Continuing north towards the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, this station is just south…read moreof the intersection of North Tryon Street and University City Blvd. Technically, the cross street is Periwinkle Avenue. The tracks are raised for going over the University City and the I-85 Connector but are back down at street level for this station. Like others, this station has minimal cover from the elements and is open for full visibility to passing traffic on both sides of the road. It is an island platform so the doors of the train will open on the left. There is an automated ticket vending machine on the platform. You must purchase a ticket or have a pass before boarding the train. The station is close to the Belgate Shopping Center https://www.yelp.com/biz/belgate-shopping-center-charlotte-2?hrid=T3U4MMPerzEr6hs3oKddWQ, IKEA https://www.yelp.com/biz/ikea-charlotte-2?hrid=_vXQFxHZTxiqjqvvkirC9w, Waffle House https://www.yelp.com/biz/waffle-house-charlotte-11?hrid=wuWjnhOYc1v8Ijae_9tbhA and an apartment complex https://www.yelp.com/biz/8-metro-station-charlotte?hrid=HPRj1vymcKceIhYzzW72qg. There is also a large parking deck with a pedestrian bridge to the platform. It is paid parking. The station is between Tom Hunter (towards I-485/South Boulevard) and McCullough (towards UNC Charlotte-Main). [Review 16931 overall - 3253 in North Carolina - 447 of 2022.]

For the time being, this stations main draw will be the Park & Ride Garage. While the east side of…read moreTryon Street has a ton of space for new development, the west side is pretty much set the way they're going to be. Its a bit of a trek but you could walk from this station to IKEA, Outback Steakhouse, the Burling Coat Factory, or any of the Furniture Row stores. I doubt IKEA will get a lot of customers though because who is going to lug a 200lb box back here. All that being said, they are building new yet affordable apartment at the corner of University City Blvd and Tryon Street wich will probably be scooped up by college kids in the blink of an eye. With ease of transportation like this, I don't blame 'em! It's not quite as integrated at the Novel Apts in NoDa, but just a short walk and you have a ton of Charlotte goodness at your disposal. This park and ride is one of only two that you must pay for. It's $10 daily to park. If you have a LYNX Day pass or higher (like a weekly, monthly, or Student pass) the fee is waived. Ill be waiting with baited breath on the changes the east side of this station is sure to bring!

I always think that a Station is only as good as what surrounds it. Bland Street Lynx Station is a…read moregood one since it has got a ton of restaurants and bars around it: Tavern on the Tracks, Amos', Gin Mill, All American Pub (used to be Jillians), Phat Burrito, Common Market, World of Beer. The Charlotte Trolley Museum is also located here. I'm sure the museum coupled with a lynx train ride would be an awesome kid day - heck, an awesome adult day too (well, maybe just for me). The station is hidden back behind the buildings so it's hard to see from South Blvd and you can't really access it if you want to drop someone off there (they will definitely have to hike about 1/2 a block or a full block to get to the station. The great thing is that the Park and Ride @ Scaleybark is only about 7min on the train from this station.

Yep. Greek Isles. Billiards…read more Finally getting around to reviewing the final station on my Lynx list. Yep, I added these businesses a while ago after I returned from London where they have "businesses" for each of their Underground stations. And since then, I've made my way from I-485 to Seventh Street Station with pictures and a review of each of them. Of course, I'll soon have to start looking at the Blue Line Expansion stations and the Gold Line trolley stations. Bland Street is at ground level with limited cover from the elements. There is no Lynx parking here at all. There are automated ticket vending machines on each end of the platforms, which are on opposite sides of the track. It is not an "island" platform. Every so often, there is an overhead announcement when a train is en route with an estimated time of arrival, i.e., "Train to uptown arriving in six minutes." A few restaurants and activities are nearby including a billiards parlor and the Greek Isles restaurant. World of Beer is a short walk. Mind the gap, y'all!

An excellent station on the new northern extension of Charlotte's Blue Line light rail that as of…read moremid-March now extends from University City at the north end and I-485 at the south end. This clean and modern station is quite large and features a decent covered waiting area on the platform where there are automated ticket vending machines and overhead announcements (both visual and audible) of the next train in either direction. There are two platforms with the two tracks between them. This is a surface station and easily handicap accessible. A big plus here is the very large five story parking deck (800 spaces!) that is connected to the station with a pedestrian bridge and stairs/elevator. At the moment, parking is free though you need a ticket in order to exit the deck on weekdays between 3pm and 6pm. There is a great stop for a number of CATS buses on the opposite side of the parking deck. Very close to the station is the Shoppes at University Place shopping center and a number of apartment/condo buildings. The station is between UNC Charlotte (the northern terminus) and McCullogh to the south.

While this station isn't as vibrant as the highlight 36th street station, I'd argue it's just as…read moreimportant. This long-awaited extension to the light rail links the University area to the rest of the network. For a mere $2.20, you can ride this all the way to the other side of the city, almost to Pineville. One of the 4 new Park & Rides is also at this station. While most locations are free to use, this one requires a day-pass or higher, otherwise it is $10. Odds are if you're dropping your car off, the $6.60 day pass will be worth it. The Shoppes at University Place is adjacent to the station and is probably the most pedestrian-friendly shopping centers in North Charlotte. I recently wrote a review of this shopping center as well so check it out! When I'm ready to hang out in Uptown, enjoy some local grub in NoDa, or have a beer in South End, this is easier and less stressful than driving (plus all three examples, parking is a nightmare anyway). Welcome to the Neighborhood LYNX!

