[8] The initial 1.5-mile (2.4 km), six-stop segment (Phase 1)[3] between Time Warner Cable Arena (now Spectrum Center) and Presbyterian Hospital opened for service on July 14, 2015.

[4][9][10] A further 2.5-mile (4.0 km) segment (Phase 2) from the Charlotte Transportation Center to French Street, and from Hawthorne & 5th to Sunnyside Avenue, opened for service on August 30, 2021.

[11] With cost and ridership projection estimates made, the Metropolitan Transit Commission (MTC) voted on the priority for its construction in November 2006.

[14] Although construction was not slated to commence until the mid-2010s, streetcar tracks were installed as part of a streetscape project along the Elizabeth Avenue segment between CPCC and Presbyterian Hospital, to be complete by 2009.

On September 19, 2011, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood formally awarded Charlotte the grant for a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) starter streetcar line from Time Warner Cable Arena to Presbyterian Hospital.

[18] In November 2012, the Charlotte city council awarded a $26.3 million contract for construction of the starter segment to a partnership between Balfour Beatty Rail and Blythe Development Company.

[19] The groundbreaking for the initial segment took place on December 12, 2012, in front of Presbyterian Hospital, with Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, Mayor Foxx and other officials in attendance.

[25] On April 10, 2013, the project was temporarily dropped from the budget, though Carlee hoped to have a separate streetcar plan ready to vote on by June 2013.

[26] After protracted debate, on May 13, 2013, Ron Carlee, the new Charlotte city manager, said the $126 million extension to what had been renamed the CityLynx Gold Line could be funded without a property tax increase if the city could receive a federal grant for half the estimated cost, possibly through the Federal Transit Administration's New Starts Program.

[28] On May 28, the Charlotte city council voted 7-4 to build the Phase 2 extension, setting aside $63 million for the purpose; the new segment would extend from Sunnyside Avenue to French Street.

[31] On February 26, the FTA issued its approval for CATS to begin project development for the extension and to apply for the Federal Small Starts grant in September 2014.

[35] In November 2016, Siemens Mobility was awarded a $40 million contract for low-floor streetcars and associated parts to service the entire Gold Line route.

[39] Supply shortages, a contractor ordering the wrong girders for the Hawthorne Lane bridge,[6][40] the COVID-19 pandemic and the George Floyd protests further delayed the opening of the section.

[10] In early April 2021, the city of Charlotte issued requests for qualifications for prospective firms to build the final phase of the Gold Line, which by then had been 30% designed.

[46] According to John Lewis, CATS CEO, the final phase of the Gold Line will cost significantly more than the previous two phases, as the 4-mile-long (6.4 km) segment from Sunnyside Avenue near Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center to the former Eastland Mall property near North Sharon Amity Road requires faster travel times, necessitating construction of a separate track in that area instead of having the streetcar share the road with traffic.

[46] The remaining 2 miles (3.2 km) of track extending west from French Street near Johnson C. Smith, and running along Beatties Ford Road to the Rosa Parks Place Community Transit Center, will include new bridges over Brookshire Boulevard and I-85.

[56] Since its opening, the Gold Line streetcar has been criticized for its street running design, instead of having a dedicated right of way; this has been cited as contributing to frequent service delays.