and business districts along the Blue Line as far south as Pineville, and it will provide greater accessibility for the citizens of the region to the resources of the University.

This new website was developed under the guidance of the Light Rail Coordinating Committee (LRCC). Chartered by Chancellor Philip L. Dubois, the committee is led by Beth Hardin, vice chancellor for business affairs, and Betty Doster, special assistant to the chancellor for constituent relations, and serves as UNC Charlotte’s planning team during the construction and introduction of the BLE to the University community.

Information about the overall Blue Line Extension, its benefits and updates from CATS is posted on the site; enhancements to the website will occur throughout the next year as new information is finalized.

The design firm ColeJenest and Stone is working with University staff to integrate plans for the campus areas near the station at J.W. Clay Boulevard and the UNC Charlotte Main Station (the northern terminus) with the rest of campus. The projects will enhance the connectivity for pedestrians and campus shuttle users who access these LYNX stations.

In the next few weeks, construction crews will pour the footings and slab for the main station.

LRCC ridership and security working groups continue to meet with CATS officials to develop user options for students, faculty and staff and to coordinate safety efforts involving the University’s Police and Public Safety Department with CATS security and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.

Individuals who have questions regarding the content on the light rail website should email John Bland, senior director for public relations and news services, at jdbland@uncc.edu.