signed a municipal agreement. In 2012, NCDOT completed property acquisition again of approximately for the Charlotte Gateway Station project. On November 1, 2012, NCDOT selected Houston-based developer, the Hines Group, for the project. In 2015, NCDOT won a $25 Million TIGER Grant, to help start construction of Gateway Station. On August 30, 2021, the streetcar station was opened as part of the second phase of the CityLynx Gold Line. The station's inter-city tracks and platform were completed in November 2022. The first test run of a Piedmont train using the station occurred on November 29, 2022. Station plans The station was built with a streetcar platform, which provides connection to the CityLynx Gold Line, and a long, fully ADA compliant high-level platform, the second in the state behind Raleigh Union Station, for Amtrak service. It will be the southern terminus of Amtrak's Carolinian and Piedmont lines, as well as a service stop on Amtrak's Crescent and a major stop on the planned Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor. It will significantly improve connections between Amtrak and local transit; the current station is served by a single bus line. The station will also serve as a service stop for Greyhound routes running to Atlanta, Detroit, Jacksonville, New York City and Philadelphia. CATS also plans for the station to be a stop on the Lynx Silver Line. Construction Both the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) and NCDOT have started/completed various projects that impact the future station, including the CityLynx Gold Line and a new Locomotive and Railcar Maintenance Facility located on West Summit Avenue. However, groundbreaking for the Charlotte Gateway Station did not begin until July 2018. The project is using a phased implementation approach to facilitate the near-term development of the rail station while also setting the stage for private development to occur. There are three general phases with additional sub-phases. Phase 1 At an estimate cost of $91.3 million (2017 dollars), the first phase has two parts: 1A) Construct 2,000 feet of track, structures, and signals to support two new station tracks; construct retaining wall/earthwork; construct temporary intercity bus facility (completed August, 2019). 1B) Construct rail platform and canopy for passenger loading/unloading. Construction of Phase 1 was completed in November 2022. Phase 2 At an estimate cost of $49.9 million (2017 dollars), the second phase has two parts: 2A) Construct platform canopy; construct station building (interim condition) with full construction of