I am now officially more confused about the future of the Charlotte Trolley than I was before I read Tara Servatius’ story on the future of the Charlotte Trolley. And it is not her fault.

It sure sounds like CATS honcho Ron Tober told the Charlotte Business Journal one thing a couple weeks ago — namely, that the future of the trolley was in doubt — only to realize that was not a good thing to say out loud. Now Tober tells Servatius that, “There’s no question in my mind that we will be able to make it work.”

Hmmm, could that have anything to do with Center City Partners coming down on Tober like a ton of bricks? Reading between the lines, that sure seems like the best explanation of the change in Tober’s tone. Check out what Uptown don Michael Smith told Servatius:

The article says Tober told the Business Journal that the trolley will be assessed when light rail gets up and running in November and that it will take two to three years to determine if the two are compatible. “If things don’t work well with historic trolley service, we may be forced to consider” ending the trolley line, the paper quoted Tober as saying.

“He doesn’t mean it,” says Charlotte Center City Partners President Michael Smith, referring to Tober. “We have been given assurances that CATS has committed to maintaining trolley service, and we’re excited that CATS understands the important role that the historic trolley plays not too much for transportation but more as an asset that celebrates the history of Charlotte.”

Smith declined to comment on the Business Journal’s article. Instead he read to Creative Loafing part of a letter he is drafting to send to Tober. The letter emphasizes the importance of the trolley’s continued operation to SouthEnd’s businesses.

But why send the letter to Tober if CATS plans to run the trolley indefinitely?

“I would just say that in our conversations with CATS and with Ron Tober that they have affirmed their commitment,” says Smith.

He doesn’t mean it? Affirmed their commitment? I had no idea Smith ran CATS in addition to Uptown. Actually, that’s not true — of course Uptown runs Charlotte’s transit and transportation policy. This means we’ll have a Charlotte Trolley as long as the Uptown crowd says so.

I stand unconfused.