COMMENTARY

Charlotte Trolley and the city's future light-rail trains are on course for a head-on collision.

Guess who's gonna win?

They will share the same double set of tracks, from South End through uptown, in 2005. But first they must work through some significant conflicts as they sort out their roles.

Light-rail aims to be a transportation workhorse. The trolley, too, wants to be a reliable commuting choice for Dilworth and Wilmore residents who work uptown, while keeping its historic appeal.

Of the two, the trolley has by far the more difficult task. Can it rely on volunteers when it switches from a weekend to a daily schedule? Can trolleys operate during rush hour without interfering with light-rail?

The nonprofit trolley group is run by folks who give up their weekends to operate old No. 85 in the South End, where the trolley is credited with spurring some $393million in private development. When service expands, streetcars will run two miles to Ninth Street.

On the other hand, light-rail trains will be the centerpiece of a $1billion-plus, rapid-transit system. They'll run 11 miles between Pineville and uptown, sharing the northern two miles of track with the trolley. Making that $331million light-rail line a daily transportation option for thousands of drivers is a top priority of the Charlotte Area Transit System.

In public, both sides praise the other and speak of a peaceful coexistence. But behind the scenes, there's much grumbling about the shared turf.

Some technical problems are being worked out. The overhead electrical line that will power both types of trains will have a lower voltage near uptown to accommodate the trolley. And light-rail engineers are advising the trolley on using a certain type of wheel to avoid derailments on a track designed for the new trains.

Other problems are tougher to solve, and the trolley stands to be the loser if they aren't.

The biggest conflict yet occurred a few days ago when the city revealed it will cost as much as $32million to modify the Charlotte Convention Center so light-rail trains can pass into uptown. That could delay the uptown trolley for three years, until 2005.

It probably won't be that bad. City engineers think that price is way too high, and trolley backers vow they'll find a way to get their streetcars into uptown by late 2002.

But there are other conflicts that are just as worrisome. Those dual tracks will be very busy uptown, with light-rail trains coming through at 25 mph every 10 or 15 minutes, a good bit faster and more frequent than trolleys.

There's been some talk that trolleys shouldn't run during rush hours so they wouldn't hold up light-rail. But trolleys must operate at those times so they'll be an option for commuters, says Dan Morrill, the UNCCharlotte history professor who saved the old streetcar in 1987.

If trolleys have to sit out rush hour, they'd essentially be a high-priced toy for tourists. And, Morrill says, that would put the brakes on the economic development that's so visible in the South End.

Ron Tober, head of CATS, says he's not sure whether the trolley can run during rush hour. He knows light-rail will have a schedule to keep and thousands of passengers to deliver. But he and Morrill say the answer could be siding tracks, which would let the trolley pull over so light-rail could pass.

Another issue: That two-mile track will have two types of stations: one for the trolley and another for light-rail. Can you imagine how confusing that will be?

Still missing is the money needed to make the trolley dreams happen. The nonprofit group is trying to raise the dollars to build a permanent South End home after a prospective donor backed out on a $4million pledge. And its leaders admit they can't run daily service with just volunteers.

Meanwhile, more volunteers are training to run the trolley on weekends, and Jeff Davis, president of Charlotte Trolley Inc., is trying to work out a compromise that will get the streetcar into uptown next year.

No one's the enemy in this conflict, Davis says. They are all just focusing on their own jobs to make the trolley, the Convention Center and light-rail successful.

Surely the track is big enough for both.

COMMENTARY