The event that has been compared to the driving of the last spike on the transcontinental railroad – the final weld to the beginning of an extension to a shared multimodal station the light rail line now shares with a commuter rail line in downtown Minneapolis – took place in early November.

“This connection will create a 52-mile passenger rail network for the Twin Cities – 12 miles for Hiawatha and 40 miles for Northstar,” said Mark Fuhrmann, director of the Northstar and Central Corridor projects. “The network will increase to 62 miles when Central Corridor begins service,” he added.

The milestone heralds the beginning of a light rail connection between St. Paul and Minneapolis as well as between the Twin Cities and communities on the Northstar commuter rail line.

Commuters on Hiawatha and Central Corridor LRT trains will board and disembark at the Minneapolis Multimodal Station being built on the Fifth Street North bridge next to the new Minnesota Twins stadium. That station also will serve Northstar commuter trains headed to and from Big Lake on freight railway tracks. Hiawatha LRT trains will begin operating over the extension from the Warehouse Station to the new station at the same time Northstar begins service late next year.

« Previous Article

Return to Top | Return to Main

Next Article »