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Charlotte Area Transit System
Live now: 1 tender, largest CATS CityLYNX Gold Line truck overhaul Siemens (value not published — the City's Bonfire listing (RFP 269-2027-2117) gives no estimated contract value; carried on scope as an open solicitation per the unvalued-open-solicitation rule); holds relationships with HDR, HNTB, Stacy Witbeck.
Every fact on this page is free. Exact values, dates, award detail and the procurement route open in the United States edition — one edition is free with one email. Open your free edition · Open this record in the Atlas
- Type
- Transit authority — Public transit agency for the Charlotte metropolitan area, governed since 1 July 2026 by the Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority (MPTA), a 25-seat regional authority (12 City of Charlotte, 6 Mecklenburg County, 1 each from six towns, 3 state/governor appointees) created under North Carolina's 2025 PAVE Act, which dissolved the former Metropolitan Transit Commission (MTC) and its advisory board and requires the City of Charlotte to transfer CATS's transit assets to the new authority. Operates LYNX Blue Line light rail (18.6 miles, 32 stations, opened 2007) and plans the Silver and Red Lines.
- Market · Region
- United States · North Carolina
- Open tenders
- 1
- Technology areas
- Track & civil, Rolling-stock hardware, Signalling & train control, Electrification, Digital operations
Provides Charlotte transit including LYNX Blue Line, advancing Red Line and Silver Line with $539m budget.
About this buyer
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Provides public transit for Charlotte: LYNX Blue Line light rail (18.6 miles, 32 stations, opened 2007), bus service, streetcar, STS special transportation, microtransit and vanpool. The FY2027 budget adopted by the City Council/MPTA in June 2026 totals $539m ($314m operating, $225m capital) with no fare increase, advancing the LYNX Red Line commuter rail and LYNX Silver Line light rail to 30% design and environmental review alongside the South End Station and Hambright Park-and-Ride projects. A one-cent Mecklenburg County sales tax funds the MPTA from 2026: about $210m/year (60% of proceeds) is projected for the authority, of which roughly two-thirds (about $140m/year to start) is eligible for rail transit.
- Type
- Transit authority — Public transit agency for the Charlotte metropolitan area, governed since 1 July 2026 by the Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority (MPTA), a 25-seat regional authority (12 City of Charlotte, 6 Mecklenburg County, 1 each from six towns, 3 state/governor appointees) created under North Carolina's 2025 PAVE Act, which dissolved the former Metropolitan Transit Commission (MTC) and its advisory board and requires the City of Charlotte to transfer CATS's transit assets to the new authority. Operates LYNX Blue Line light rail (18.6 miles, 32 stations, opened 2007) and plans the Silver and Red Lines.
- Where
- North Carolina · Charlotte
- Technology areas
- Track & civil, Rolling-stock hardware, Signalling & train control, Electrification, Digital operations
Who holds what here
- awarded HNTB — Unit price CATS Capital Program Management Services contract supporting delivery of the 2055 Transit System Plan, authorised jointly with H.W. Lochner, Inc. (no player record); annual aggregate expenditures across both firms, five-year term with a two-year renewal option (active · since 2026-04-27)
- awarded HDR — LYNX Red Line planning and design services contract; a contract amendment of approved 9 March 2026 took the contract's total value to (active · since 2026-03-09)
- awarded Stacy Witbeck — Construction Manager at Risk contract for South End Station's Track and Systems package (Blue Line); a construction-phase amendment approved 8 December 2025 took the contract's total value to (active · since 2025-12-08)
- Contract detail and values (3)$25–100m · $5–25mIn the United States edition See a fully open example
Sources for these relationships (3)
- ● City of Charlotte (Legistar webapi, official) — City Council Business Meeting Agenda · 8 December 2025 Business Meeting agenda, item 25, Light Rail Vehicle Train Control and Signaling Systems Parts and Repairs: sole-source contract with Hitachi Rail STS USA Inc. (OEM of the LYNX LRV train-control and signalling systems), 3-year term plus up to two 1-year renewals, annual expenditures estimated at $4,000,000; funded from the CATS Operating Budget (published 2025-12-08 · checked 2026-09-20)
