Central Corridor (Minnesota)
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This article or section contains information about a proposed, planned, or expected public transportation infrastructure in the United States. It may contain information of a speculative nature and the content may change dramatically as the construction and/or completion of the infrastructure approaches, and more information becomes available. |
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| Central Corridor | |
| Info | |
|---|---|
| Type | Light rail |
| System | Metro Transit Light Rail |
| Locale | Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan: |
| Terminals | Warehouse District/Hennepin Avenue Station (WEST) Saint Paul Union Depot (EAST) |
| No. of stations | 21 planned |
| Daily ridership | 32,600 est. |
| Operation | |
| Opened | 2014 (projected) |
| Operator(s) | Metro Transit |
| Character | Surface |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 12 mi (19 km) |
| Gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8½ in) (standard gauge) |
| Electrification | Overhead lines |
The Central Corridor is the 11-mile stretch between the downtown regions of Minneapolis and Saint Paul in Minnesota, which is currently in preliminary engineering work for a light rail line. The line is expected to follow the path of the current Metro Transit bus routes 16 and 50 along the combination of University Avenue and Washington Avenue (which runs from downtown Minneapolis past the University of Minnesota). On June 6, 2006, the light rail option was endorsed by the Central Corridor Coordinating Committee.[1] The Metropolitan Council gave final approval to this decision on June 28, 2006 and is expected to submit an application to enter preliminary engineering with the Federal Transit Administration soon. With the submission of the preliminary engineering application, the Central Corridor project will transition from the Central Corridor Coordinating Committee to the Metropolitan Council, who will manage the project through completion and operation.[2]
The LRT line will be the second such line in the region after the Hiawatha Line, which opened in 2004 and connects Minneapolis with the southern suburb of Bloomington. It would also mark the return of rail to the corridor, as a streetcar line along University Avenue was the first of four "interurban" connections between Minneapolis and St. Paul as part of the Twin City Rapid Transit system that served the region. That line existed from 1890 until it was paved over in 1953. The tracks still lie beneath the pavement but will not be used for the new line. The line was best described as a streetcar, with frequent stops and a center-of-street right-of-way. It was one of four lines termed "interurban" because it ran from Minneapolis to Saint Paul. The others ran along Como Avenue, Selby and Lake, and West 7th in Saint Paul and then several streets in Minneapolis.
In April of 2008 Governor Tim Pawlenty vetoed $70 million in funding for the Central Corridor project, along with other items, from the state budget. The funding was part of a state-local package of $227 million necessary to get federal transportation funds, and the future of the project was in doubt[3] until May 18, 2008, when a revised bonding bill including the $70 million for the Central Corridor was passed in the Legislature and signed into law by the governor.[4]
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[edit] Projections
Though the 2003 study commissioned by the Central Corridor Coordinating Committee placed the cost at US$840 million, current estimates place the cost of the light-rail line at about US$930 million. Current projections expect final engineering to finish by 2010. The line will take about three years to build and should be operational by 2014.
The Hiawatha Line exceeded ridership predictions, as is the case with many other light rail lines constructed in the U.S. during the last decade[5][6]. This led to some delays for the Central Corridor project because local transit officials were forced to retool ridership models before submitting projections to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). The Metropolitan Council, which operates Metro Transit, submitted numbers showing that a light rail line would carry 43,000 passengers daily by the year 2030. The FTA agreed that the line would be cost-effective at this level, a key requirement for obtaining federal funding.[7]
[edit] Opposition
As with many transportation projects, businesses along the line have opposed development because of the economic impact it will cause while construction is underway. On-street parking will disappear in places that require a turning lane, but will largely remain available in the St. Paul corridor. However, another significant area of opposition comes from people who were displaced when Rondo Avenue in St. Paul was replaced by the sunken Interstate 94 corridor in the 1950s. Rondo was the center of St. Paul's African-American community. Though the Central Corridor construction is mostly an existing roadway and no land will be condemned, the disruption to existing transit and pedestrian ways has been cited. There is concern that stops may be placed too far apart along University which serves St. Paul neighborhoods containing working-class residents needing to reach jobs and recent immigrant populations such as Hmong Americans and Vietnamese Americans dependent on transit. Others are concerned about gentrification, where rising property values and taxes could force out lower-income residents.[8]
[edit] Transit links
By the time the Central Corridor project is completed, it is expected that the Northstar Corridor commuter rail line will connect downtown Minneapolis with northwestern suburbs, with a station at or near the north/western terminus of the Hiawatha Line and Central Corridor. The two light-rail lines would share trackage in downtown between the Northstar station and the Metrodome. A short westward extension to the current Hiawatha Line is planned to make it easier to directly transfer from Northstar to either of the light-rail corridors.
It is possible that the Central Corridor line would link to the Saint Paul Union Depot, considered one of the great architectural achievements in the city and formerly one of the main points of departure for area train riders up until passenger rail service in the United States was restructured in the 1960s and 1970s. The station would probably also become a transfer point for people coming into St. Paul along the proposed Red Rock Corridor commuter rail line. There is some talk of moving the Amtrak intercity station from its current location near University between the cities to Union Depot. Amtrak provides daily service, via the Midway station, along the Empire Builder route to Chicago, Seattle and Portland. At the present time, the Union Depot is partially used as a mail hub by the United States Postal Service, as well as home to a couple restaurants. It has not seen the revitalization of similar depots in other cities.
[edit] Proposed stops
- Multi-Modal Station
- Warehouse District
- Nicollet Mall
- Government Plaza
- Downtown East - Metrodome
- West Bank
- East Bank
- Stadium Village
- 29th Avenue Southeast
- Westgate Avenue
- Raymond Avenue
- Fairview Avenue
- Snelling Avenue
- Lexington Parkway
- Dale Street
- Rice Street
- Capitol East Station
- 10th Street
- 6th Street
- 4th Station
- Saint Paul Union Depot
[edit] External links
- Metro Council Central Corridor Site
- Central Corridor Coordinating Committee Site
- Central Corridor Partnership
[edit] References
- ^ Blake, Laurie. "Trains, not Buses on Central Corridor", Minneapolis Star-Tribune, June 6, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-06-07.
- ^ "Metropolitan Council approves light rail along Central Corridor", Metropolitan Council, June 28, 2006.
- ^ Salisbury, Bill; Dave Orrick. "Central Corridor dead ? or alive?: Light-rail supporters wonder what it will take to change Pawlenty's mind", St. Paul Pioneer Press, April 9, 2008. Retrieved on 2008-04-09.
- ^ Scheck, Tom (May 18, 2008) "Deal reached at Capitol with little time to spare" Minnesota Public Radio
- ^ Hiawatha Light Rail Transit facts. Metropolitan Council. Retrieved on 2008-04-09.
- ^ 10.3 Billion Trips Taken On Public Transportation Ridership In 2007 -- The Highest Level in 50 Years; Ridership Increased as Gas Prices Remained High. American Public Transport Association. Retrieved on 2008-04-09.
- ^ Salisbury, Bill. "Central Corridor light rail wins key OK", St. Paul Pioneer Press, March 22, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-04-05.
- ^ Yuen, Laura. "Rondo haunting light-rail debate", St. Paul Pioneer Press, April 9, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-04-09.
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