Visit is part of a four-day, five state bus tour, The GROW AMERICA Express, highlighting the importance of investing in America’s infrastructure and to encourage Congress to act on a long-term transportation bill.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx was joined by Vice President Joe Biden, Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC) and Charlotte Mayor Dan Clodfelter along a passenger and freight railroad corridor just north of Uptown Charlotte to highlight the need for increased investments in passenger rail and rail safety.
Foxx’s visit is part of a four-day, five-state bus tour, The GROW AMERICA Express, highlighting the importance of investing in America’s infrastructure and to encourage Congress to act on a long-term transportation bill.
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“Transportation projects have stalled or stopped across the country due to the lack of funding certainty,” said Foxx. “Passenger rail is critical to a growing economy — it brings economic development, creates jobs and provides access to opportunity for residents in the surrounding community.”
The North Carolina Department of Transportation and the City of Charlotte are in the planning stages for the development of a new multi-modal transportation center — the proposed Charlotte Gateway Station. The station would replace the existing Amtrak station and serve intercity passenger rail, regional and local buses, as well as a proposed streetcar.
On February 2, the Obama Administration announced a plan to address the infrastructure deficit with a $478 billion, six-year surface transportation reauthorization proposal building on the GROW AMERICA Act, which the Administration first released last year. The plan makes critical investments in infrastructure needed to promote long-term economic growth, enhance safety and efficiency, and support jobs for the 21st century.
The GROW AMERICA Express will include visits to universities, manufacturers, bridges, freight facilities and highway projects in an effort to raise awareness of America’s infrastructure deficit. Foxx will visit with students, business leaders, transportation stakeholders and community residents, to discuss the projects that work, projects that are needed and to ask them to commit to standing up for a future with an American transportation system that is second-to-none.
The region’s fixed-route system finished out the year with a total of 373.5 million rides. Adding 12.3 million rides over 2024 represents an increase that is equal to the annual transit ridership of Kansas City.
The service is a flexible, reservation-based transit service designed to close the first- and last-mile gaps and connect riders to employment for just $5 per day.
The upgraded system, which went live earlier this month, supports METRO’s METRONow vision to enhance the customer experience, improve service reliability, and strengthen long-term regional mobility.
The agreement provides competitive wages and reflects strong labor-management collaboration, positive working relationships, and a shared commitment to building a world-class transit system for the community, said RTA CEO Lona Edwards Hankins.
The priorities are outlined in the 2026 Board and CEO Initiatives and Action Plan, which serves as a roadmap to guide the agency’s work throughout the year and ensure continued progress and accountability on voter-approved transportation investments and essential mobility services.
