Carolinas Association for Passenger Trains

The meeting will be held from 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm , preceded by early dinner at 4:00 pm at Big Ben Pub. The meeting location is 1535 Elizabeth Avenue, Charlotte, N.C. 28204. Restaurant phone number is 704 817-9697. Web address is http://bigbenpub.com.

Persons arriving via Amtrak's Piedmont #73 at 1:10 pm, and departing via Amtrak's Piedmont #78 at 7:45 pm will be provided transportation assistance for the train station where possible. Train #73 picks up at all stations coming to Charlotte. Please note train #78 leaving Charlotte does not stop at Kannapolis on it's northbound run (Train #76 departing at 5:30 pm does) . If traveling by train please let us know so we can plan for this.

After arrival, a tour of the new passenger platform and station site for the Gateway Multimodal Transportation Center is planned around 2:15 - 2:30 pm at the project site on West Trade Street. This will be conducted by the Charlotte Area Transit System.

Those arriving by train may take the #11 CATS transit bus which stops at the Amtrak station to the city transportation center on East Trade Street. There one can take the Gold Line City Lynx Streetcar to the Gateway station site. Local CAPT members will also help in transporting some from the Amtrak station to the site.

Those coming to the site by auto may want to park at Event Parking across ML King Blvd. from Truist Field. It's the second parking deck entrance after turning onto ML King from Graham Street and has the most reasonable rates.

After the tour is completed one can walk to the Gold Line City Lynx Gateway station and take the streetcar to the meeting location at Big Ben's Pub. One can also drive to the location since there is plenty of parking across Elizabeth Avenue from the Elizabeth/Hawthorne streetcar station. Those not traveling by auto may also take the streetcar to the city transportation center after the meeting, and transfer to the #11 CATS bus route for the Amtrak station. Note: no fare is required to ride the City Lynx Gold Line. Fare is required for the #11 bus. The streetcar now runs about every 30 minutes in each direction. Information available at http://ridetransit.org. Local CATS members where possible will be assisting in transportation back to the Amtrak station.

We look forward to this event as construction is expected to start soon on the Gateway Multimodal Transportation Center with completion expected possibly by 2026!

Meeting Agenda

• Welcome
• Treasurer's report
• Secretary's Report
• Status on new CAPT Secretary
• R2R Developments (Raleigh - Richmond)
• Western NC Rail Committee Update
• FRA Corridor ID developments
• Piedmont Corridor performance on new schedules
• Charlotte Area Transit Update
• Update on news in North Carolina and South Carolina affecting transit and rail passenger service
• Update on CAPT newsletter and website issues
• Amtrak update
• Meridian RPA Regional Meeting in October
• Reports by Officers and Directors
• Planning for future meetings
• Adjournment