Southwest Corridor (Minneapolis)
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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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Please help improve this article or section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (September 2007) |
| Southwest Line | |
| Info | |
|---|---|
| Type | Light rail |
| System | Metro Transit Light Rail |
| Status | Planning |
| Locale | Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan: Minneapolis, Minnesota, St. Louis Park, Minnesota, Hopkins, Minnesota, Minnetonka, Minnesota, Eden Prairie, Minnesota |
| Terminals | Eden Prairie, Minnesota Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| No. of stations | 30 planned |
| Daily ridership | 23,500-28,100 est. |
| Operation | |
| Opened | 2020 |
| Operator(s) | Southwest 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 Southwest Corridor is a future light rail transit corridor between Minneapolis and Eden Prairie, USA, going through Hopkins and Minnetonka along the way. This project is alongside many other future transit projects in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, including the Central Corridor, Cedar Avenue Transitway, and the Northstar Line.
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[edit] History
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Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. |
On March 4, the FTA Approved a $2 million study of the project, with an anticipated opening date in 2015. Upon the completion of the FTA study in Fall 2009, a final route must be approved by the Metropolitan Council, the state legislature, Hennepin County, and all four municipalities along the route. After this has been completed, the proposal will again go before the FTA for final funding approval. If accepted, the line is anticipated to open in 2015.
In April, Hennepin County Medical Center announced acquisition of a large parcel of property where the 3C Route would turn onto Nicollet. HCMC will build a clinic on the site with no plans to incorporate a light rail station, effectively eliminating the 3C Route.[1]
During public input phases in 2007-2008 the final three proposed routes faced opposition by some members of two Minneapolis neighborhoods, Kenwood and Whittier. Kenwood's neighborhood organization released an official neighborhood stance against the line with Whittier's organization debating to release a stance. In Kenwood, one of the wealthiest neighborhoods, their criticism involves disruption to natural parkland and noise though the Kenilworth Corridor (which routes '1A' and '3A' would run on). The corridor is a freight rail line currently in use.[2] In Whittier, disruption to Nicollet Avenue by the '3C' route has brought concern to business owners regarding Eat Street as a business, restaurant and retail corridor of the Whittier neighborhood.[3]
The Bryn Mawr neighborhood has favored the routes moving through the Kenilworth Corridor as it supports their redevelopment plans. Also, suburban cities have received the proposals favorably with concern over routing within their cities than opposition of the line itself. The 3B route through job centers in Eden Prairie garnered approval from its City Council. Hopkins also proposed routing the line through their downtown Main Street but will instead be routed nearby.[4]
[edit] Stations
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Southwest Corridor Possible Routes
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| 1A | 3A | 3C | |||||||
1A: Map
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3A: Map
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3C: Map
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[edit] Notes
- ^ Dylan Thomas (May 5, 2008). HCMC Clinic on the move. Southwest Journal. Retrieved on 2008-05-07.
- ^ Kenwood Isles Area Association. "Kenwood Newsletter", March 2007.
- ^ Eric James (2007-2008). Whittier Alliance, Community Meeting Minutes. Whittier Alliance.
- ^ {[cite news | url=http://www.individual.com/story.php?story=76335639 | title= Dreams sprout along southwest rail route | publisher=Star Tribune | date=January 17, 2008 | author=Jenna Ross}}
- Star Tribune: Transit Agency to Study Rail Plan [1]
[edit] External links
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