Norfolk Southern tracks looking south from Davidson. (David Boraks photo)

The future of the proposed North Commuter Rail Line remains uncertain, but local officials think the project has a shot at federal funding as part of a big economic stimulus package now working its way through Congress.

Charlotte Area Transit System and the city of Charlotte have listed the rail line as a priority as they lobby for local funding in the stimulus bill, in part, they say, because it’s ready to be built. The full right-of-way already exists, and engineering studies are 90 percent complete for the line, said David Carol, CATS’ project manager for the line.

“It’s ready,” Mr. Carol told DavidsonNews.net.

“The whole project could move very quickly. And some of it we could obligate within 60 days or 90 days,” to meet Congressional requirements, he said.

The proposed 30-mile line would run on existing Norfolk Southern track from downtown Charlotte to Mooresville. Current plans call for rush hour, commuter-direction service initially, though the line eventually could expand to all-day two-way service.

Previous estimates have put the project’s cost at about $372 million, including $261 million for the first phase that would initiate service. The trick has been how to pay for the line. It does not qualify for federal funding under federal minimum ridership requirements established under the Bush administration. The state could join in, and CATS and the City of Charlotte may have money available. They’ve also asked the towns north of Charlotte to come up with a share of the cost.

Mr. Carol said CATS’ stimulus package request also includes the proposed Northeast extension of the Lynx Blue Line light rail. CATS used rough cost estimates when it put together its request, he said: about $900 million for the Northeast Line and about $335 million for the north line. More accurate cost estimates could be available later this month or early next month when CATS officials unveil the results of engineering studies done over the past year for the two lines.

That $335 million estimate is just a rough guess and may be low, he said. “I don’t know exactly where it will come in, but it will come somewhere between 300 and 325.” But that figure can’t be compared to previous estimates. Unlike previous estimate, it does not take into account rising prices over the life of the project, he said. He was unable to provide an apples-to-apples comparison this week.

‘READY TO GO’ BUT HURDLES TOO

Local officials welcomed the news that CATS is pushing for federal funding for the North Commuter Rail Line.

Davidson Mayor John Woods said it’s clear to him that the rail line merits funding. “That North Commuter line is shaping up to be the poster child for a ‘shovel ready’ project,” Mayor Woods said. “It’s all set to go. … It would create jobs. It does all the things we want the stimulus bill to do.”

“We are hopeful – we are not naive – that we stand a good chance here,” the mayor said. “But no one knows. It’s a big guessing game.” And he said there’s still concern whether CATS, the Mecklenburg-Union Metropolitan Planning Organization (MUMPO) and City of Charlotte will make the line a priority over Charlotte-centric projects.

Mr. Carol said the North Commuter Rail Line is exactly the kind of read-to-build project that Congress is looking to fund in the stimulus bill. But he acknowledged there are uncertainties.

“The challenge is we’re not currently in the Federal Transit Administration’s pipeline for projects,” he said. “And the reason for that is because we don’t qualify for federal funding under their program right now.”

“We’re trying to figure out whether that excludes us altogether from the way the House money has been divvied up, or whether there are ways to be included,” he said.

The Senate version of the stimulus bill could prove an easier road. One provision currently under consideration would provide “a big pot of money, about $5.5 billion,” to the U.S. Department of Transportation, which could decide to provide up to 100 percent funding for any project it wants, Mr. Carol said.

Still, Mayor Woods was cautious about the prospects for stimulus funding. “It’s a little unnerving. It’s like wishing for a star. You don’t want to set yourself up for a horrible fall, but the potential is there,” he said.

LINKS

See DavidsonNews.net’s past coverage of the rail line project, category “commuter rail”

Charlotte Area Transit Systems North Corridor project web page.

RELATED STORY

Feb. 4, 2009, The Charlotte Observer, “Tax shortfall could brake Lynx progress: Projected revenue drop over 10 years is almost as much as a commuter line runningto Lake Norman would cost.”