CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The LYNX light rail’s Blue Line made its first official trip from uptown Charlotte to south Charlotte early Monday.

Several local leaders crowded into the uptown Charlotte station and onto the first train. Before making the trip, the ribbon cutting ceremony was held at the Charlotte Transportation Center - Arena Station on Fifth Street.

The Blue Line has 15 stops from uptown to Interstate 485. It opens to the public on Saturday.

Mecklenburg County Commissioner Parks Helms talked about what other areas around town can expect from transportation leaders.

“There are many, many years left until the rail system is expected to be done in 2025 or 2030, and I hope everybody will understand the importance of working with their elected representatives, their policy makers, to get the kind of system they want,” he said.

The federal government has also announced funding for a line rail study in the area. It will be concentrated on the section between uptown Charlotte and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Visit our traffic page to get a sneak peak at the operations of the light rail line.