Central Corridor Light Rail Transit (LRT) project description
The Central Corridor: The Central Corridor links five major centers of activity in the Twin Cities region - downtown Minneapolis, the University of Minnesota, the Midway area, the state Capitol complex and downtown St. Paul - that contain almost 280,000 jobs. By 2030, this number is expected to grow to 345,000 jobs.
Length: 11 miles of exclusive right of way between downtown St. Paul and downtown Minneapolis. It will connect with the existing Hiawatha line at the Metrodome station and terminate at the Minneapolis multimodal station that will also serve the new Northstar commuter rail line.
Trains: 31 new light rail transit vehicles, each with 66 seats and comfortable standing room for an additional 70 people.
Stations: 18 new stations, plus five stations shared with the Hiawatha line in downtown Minneapolis. See map of the Central Corridor LRT route. (pdf)
Service: Trains operating every 7½ minutes during peak travel periods, with a travel time of 39 minutes between downtown St. Paul and downtown Minneapolis.
Projected Weekday Ridership: Over 40,000 by 2030.
Cost: $957 million
Timeline: Following final design, the line will be built in 2010-2013 and open in 2014.
Project Partners: The Metropolitan Council will be responsible for design and construction of the line, working closely with the Minnesota Department of Transportation, Ramsey County, Hennepin County, St. Paul, Minneapolis and the University of Minnesota.
Oversight: A 13-member Central Corridor Management Committee (CCMC) will provide advice to the lead agencies on issues relating to the scope, budget and schedule of the project during design and construction phases of the line. It will consider efforts to mitigate adverse impacts during construction.
Public Involvement: The public has had significant influence on the project through the efforts of the multilingual outreach staff. Many changes have been made to the project due to public input, including
- location of stations
- public art design and
- inclusion of stations at Hamline, Victoria and Western.
See more examples of how public input has influenced the project.