- ● City of Charlotte (Legistar webapi, official) — City Council Business Meeting Agenda · 9 March 2026 Business Meeting agenda, item 18, CATS Red Line Design Contract Amendment: contract amendment not to exceed $37,900,000 with HDR Engineering, Inc. for planning and design services on the proposed Red Line, advancing the design to 30 percent and an environmental document; new total contract value $43,220,024 (original $5,000,000 contract approved 11 September 2023 after competitive solicitation, amendment 1 of $320,024 approved 15 March 2025); companion budget ordinance appropriating $1,500,000 in CATS Debt Service Fund balance to the CATS Capital Projects Fund (published 2026-03-09 · checked 2026-09-20)
- ● City of Charlotte (Legistar webapi, official) — City Council Business Meeting Agenda · 27 April 2026 Business Meeting agenda, item 31, CATS Capital Program Management Services: authorises the City Manager to negotiate and execute 5-year unit price contracts (plus a 2-year renewal option) with HNTB North Carolina, P.C. and H.W. Lochner, Inc. to support delivery of the 2055 Transit System Plan; annual aggregate expenditures estimated at $5,000,000; RFQ issued 10 November 2025, five responses; funded from the CATS Operating Fund (published 2026-04-27 · checked 2026-09-20)
Tenders
| Tender | Status | Value band | Next key date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CATS CityLYNX Gold Line truck overhaul Siemens | Open | value not published — the City's Bonfire listing (RFP 269-2027-2117) gives no estimated contract value; carried on scope as an open solicitation per the unvalued-open-solicitation rule | Closes October 2026 |
| CATS Capital Program Management HNTB H.W. Lochner | Awarded | $5–25m | Published November 2025 |
| LYNX Red Line Norfolk Southern O-Line | In execution | $100–500m | |
| LYNX Red Line design services HDR | In execution | $25–100m | |
| LYNX Blue Line Traction Power Substations eight | In execution | $5–25m | Published May 2024 |
| South End Station CMAR Track Systems Blue | In execution | $5–25m | |
| Transit Fare Modernization open-payments | In execution | $5–25m | |
| CATS Blue Line Axle Counter System | Planned | not published — scheduled for the City Council's 12 October 2026 business meeting; the meeting's agenda packet had not yet been published as of the access date |
Withheld in the free surface
- Procurement structure
- Published contacts (4)
- Award history (2)
- Entry path
- Portals (2)
Full detail withheld: 5 fields. In the United States edition · See a fully open example
8 sources · 6 primary
- ● Charlotte Area Transit System (official) — Business Opportunities · CATS contract and procurement opportunities for Charlotte transit services and capital projects (published 2026 · checked 2026-09-20)
- ● Charlotte Area Transit System (official) — Board and Committee information · CATS Board and Committee meeting agendas, minutes and contact information (published 2026 · checked 2026-09-20)
- ● Charlotte Area Transit System (official) — LYNX Blue Line light rail · CATS LYNX Blue Line operational light rail system (18.6 miles, 32 stations, opened 2007) (published 2026 · checked 2026-09-20)
- ● Charlotte Area Transit System (official) — Silver Line and Red Line expansion plans · CATS planned expansion projects: Silver Line (planned) and Red Line (planned) light rail lines (published 2026 · checked 2026-09-20)
- ● Mecklenburg County (official) — Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority · MPTA mandate, 25-seat board composition and appointing bodies (published 2026 · checked 2026-09-20)
- ○ Mass Transit · Charlotte City Council adopts CATS FY27 budget, advances safety and security measures (published 2026-06 · checked 2026-09-20)
- ○ WFAE 90.7 (Charlotte's NPR News Source) · Will Charlotte let the new transit authority launch the long-delayed Gateway Station? — MPTA sales-tax revenue and rail-eligible share (published 2026-02-04 · checked 2026-09-20)
- ● City of Charlotte / Charlotte Area Transit System (official) — CATS Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Adopted · City of Charlotte and the Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority (MPTA) adopted the CATS FY2027 budget: $225 million in capital investments and $314 million in operations, including an additional $10 million for continued CMPD off-duty officer support and expanded fare enforcement; no fare increases and no new fees (published 2026-06-11 · checked 2026-09-20)
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