Not too far from Asian Corner Mall, Sugar Creek Station is one of the stations on the expanded Blue…read moreLine as it goes north from Uptown to University. The station is very accessible by road, as opposed to some of the ones closer to the city. The platform does have some covered waiting area and a full parking deck that contains a few hundred parking spaces. It is an island platform so the doors on the train will open on the left. There are audible and visual announcements of the next train in both directions. Automated ticket vending machines exist. Note that the Lynx system requires that you have a ticket in your possession - ticket inspectors do patrol the trains randomly and they do not accept "Oops." Sugar Creek Station is between 36th Street (towards Uptown) and Old Concord Road (towards University). [Review 10242 overall, 5 of 2019.]

36th Street is the closest LYNX station to the NoDa neighborhood. This is awesome because you can…read moreget a Lyft to a station closer to you, ride the LYNX here and back, then Lyft back to home. And there's no worries about your blood alcohol percentage. How awesome is that? This is an island platform with the tracks on both sides. It is elevated above the street level (36th street goes below) so it could perhaps be a little exposed to the weather. The station is handicapped accessible and there are audible/visual announcements of the next train in either direction. There are also automated ticketing kiosks at both end of the platform. There is no parking here but there is a large vacant space. So maybe there will be parking later? 36th Street Station is between 25th Street Station (towards Uptown) and Sugar Creek Station (toward University). [Review 10241 overall, 4 of 2019.] Link: Previous:

It's a great station perfect for a Italian neighborhood! The…read morered looks very nice for a light rail station

This was our first time using the lynx rail. We were in town for a concert at the stadium and the…read morerail worked out perfectly from where we were staying. I'm sure it was packed due to the concert but for the most part it was on time, easy to use and convenient.

This station is a nice Metro stop along the Lynx Blue Line which is located in south end Charlotte…read moreNC!

I visited many Lynx stations while in Charlotte and this was one of the nicest. Lot of canopies,…read moreclean, all signs clear and announcements audible. I got on the train and off the train here with no issues. Both times I used it, there were lots of people around so it felt safe.

At first, the LYNX Blue Line only went the 9.6 miles from I-485 to 7th Street station. It has since…read morebeen enhanced and now continues northwards. 9th Street is the first of those extensions. The station has been open as part of this network (the historic Charlotte Trolley used to stop here) since March 2018. A street level station like the others inside the I-277 loop, 9th Street has side platforms on either side of the tracks. This means that the doors open on the right side. All ten passenger shelters have white tensile fabric canopies, curved blue glass windscreens, white benches and fixtures, and a blue platform. There is also a bicycle rack here. There is minimal cover from the elements. This is an "interesting" part of Uptown Charlotte. As I was departing the station, a man was relieving himself in full view of the tracks. There was also a dude having a full fledged argument with himself and no, there was no bluetooth earpiece to be seen. Channeling the NYC subway? As with all other stations, there is an automated ticket vending machine on the platform. You must purchase a ticket before boarding the train. [Review 16926 overall - 3249 in North Carolina - 442 of 2022.]

Tim @ Wake Forest Parking (and the entire crew) provided above-and-beyond service and assistance to…read moreus out-of-towners during a big event. Huge shout-out and "Thank you" from Oregon.

Very nice parking ramp in the center of town. Entrances from 6th or 5th just west of the light rail…read moretracks. First couple levels are reserved but there's plenty of room going up. Elevators serve each floor on both ends and a skywalk goes somewhere...? so getting to your car won't ever be a chore. Remember to get your parking validated or life might get expensive.

I've been a long time patron of Amtrak going back to the early 90's…read more I was living in Raleigh at the time and would commute to Charlotte regularly. I lived in DC for 15 years and had access to Amtrak on the Washington Metro Rail and Virginia Railway Express was so easy. Sometimes I would take the VRE to Washington Union Station and from there you can go anywhere in the US that has Amtrak service. My preference was the Acela high speed train to NY or to Boston. A next level experience and a hint of what high speed rail might be one day in the US. All this to say, I was back at the CLT Amtrak station to p/u James who took the train from Raleigh. There are now 8 (eight) trains to/from CLT & RDU. It was 'close' to on-time as well. Only about 10 minutes late which is not bad considering multiple stops. The CLT Transport authority is working on the new Uptown Station which remains under construction. It will connect with the Lynx line as well as the Trolley. CLT has waited a long time for this vision to become reality. I took some photos which are posted on the Yelp site and you can see, it's spartan. It's not changed much in 25 years. The biggest changes is the new Starbucks that's across the street.

I know there are a lot of mixed reviews for the Amtrak. My brother travels on it a lot to get to…read moreGreensboro for work and other areas. I understand that they are building a new one, so of course I wouldn't expect them to go out of their way to keep this one up to date. It honestly isn't even that bad! The train was literally right on time for us. We got on right before departure time and the staff have been pretty friendly. Since we are traveling as a family, it's nice that there are areas where we can sit in a four seater spot so I'm together with my brother and mom. Looking forward to getting to Greensboro safely!