20 replies to this topic

[Sloan]

 

 

Last week, the Bottineau Blue Line light-rail extension cleared a meaningful hurdle after elected officials from Hennepin County and the five cities along the line approved the $1.5 billion project's basic route, as well as stations and bridges.

http://www.startribu...rail/371339881/

 

From O Scale Trolley Modelers:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Sloan]

 

 

Politicians have been trying to find a better way to link downtown St. Paul to the airport via mass transit for the better part of the past two decades.

http://www.twincitie...-depot-transit/

Edited by Sloan, 03 October 2016 - 10:26 AM.

[KevinKorell]

Very interesting article. Obviously the answer should be another light rail line directly from downtown St. Paul to the airport & Mall of America, since it can then interline where necessary with the existing Blue & Green Lines and share their fleet.  Introducing another technology such as streetcar or BRT could translate to something more than a one-seat trip, which people can already do by traveling via downtown Minneapolis and transferring at US Bank Stadium.  Given the problems in getting extensions to the existing system going (Southwest extension of the Green Line and Bottineau extension of the Blue Line), I would not hold my breath on this one either.

[KevinKorell]

Daily Globe/Pioneer Press, St. Paul, MN, 7/4/17:

 

 

​

Light rail connecting St. Paul to airport, Mall of America unlikely

 

Engineers have all but dropped a possible light-rail line from plans to connect St. Paul's Union Depot to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and the Mall of America in Bloomington.

 

Read

[Sloan]

 

 

ST. PAUL—Engineers have all but dropped a possible light-rail line from plans to connect St. Paul's Union Depot to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and the Mall of America in Bloomington.

http://www.bemidjipi...merica-unlikely

 

I belive a higher priority would be to establish additional train service to under-utilized St. Paul Union Depot. Some projects "percolating" for several years include:

1.  A dedicated Amtrak train to Chicago to supplement the Empire Builder

2.  Commuter rail to Duluth (Northern Lights Express)

3.  Commuter rail to Eau Claire, WI and Forest Lake, MN

4.  ZipRail to Rochester, MN

5.  Red Rock Commuter Rail to Hastings, MN

 

Sloan

Edited by Sloan, 05 July 2017 - 08:32 AM.

[Sloan]

 

 

A $1.2 billion streetcar line in St. Paul? A vote approaches

 

Engineers have all but dropped a possible light-rail line from plans to connect St. Paul’s Union Depot to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and the Mall of America in Bloomington.

http://www.twincitie...to-be-voted-on/

[Sloan]

 

 

Streetcar desire: transit options for Riverview Corridor may not include light rail — but they do include rail

SNIP:

 

But to say rail is no longer an option for the 11-mile corridor is a misstatement.

https://www.minnpost...nclude-light-ra

[KevinKorell]

Minneapolis, MN Star-Tribune, 8/10/17:

 

By bus or streetcar? Transit options between St. Paul and the airport are weighed

 

Tracy Farr is a fan of the fast, Wi-Fi outfitted bus rapid transit routes in the Twin Cities. But he’s not sure if that’s the kind of transit he wants by his home near St. Paul’s West Seventh Street.

 

Another option, modern streetcar — a mode that doesn’t yet exist in Minnesota — would attract riders who avoid buses, he said.

 

This story

[Sloan]

 

 

Advisory committee recommends streetcar for W. 7th Street transit

 

Riverview line would connect downtown St. Paul with MSP Airport, MOA. 

http://www.startribu...nsit/450675033/

 

Why would a streetcar fit here?  Light rail operating a higher speeds would attract more riders, especially those going to the airport.  Who wants to opt for a pokey streetcar that would stop at every few blocks when one is anxious to catch a plane for take advantage of doorbuster sales at Mall of America?

 

 Sloan

[Sloan]

 

 

Public weighs in on streetcar proposal from St. Paul to MSP Airport

More than 100 people attended a public hearing Thursday intended to take the community’s pulse on a proposed streetcar project along St. Paul’s Riverview Corridor.

Residents and business people who live and work along the line expressed both support and dismay regarding the 11.7-mile line.

http://www.startribu...port/456524713/

 

I would hope Metro Transit would educate local press on proper mode terms.  The proposed line is light rail; not streetcar.     Sloan