The Gold Line Shuts Down Oct. 24 to 26 With No Shuttle Buses, and CATS Adds a New Route to Huntersville, Cornelius, and Davidson

If you ride the Gold Line streetcar, plan around this weekend. CATS is shutting the line down for its yearly fall maintenance, and because of construction on Trade Street there will be no replacement shuttle. At the same time, the October bus changes that started Oct. 5 are worth a second look, especially if you live in north Mecklenburg.

The Gold Line shutdown: what to know

• When: From 2 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, until 4 a.m. Monday, Oct. 26.
• Why: It is the annual fall rail shutdown for routine maintenance. Crews have to power down the overhead electrical wires to work on them.
• No bus bridge: CATS says road construction and closures on Trade Street, coordinated with the Charlotte Department of Transportation, rule out a shuttle this year.
• The Blue Line is not affected. It runs on its normal schedule all weekend.

Source: CATS Gold Line shutdown notice, posted Oct. 12.

How to get around instead

CATS points riders to regular bus routes that cover the same corridor:

• West of the Charlotte Transportation Center (toward French Street): Route 1 (Mount Holly), Route 7 (Beatties Ford), and Route 8 (Tuckaseegee Road).
• East of the Charlotte Transportation Center (toward Sunnyside Avenue): Route 9 (Central Avenue), Route 14 (Providence Road), Route 15 (Randolph Road), Route 17 (Commonwealth Avenue), and Route 27 (Monroe Road).

These buses do not trace the streetcar stop for stop, so check the CATS-Pass app or the trip planner before you leave. If you are heading to the Hornets game against Miami on Saturday night or anything else Uptown, the Blue Line into the Charlotte Transportation Center is your steadiest rail option.

New this month: Route 177, the North Meck Connector

CATS' October service change took effect Monday, Oct. 5, and it added a route north Mecklenburg riders have not had before. According to CATS, Route 177 runs hourly on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. and serves:

• Uptown Charlotte
• Huntersville Gateway Park and Ride
• Huntersville Northcross Park and Ride
• Cornelius Park and Ride
• Davidson Gateway

That fills a midday gap for people in Huntersville, Cornelius, and Davidson who need to get to Uptown, or back home, outside the morning and evening express runs. The North Meck CATS Micro zone also now runs until 9 p.m. daily.

Other changes that started Oct. 5

• Route 5 (Airport Sprinter): every 15 minutes on weekdays and every 20 minutes on weekends.
• Route 9 (Central Avenue): every 15 minutes, every day.
• Route 6 (Kings Drive): every 20 minutes on weekdays.
• Route 53x (Northlake Express): three more peak trips, for 13 a day.
• Route 61x (Arboretum/Waverly Express): three more peak trips, for 12 a day.
• Route 64x (Independence Boulevard Express): new hourly midday service, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays, in both directions.
• A new West Charlotte Micro zone runs until 9 p.m. daily and serves West Boulevard, Wilkinson Boulevard, the Charlotte Regional Farmers Market, the VA clinic in south Charlotte, and the Woodlawn Blue Line station.

CATS describes this as the first service change since Mecklenburg County voters approved the sales tax referendum that funds its Better Bus program.

What is still unclear

The service change announcement mentions more weekday connections between Matthews and Uptown but does not list a route or schedule for them. CATS' notices also print two different customer service numbers in places; the one used most often is 704-336-7433.

Where to check

• Maps and timetables: the CATS service change page
• Questions: telltransit@charlottenc.gov or 704-336-7433. The call center is open weekdays from 5:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., and weekends from 7 to 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 to 4 p.m.
• Live tracking and trip planning: the CATS-Pass app

Also coming up on transit: Blue Line single tracking in South End starts Nov. 2. We covered that, along with the MLK Boulevard closure Uptown, in our earlier story.

Last verified October 19, 2026.