Gold Line Extension

The Gold Line streetcar was reimagined from Charlotte’s original Charlotte Trolley, which began operation on May 18, 1891, and ran through March 14, 1938. Charlotte Trolley service re-emerged on August 30, 1996, for a 6-month trial period before ending service in February 1997.  

After a new bridge was completed over Stonewall Street, service commenced between Atherton Mill in the South End and 9th Street Uptown in June 2004. At that time, CATS purchased three replica trolleys like number 85, an original Charlotte car dating from the 1920s. 

When the Blue Line began light rail service in 2008, streetcar service was discontinued until Phase 1 of the Gold Line streetcar construction was completed and opened for service.  

Phase 1 of the Gold Line streetcar opened in 2015 to ridership above projections. The 1.5-mile route from Center City served the Charlotte Transportation Center, CPCC and Novant Hospital across six stops while connecting riders to the Blue Line light rail. 

Phase 2 extended the Gold Line by 2 miles to the west, from the Charlotte Transportation Center to Johnson C. Smith University in Historic West End, and by a half-mile to the east through the Elizabeth Neighborhood to Sunnyside Avenue. Phase 2 provided modern streetcar vehicles and included 11 additional transit stops to the growing streetcar system, linking east and west neighborhoods to Uptown.