David L. Howard

In our reporting · 5 stories

1. Aug 13, 2026

   MPTA Unanimously Orders West Craighead Study, Opening a Path to a Future Red Line Station

   MPTA unanimously ordered a separate planning study for a possible future West Craighead infill station. The action leaves the current 11-station Red Line plan unchanged while requiring CATS to begin working with the city, county, property owners and community stakeholders.

2. Jul 11, 2026

   To Hit the CATS Deadline, Charlotte's Transit Board Expands Its Interim CEO's Spending Power

   Charlotte's new transit authority gave its interim CEO expanded authority to sign technology contracts without case-by-case board approval, racing a Jan. 1 deadline to separate CATS from the city's systems. The vote passed with two opposed, after trustees warned they risked rubber-stamping a roughly $35 million transition they had not fully vetted.

3. Jul 10, 2026

   MPTA Committee Recommends Against a West Craighead Red Line Station, 5-4

   A committee of Charlotte's new transit authority voted 5-4 against recommending a West Craighead station for the Red Line, siding with staff who warned an extra stop could weaken the project's bid for federal money. A Sugar Creek neighborhood coalition that spent two years making the case gets one more chance at the full board on Aug. 12.

4. Jun 28, 2026

   Charlotte's Transit Authority Clears Its Last State Requirement, and the CATS Takeover Splits Into Two Dates

   On June 24 the Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority closed out the last of the twelve requirements North Carolina set before it can run Charlotte's buses and trains, and voted to send the proof to Raleigh. The takeover itself splits in two: operational control on July 1, employees and computers on January 1, 2027.

5. Jun 11, 2026

   What Changes July 1 When the MPTA Takes Over CATS, and What's Still Undecided

   On July 1, the Charlotte Area Transit System stops being a city department and passes to the MPTA, a 27-member appointed board, along with a new one-cent tax meant to raise $19.4 billion over thirty years. Here is what changes, what stays the same, and the questions the board carries in unfinished, starting with the one it could not resolve on June 10: whether the Gold Line streetcar should be free.