Light Rail News, 19 Aug 2004

Light rail revenue, ridership exceed expectations (Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal) - More than 462,400 passengers generated $360,000 in revenue during the first month the Hiawatha light-rail trains were in operation. Both figures were nearly double the expectations of the Metropolitan Council, which projected ridership of 231,400 and revenue of around $255,000.

Restaurants, strip club make way for light rail (The Charlotte Observer) - Talk about a diversified real estate portfolio. Guess who owns a strip club, a pool hall, a tombstone factory and a roller skating rink? The city of Charlotte. Those are some of the 59 businesses that Charlotte Area Transit System has bought to make room for its $398.7 million light-rail line.