CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The city of Charlotte has filed paperwork with the federal government indicating intent to purchase railroad tracks that would become the city's Red Line commuter rail service.
The long-proposed commuter train line would connect Charlotte with northern suburbs including Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson and Mooresville.
Paperwork filed this week with the Surface Transportation Board, a federal agency governing railroads, outlines the city's intent to purchase the 29 miles of track from Norfolk Southern Railway Company.
Plans to build a commuter rail service to the Lake Norman communities date back decades but were stalled until last year when Norfolk Southern indicated it would consider a possible transaction. At the time, it was not publicly known if the tracks would be potentially sold or leased.
The tracks are currently part of Norfolk Southern's national freight network and are referred to by that company as the "O Line." As part of the O Line's sale to Charlotte, Norfolk Southern would continue to operate freight trains on the tracks.
Once under city of Charlotte ownership, the Red Line would be part of the Charlotte Area Transit System. CATS would be responsible for dispatching both the commuter and freight trains on the tracks.
This arrangement would be different than other arrangements. For example, Amtrak and the North Carolina Department of Transportation run regular passenger train service between Charlotte and Raleigh on tracks that are owned and dispatched by Norfolk Southern.
In their federal filings this week, attorneys for the city of Charlotte argue the purchase does not require approval from the Surface Transportation Board. In their arguments, the attorneys cite previous instances where a municipality was able to purchase tracks without federal approval so long as it continued to allow freight service to operate alongside passenger trains.
As part of the deal, the city of Charlotte would be prohibited from operating its own freight service on the tracks.
Attorneys for the city of Charlotte have requested expedited consideration by the Surface Transportation Board by Aug. 16 in order to meet a proposed sale date of Sept. 9. The paperwork did not disclose a proposed sale price.