Also, about 1/3 of the bus fleet is "past its useful life" of 12 years and needs to be replaced ASAP...this is on top of the potentially broken axles on all 42 light rail vehicles, necessitating a speed restriction on the whole system after a derailment last year.

New: Cagle says there are 37 light rail elevated bridges that are past their inspections.
They were supposed to be inspected I. 2021. They weren’t.

Also, 6 parking decks are past inspection.

Cagle says this will be fixed too. And with a review more things will likely pop up

POLITICS & GOVERNMENT

CATS reveals skipped inspections as commission votes for train derailment investigation

BY GENNA CONTINO UPDATED MARCH 22, 2023 10:20 PM

Charlotte’s transit agency skipped inspections on light rail bridges and parking garages in 2021 despite a federal requirement to complete them.

Interim Charlotte Area Transit System CEO Brent Cagle revealed the missed inspection dates at a Metropolitan Transit Commission meeting Wednesday night where members voted to seek a third party investigation into issues that include a May 2022 light rail derailment. Mecklenburg County Commissioner Leigh Altman made the motion.

“At this point, we don’t know anything for a fact,” Altman said. “I won’t feel comfortable that these trains are safe until I hear that from the DOT.”

Last week, Cagle revealed to the Charlotte City Council a Blue Line train derailed in May 2022 due to a faulty axle bearing. To fix the issue, Cagle said CATS is working with rail company Siemens Mobility to expedite repairs on each train, which is still expected to take several years. The city will foot the $30 million bill because the parts are no longer covered under a warranty.

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