COLUMBIA (WACH) -- Local leaders who advocate improving the Midlands' struggling bus system are tossing around some big ideas to make it happen. Among them: A new transit hub that would eventually lead to light rail service to Charlotte from Columbia.
The plan would be to transform the Amtrak station facility in the Capital City into a transit terminal.
An advisor from USC has been assisting the Central Midlands Regional Transit Authority for the last three months with a transit study on what it's going to take to improve the system.
Recently, a group backing improvements to system visited Charlotte's bus terminal to find out what makes it successful. CMRTA Advisor Derrick Huggins says it's going to take more than people riding the bus.
“You have to have, not only passengers buying in, but you also have to have the public, as far as the economic part. Then business owners; the economic side, we have to have leaders that want our transit system to grow.”
No timeline has been set for when any of the suggested improvements to the CMRTA would or could be made. Huggins will present a report offering improvement suggestions in mid June.
What you think about plans for a light rail system from Columbia to Charlotte? Leave your comments below.
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