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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 new 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: 15 new stations, plus five stations shared with the Hiawatha line in downtown Minneapolis. See map. (pdf)

Service: Trains operating every 7½ minutes during peak travel periods, with a travel time of 37 minutes between downtown St. Paul and downtown Minneapolis.

Projected Weekday Ridership: 38,000 by 2020 and 44,000 by 2030.

Cost: $909 million

Timeline: Following final design, the line will be built in 2010-2013 and open in 2014. See detailed timeline.

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 Community Advisory Committee provides input on a full range of issues, including station design and access, traffic, parking, safety and community impacts during construction. The committee includes representatives of community, business, ethnic and other groups in the corridor. The Business Advisory Committee provides business feedback on project design and construction mitigation issues.