Charlotte recently won a $25 million federal grant to begin construction on a streetcar system. The Charlotte Observer goes over some of the system's basics.
"The total cost of the first segment is estimated at $37 million, and the city will pay $12 million. The federal government requires that construction begin within 18 months, and the city said the streetcars could be operating by 2014.
The long-term plan is to build a 10-mile streetcar line from Beatties Ford Road to the site of the closed Eastland Mall, through uptown."
The federal funds will mainly go towards construction of the system's first phase, a 1.5 mile segment.
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The Charlotte City Council approved $12 million in engineering work for a proposed 2.5-mile streetcar extension. The city hopes the investment will help it win federal funds for the $126 million project.
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