Thousands of passengers crowded Charlotte's new light rail line to participate in the inaugural day of service and get in on the city's next era of mass transit.
The large crowds taxed the southernmost station at Interstate 485, where more than 1,000 people stood in a line from the platform back into the parking garage. The garage was closed to incoming cars because so many people were in the area.
The Charlotte Area Transit System began operating nineteen express buses to bring people to their cars if they could not wait for a return trip back. CATS had planned to use bus only in case of a technical problem. CATS is using every available train to handle the high initial usage.
