Charlotte's coming-out party for light rail Saturday drew unexpectedly large crowds of curiosity seekers who flooded trains for a glimpse of the city's new era of mass transit.
CATS expects the state's first light-rail line will handle 9,100 passenger trips on an average weekday in its first year. Saturday, it handled 34,000 trips in the first four hours -- well above capacity -- and 60,000 by evening, CATS estimated.
Trains rolled into stations with people standing nose to shoulder, often allowing only inches for new passengers to board. Riders waited as long as two hours at the I-485/South Boulevard station for free rides. And the Charlotte Area Transit System began driving rail passengers back to their cars on buses because the lines for return train trips were so long.
Despite the crowds, passengers gave the Lynx Blue Line rave reviews.
Anna Katz of Cotswold said she was thrilled to ride light rail. When her southbound train began picking up speed as it left uptown, she smiled as though she were riding a roller coaster.
"It's about time," said Katz, who plans to use the train to get to Panthers games. "We have needed something like this for a long time."
"It's amazing -- this is way beyond what we expected," said CATS chief executive Ron Tober, who will oversee another day of free service today before regular service begins Monday at 5:25 a.m.
CATS worked frantically to get trains moving faster, so passengers wouldn't grow frustrated and leave. Riders exceeded the line's maximum capacity of 25,000 trips in four hours.
Tober said that commuters Monday should expect much smaller crowds -- mostly because passengers will have to pay and children will be in school.
But as lines grew Saturday, Tober said he wondered whether CATS will need more trains sooner than he expected.
"It's a nice problem to have," he said. "But you don't just go down to the showroom and buy them."
The first train ride
The Lynx Blue Line is a new chapter in Charlotte's rail history.
The last streetcar here ran in 1938. Light rail's opening is part of a rail revival that began with the Charlotte Trolley, which opened in the South End in 1998 and is scheduled to return in the spring .
The first Lynx train to make a full run was #108, driven by Harry Ruiz, a veteran bus driver from New York City. Peering over his shoulder at 10 a.m. was Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory, who said he wasn't quite sure how many potential riders would brave the Saturday morning cold.
"I'm overwhelmed," McCrory said after he got off the train and saw a mass of people at the I-485/South Boulevard station. "I come from an environment where all you hear is negativity. After a while you start to believe it."
McCrory was referring to this year's debate over Mecklenburg's half-cent sales tax for mass transit, which he championed. That debate ended when 70 percent of Mecklenburg voters supported keeping the tax, a margin that stunned even the most die-hard transit supporters.
Light rail's opening drew a mix of riders. Many were families with children who wanted to just ride a train.
Others drove from areas such as Union County and University City, and longtime Charlotteans marveled at how their city has changed.
As McCrory's southbound train lurched forward, passengers gave a running commentary.
Some were impressed with the car's high ceilings. When the train picked up speed between the East/West Boulevard and New Bern stations, one passenger shouted: "We're taking off like an airplane."
Another passenger noted the train was racing -- and beating -- a car driving along Old Pineville Road.
Daniel Marion of Charlotte came with his family, and rode the first train from uptown.
"We came to see how all that money was spent," said Marion, referring to the train's $462.7 million price.
Later, dozens rode the light rail uptown for the Bobcats game. Just before 7 p.m., some northbound trains were too crowded for passengers to board.
Glitches to be worked out
CATS planned to have trains running every 10 minutes Saturday, though it often fell well behind schedule. Trains were running every 15 minutes, though sometimes there were gaps of 20 to 25 minutes. Early in the morning a train was delayed because of a door malfunction, upsetting the schedule.
The biggest problem was loading and unloading full, 450-person two-car trains at each end of the 9.6-mile line. Lines at stops along the route were much shorter.
Tober said CATS tried various techniques to keep the trains on schedule, such as a new way to turn trains around at the end of the line. For today's Panthers game, CATS plans to have several trains "staged," which means they will be parked and waiting at Seventh Street after the game.
The line's biggest test comes Monday, when passengers must pay and CATS must compete with cars to attract commuters.
Still free today, but pay up on Monday
TODAY: Free service continues, with trains scheduled to run every 10 minutes from 7 a.m. to midnight.
MONDAY: Regular service begins at 5:25 a.m. at the I-485/South Boulevard station. Passengers will need a $1.30 ticket to ride. Self-service kiosks now accept only cash and coins.
