> News+Events > Features > Transit - June 2009

Construction on Hiawatha LRT under way                           

Platforms being extended; new station under construction

People riding Metro Transit’s Hiawatha light-rail line are seeing construction activity at several of the line’s stations this summer, but for the most part service continues uninterrupted.

The bulk of the construction project involves lengthening platforms at 10 of Hiawatha’s 17 stations to accommodate three-car trains, and construction of a new station at American Boulevard in Bloomington.

Crews are also performing maintenance on the edges of the existing platforms, replacing the yellow warning line with new yellow pavers. In addition, crews are occasionally working at rail/roadway intersections to upgrade the signaling system.

Construction is expected to be complete by December this year, according to Mary Sue Abel, project manager for Metro Transit. The schedule includes up to five weekend shutdowns of service. The first occurred during the last weekend in May and affected only the southern portion of the line; buses were run between the Humphrey Terminal at the international airport and the Mall of America.

Construction of the American Boulevard station will cause minor speed reductions in the immediate area but is not expected to affect arrival times at other stations.

Currently, Metro Transit has 27 rail cars on the Hiawatha line, 24 of which operate in pairs during daytime hours, leaving three at any given time available for maintenance. Purchase of additional cars will likely be made concurrently with the purchase of vehicles for Central Corridor LRT in 2013, Abel said.

For Hiawatha construction updates by phone, call the Rail Maintenance Hotline at 612-373-3333, Option 6.