Editing Charlotte, North Carolina (section)

====Mass transit====
{{Main|Charlotte Area Transit System}}
[[File:LynxBlandStreet.jpg|thumb|The [[Lynx Blue Line|Blue Line's]] Bland Street Station in Charlotte's South End neighborhood]]
The [[Charlotte Area Transit System]] (CATS) is the agency responsible for operating mass transit in the Charlotte metropolitan area, carrying over 16 million riders annually. Established in 1999 and administered as a department of the city of Charlotte, CATS operates [[light rail]] transit, [[streetcar]], [[commuter bus|express buses]], [[transit bus|local buses]], and special bus services serving Charlotte and the surrounding area in addition to other programs such as [[vanpool]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://charlottenc.gov/cats/Pages/default.aspx|title=Charlotte Area Transit System|website=Charlottenc.gov|access-date=May 21, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/cats-charlotte-area-transit-system-next-phase-transportation-system/275-f1ee49d6-fad3-4857-acb7-3ac555a8369a|title=CATS finalizing design for new transportation system|last=Pierre|first=Jesse|date=November 7, 2022|website=WCNC.com|access-date=August 9, 2023}}</ref>

CATS' rail arm, LYNX Rapid Transit Services, comprises two lines as of fall 2020. The Blue Line is an 18.9‑mile line north–south light rail line running through [[South End (Charlotte neighborhood)|South End]], [[Uptown Charlotte|Center City]], [[NoDa]], and [[University City (Charlotte neighborhood)|University City]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://charlottenc.gov/cats/rail/lynx-blue-line/Pages/default.aspx|title=Lynx Blue Line – City of Charlotte City Council|website=Charlottenc.gov|access-date=June 11, 2022|archive-date=September 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190901084125/https://charlottenc.gov/cats/rail/lynx-blue-line/Pages/default.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[CityLYNX Gold Line]] streetcar, Phase 1 of which opened in 2015, is under Phase 2 construction as of fall 2020. When completed, the Gold Line will link the Beatties Ford neighborhood through Uptown and then south and east to the Elizabeth neighborhood.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2021/03/25/firms-sought-for-final-6-miles-of-streetcar-line.html|title=City seeking firms to oversee final portion of CityLynx Goldline|last=Spanberg|first=Erik|date=March 25, 2021|website=BizJourals.com|publisher=Charlotte Business Journal|access-date=March 25, 2021}}</ref> The [[LYNX Silver Line]], a light rail line in the pre-project development phase as of fall 2020, will link the southeastern suburbs of [[Matthews, North Carolina|Matthews]], [[Stallings, North Carolina|Stallings]], and [[Indian Trail, North Carolina|Indian Trail]] with [[Uptown Charlotte]] and the future Charlotte Gateway Station before extending west to [[Charlotte Douglas International Airport]] and across the Catawba River to [[Belmont, North Carolina|Belmont]] in Gaston County.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nc/charlotte/news/2020/09/18/-very-large--very-complicated---lynx-silver-line-project-entering-new-phase-of-development|title=Lynx Silver Line Project Entering New Phase of Development|publisher=Spectrum News|access-date=September 18, 2020}}</ref>

The bulk of CATS ridership is derived from its extensive bus network, which has its main hub at the Charlotte Transportation Center in Uptown, which also connects to the Blue and Gold lines. Other bus hubs are located at community transit centers in SouthPark, Eastland, and at Rosa Parks Place. CATS operates express buses to outlying parts of the city and some commuter bus to the northern suburbs in the Lake Norman area under the MetroRAPID umbrella.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nrdc.org/stories/charlotte-its-way-becoming-modern-transit-hub|title=Charlotte is on its way to becoming a modern transit hub|last=Helmer|first=Jodi|date=December 11, 2019|website=NRDC.org|access-date=December 11, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/article266375306.html|title=Underground? Above ground? Charlotte assesses new uptown bus hub design|last=Contino|first=Genna|date=September 27, 2022|website=[[The Charlotte Observer]]|access-date=December 6, 2022}}</ref>