CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Changes are coming to the Charlotte Area Transit System monitor system for the transit system's light rail, the LYNX Blue Line.
Charlotte Area Transit System interim CEO Brent Cagle announced at a Metropolitan Transit Commission meeting on Wednesday that the manufacturer Siemens will be adding a new bearings monitor system to all trucks in the Blue Line fleet.
The change will take place over the next 12 months. During this time, Siemens will also swap the bearings on the oldest trucks in the fleet with the highest mileage before moving on to the other vehicle bearings.
Cagle said the new system is much superior to the heat strips WCNC Charlotte previously learned were installed after Cagle learned about the May 2022 derailment. Heat strips help detect when a bearing could be close to failure, whereas the new system will be able to detect any issues with bearings "on the front end."
CATS will be the first transit system in the United States to implement the bearings monitor system, according to Cagle, but he said it's very popular on transit systems in Europe and Asia.
The changes come months after city leaders first learned about a Lynx Blue Line derailment that happened in May of 2022.
In May 2022, a wheel axle seized and the train's wheel stopped spinning, according to Cagle. The wheel then jumped the track. Part of the issue was a bearing that overheated.
Cagle has said it was a relatively minor incident but that repairs need to be made to all 42 light rail cars to prevent another derailment.
After the disclosure, city officials urged CATS to be more proactive and transparent with the safety of the light rail.
Contact Julia Kauffman at jkauffman@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.