Court documents show 33-year-old Oscar Solorzano, who was in the country illegally, is accused of stabbing a man in the chest.
Federal officials are now charging Solorzano with terrorist attacks or other violence against a mass transportation system.
He is also facing local charges including attempted murder.
This is the second stabbing on the Charlotte light rail, in the past three months.
In August, 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska, a Ukrainian refugee, was stabbed to death aboard a Charlotte light rail in a case that sparked national attention.