The opponents of the proposed NCTA Garden Parkway in Gaston County are pointing to what they consider a better - and cheaper - option for the area, light rail. A recent study by the city of Gastonia on light rail from the Gaston County seat to Charlotte has caught the attention of the group 'Stop the Toll Road'. The $35,000 study took place this past summer, and as a result, it has added a new dimension into the debate on whether or not the over $1 billion toll road should be built. The study estimates it would cost between $250-300 million to convert 22 miles of the former Piedmont & Northern Railway into light rail. Trains last ran along the tracks in 1991. Today, most of the right-of-way is owned by the NC Rail Division; however, it has been slowly converted into a greenway . The P&N ran numerous passenger and freight trains between Gastonia and Charlotte in the early 20 th Century. The route would include eastern Gaston towns: Ranlo , Lowell, McAdenville ,...
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