Minneapolis to St. Paul LRT moves forward

The distance between Minneapolis and St. Paul takes another step toward getting smaller. The Central Corridor light rail transit line, which is proposed along University Avenue, got approval for the preliminary design but needs to cut from the $930 million project cost.

“This announcement means it is no longer a matter of if, but rather when LRT will be coming to the Central Corridor,” St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman said in a statement Thursday. Officials will work over the next six months to cut  money from the project to meet Federal Transit Administration cost-efficency guidelines. If approved, the project will have 50% federal financing.

The proposed line, which is anticipated to have more traffic than the current Hiawatha Line in Minneapolis, would have 16 stations, 31 trains, and take 35 minutes to get between downtown St. Paul and downtown Minneapolis. If all goes as designed the line will start running in 2014.

The design, who’s planning has been underway for many years, could ideally be updated with newer technology to lower the cost of the project.

Star Tribune