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North Charleston Intermodal Transportation Center is a new passenger train station, a long haul inter-city bus, and regional bus station, soon to be built in the City of North Charleston, South Carolina. It will replace the current passenger station. This Intermodal Transportation Center is designed to accommodate taxis/car rentals and to serve the needs of the South Carolina Lowcountry for a great many years. The design of the new passenger terminal will closely follow that of the old Union train station in Charleston, South Carolina, which was destroyed in a fire in 1947.
The Transportation Center is located at the hub of the South Carolina lowcountry. It provides easy access to/from I-526 (North-South located .25 miles away), I-26 (East-West located approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) away) and Charleston International Airport (approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) away). Boeing's new East Coast Manufacturing/Assembly complex is located approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) away.
The North Charleston Coliseum, North Charleston Performing Arts Center, Charleston Area Convention Center, Centre Pointe shopping district and the Tanger Outlet Mall are located approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) away.
From the North Charleston Intermodal Transportation Center, local beaches at Folly Beach, Isle of Palms and Sullivans Island are approximately 20 miles (32 km) away. The Historical sites and the shops in the City of Charleston are approximately 10 miles (16 km) away.
In April 2013 reports appearing in local media indicated alleged problems with this location had resulted in negotiations with Federal Transportation authorities to sell this partially completed project and purchase the old Amtrak station a few miles away to convert to a regional transportation center. Most discussions of the project have been conducted in executive session and specific details of the alleged deficiencies in the original plan have not been released.
In Spring of 2014, CARTA began planning for a relocated Intermodal Transportation Center on the location of the existing North Charleston Amtrak station, which would be replaced by the new intermodal station. The first public meeting on the plan was held on June 16, 2014 at the Danny Jones Center in N. Charleston and was attended by over 100 people. To fund construction at the new location, the property previously intended for the project will need to be sold. A timeline was presented to complete the project, if possible, within 30 months.