CharlotteGateway Station is a future intermodal transit station in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. As part of the overall Station District, it will have several facilities all linked together, including an Amtrak intercity rail station, rapid transit, local and intercity bus facility, parking facilities, mixed-use development and an elevated greenway. Estimated at a cost of $800.1 million for full implementation of all public and private components, the project will be built in three phases, with all construction tentatively done by 2024. When completed, it will become the new "front door" to the city for train and bus passengers, connecting between multiple modes of transportation and establish a new activity center in Uptown Charlotte. When the station is completed, it will be the southern terminus for Amtrak's Carolinian and Piedmont lines, as well as a service stop on the Crescent. It is also intended to be a major stop on the Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor. The station will also be a stop on Charlotte Area Transit System's CityLynx Gold streetcar line and Silver light rail line, and will serve as Charlotte's Greyhound Lines station.
History
In 1991, the City of Charlotte and the North Carolina Department of Transportation completed a preliminary feasibility study for a new Uptown rail station to replace the existing Amtrak station, built in 1962 by the Southern Railway and located on North Tryon Street near the rail yard for SOU's successor, Norfolk Southern. The site chosen along West Trade Street, currently a Greyhound station since 1973, was once the location of three previous stations: the Atlanta & Charlotte Depot, the Richmond and Danville Depot and the Southern Depot. In 1998, NCDOT began the acquisition of property for the station and supportive land uses. In 2002, NCDOT completed its feasibility study for the Charlotte Multi-Modal Station and Area Track Improvements. The study identified two possible options: The Preferred Alternative, which included the station, various track work and a greenway at $206.8 million, and the Station Build Only Alternative at $109.6 million. By 2004, NCDOT had completed property acquisition of. Announced publicly in August 2005, the proposed Gateway Station is envisioned to serve as both a multimodal transit center in addition to both office and retail space. As originally presented, the station would feature an underground station for CATS buses, a office building, and soaring lobby for other rail and bus services in the building's atrium. In 2009, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 awarded $520 million grant for the Piedmont Improvement Project in North Carolina; which was used to make rail improvements identified in the 2002 feasibility study. In that same year, an Environmental impact assessment was completed that resulted in a Finding of No Significant Impact and the City of Charlotte and NCDOT signed an municipal agreement. In 2012, NCDOT completed property acquisition again of approximately for the Charlotte Gateway Station project. On November 1, 2012, NCDOT selected Houston-based developer, the Hines Group, for the project. In 2015, NCDOT won a $25 Million TIGER Grant, to help start construction of Gateway Station. The station will have a long, fully ADA compliant high-level platform, the second in the state behind Raleigh Union Station. It will also significantly improve connections between Amtrak and local transit.
Construction
Both the Charlotte Area Transit System and NCDOT have started/completed various projects that impact the future station, including the CityLynx Gold Line and a new Locomotive and Railcar Maintenance Facility located on West Summit Avenue. However, groundbreaking for the Charlotte Gateway Station did not begin until July 2018. The project is using a phased implementation approach to facilitate the near-term development of the rail station while also setting the stage for private development to occur. There are three general phases with additional sub-phases.
Phase 1
At an estimate cost of $91.3 million, the first phase has two parts:
1A) Construct track, structures, and signals to support two new station tracks; construct retaining wall/earthwork; construct temporary intercity bus facility.
1B) Construct rail platform and canopy for passenger loading/unloading.
This phase is fully funded with an anticipated construction period is 2018 to 2021.
Phase 2
At an estimate cost of $49.9 million, the second phase has two parts:
2A) Construct platform canopy; construct station building with full construction of concourse level and core and shell only for plaza and mezzanine levels; construct temporary surface parking and passenger drop-off area.
2B) Decommission existing Amtrak station on North Tryon Street.
This phase is partially funded with capital carryover from phase 1. The anticipated construction period is 2019 to 2022.
Phase 3
At an estimate cost of $658.9 million, the third phase has three parts:
3A) Construct greenway connection with bridge over Fourth Street, vertical circulation and retaining walls; construct bus facility, which includes structured parking and residential over retail wrapping garage.
3B) Complete upper section of station building; extend greenway with bridge over Trade Street, vertical circulation and retaining walls; extend greenway to Bank of America Stadium; construct private development around station.
3C) Construct remote properties between Fifth and Seventh Streets; extend greenway to Ninth Street.
This phase is currently not funded, but is expected to be depended mostly from private developers. The anticipated construction period is 2020 to 2024.
