NCDOT told Charlotte transit to put more workers on duty. It broke another rule to do it
Charlotte’s transit agency violated its overtime policy to comply with a state directive about staff levels, its interim CEO announced Monday.
In April, the North Carolina Department of Transportation told officials they must staff the light rail control center with two employees or suspend service. The state discovered the center was understaffed after an unannounced inspection in March. In effort to do so, interim Charlotte Area Transit System CEO Brent Cagle said some employees worked more than a consecutive 12-hour shift or 60-hour work week.
At least three of the violations were employees clocking in several minutes before or after their shift, but “the rules are the rules,” Cagle said.
CATS is being more strict to follow policy going forward after receiving a letter from NCDOT about the violation May 15, Cagle told the committee.
.@NCDOT notified @CATSRideTransit that it violated hours of service policy mandatory overtime in its efforts to fully staff its rail operations control center with 2 controllers.
Some employees worked 12+ hours a day or 60+ hours a week to cause the violation, Cagle said— genna (@GennaContino) June 5, 2023
Cagle’s announcement came the same day service reductions to the Gold Line street car went into effect. CATS announced last week the streetcar will operate on weekdays from 6 a.m. until 11:26 p.m. On Saturdays, it’ll run from 8 a.m. until 11:26 p.m. On Sundays, the Gold Line will run from 8 a.m. until 10:36 p.m.
Normal operations for the streetcar were 5 a.m. to 2 a.m. seven days a week, according to the city website. CATS said in a news release it would provide updates to the public when regular normal service will resume.
If CATS was ever forced to suspend service, it would stop the Gold Line to ensure the Blue Line could continue running, Cagle said Monday.
It’s standard for at least two controllers to work at the same time to run both Charlotte’s trains efficiently, the March NCDOT inspection found. It’s preferable for a rail controller chief to also be working with them, Cagle said.
Cagle informed city council members about the May letter Monday — halfway through a tumultuous year for the transit agency. Since he took the helm at the end of 2022 after former CEO John Lewis left the agency, Cagle has revealed the discoveries of multiple light rail issues to the public, including a derailment and missed bridge inspections.
