Updated Wednesday, 7:52 a.m.
By DAVID BORAKS
and CHRISTINA RITCHIE ROGERS
DavidsonNews.net

The Red Line Regional Rail Project is facing another major roadblock this week: Norfolk Southern Corp., which owns the tracks it would run on, is balking at the idea of commuter and freight rail operating on the same line.

In a meeting with N.C. Department of Transportation officials Jan. 11 – the first between the DOT and Norfolk Southern since planning for the rail was revived last year – company officials raised a long list of questions. And in a followup letter to the DOT’s top Red Line official, the company’s passenger policy director expressed “fundamental” concerns over the feasibility of the Red Line project. (See the text of the letter below.) Read the full story

Davidson’s Town Board on Tuesday will devote its monthly work session to a presentation and public hearing on the proposed financial plan for Red Line Regional Rail Project. The Red Line also is the topic of a Lake Norman Chamber Focus Friday issues session Friday morning in Cornelius. And also this week, there’s a MI-Connection board of directors meeting Thursday.

Meanwhile, a planned meeting of the Cornelius Rail Task Force that had been scheduled Thursday has been canceled. Read the full story

The Iredell County Commission’s vote Tuesday withholding support for the proposed Red Line Regional Rail Project came after nearly an hour of questions and discussion among commissioners. We offer audio replays of main comments from commissioners, as well as a reaction to the vote by John Woods, Davidson’s mayor and chair of the Metropolitan Transit Commission’s Red Line Task Force. Read the full story

Iredell County Commission Chair Steve Johnson speaks during Tuesday's meeting. (Christina Ritchie Rogers/DavidsonNews.net)

By CHRISTINA RITCHIE ROGERS
and DAVID BORAKS
DavidsonNews.net

STATESVILLE – Iredell County commissioners stopped short of killing the Red Line Regional Rail Project Tuesday night, though they may have only delayed the inevitable. In a 5-0 vote, commissioners approved a statement saying they would not support the project unless concerns about financing plans and future development are addressed. Read the full story

Updated Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012
By DAVID BORAKS
DavidsonNews.net

More meetings lie ahead this week as Mecklenburg County’s Red Line Task Force lobbies for support for the proposed 25-mile commuter and freight rail line north of Charlotte. A critical vote could come Tuesday, when commissioners in Iredell County vote on the proposed $452 million plan.

It appears unlikely Iredell County leaders will vote in favor of the rail line, and that could bring a quick end to the latest effort to revive the rail line project. Iredell commissioners haven’t cast any votes yet, at least not formal ones. But they have signaled their lack of interest in the project: None have attended any of the regional meetings held to explain the project.

RELATED: Davidson planning workshop this Tuesday to Friday takes a closer look at potential development along the Red Line corridor. Read more in Real Estate & Home.

Read the full story

By DAVID BORAKS
DavidsonNews.net

The Town of Davidson on Tuesday asked a judge to throw out a lawsuit by CommunityOne Bank challenging the Town Board’s 2011 rezoning of the former Davidson East property, off N.C. 73. In its response to the bank’s Nov. 2 suit, the town argues that the rezoning was legal and does not affect the bank’s ability to develop the property under the previous zoning. Read the full story

By DAVID BORAKS
DavidsonNews.net

Davidson’s Town Board has scheduled a public hearing Jan. 24 on the proposed Red Line Regional Rail Project, including financing plans that would help pay for construction and operation of the line. At its monthly meeting Tuesday, the board also passed a second resolution authorizing the town staff to work with other area governments on developing the “value-capture options and other policies” proposed by the Metropolitan Transit Commission’s Red Line Task Force. Read the full story

Updated 1:11 p.m.
Davidson’s Town Board will hold a closed session at the end of its meeting Tuesday night to hear an update from the town attorney about Community One Bank’s lawsuit over rezoning of the former Davidson East site off N.C. 73. In its first meeting of the new year, the board also will hear about Mecklenburg County’s proposal for new fire tax districts in unincorporated areas. And commissioners are expected to adopt a resolution authorizing the town staff to work on the Red Line Regional Rail Project and to to clarify the town procedure for groups to request permits to serve alcohol on public property. Read the full story