148 replies to this topic

[KevinKorell]

Progressive Railroading, 6/19/13:

Metropolitan Council solicits public input on 17 Green Line Extension station locations

The Metropolitan Council is hosting several open houses this month to solicit public opinion on the future locations of all 17 stations that will be part of the Minneapolis area's Southwest Light-Rail Transit project, also known as the Green Line Extension.

This is where the story is.

[KevinKorell]

Progressive Railroading, 7/11/13:

Metropolitan Council to solicit public input on freight-rail locations for Green Line Extension

The Metropolitan Council will host two community meetings next week to discuss a resolution for locating freight-rail tracks in the design of the Minneapolis area's Metro Green Line Extension.

This is the story.

[KevinKorell]

Minneapolis, MN Star-Tribune, 7/17/13:

The price tag for the future light-rail line between Minneapolis and the southwest suburbs will rise sharply — as much as 33 percent — under new estimates for the cost of dealing with conflicting freight train traffic.

Story is here.

[Sloan]

Computer-generated aerial view of route included.

Currently, the plan is for the Southwest LRT (which has been rebranded as "the Green Line") to start in downtown Minneapolis at Target Field, proceed to the intersection of I-394 and Dunwoody Boulevard and then head west to Penn Avenue and then to Kenilworth, where it would stop at 21st and Thomas -- and wreak all kinds of expensive havoc, what with rerouting freight trains and so on.

Instead, how about having a streetcar line run from Dunwoody, down Hennepin Avenue -- or along the parallel Grand Avenue, take a right on Lake Street (with maybe a stop at Hennepin and Lake and perhaps points in between)? From there it could hit the next planned stop at West Lake and Chowen and continue on its merry way to Eden Prairie.

http://www.minnpost....idea-streetcars

[KevinKorell]

Minneapolis, MN Star-Tribune, 8/21/13:

Metro leaders who play a crucial role in funding transit revolted Wednesday over the rising price of the Southwest Corridor light-rail project, demanding that planners reduce costs or risk losing political support.

Here is your story.

[KevinKorell]

Minneapolis, MN Star-Tribune, 8/23/13:

Minneapolis Park Board: Reroute freight trains for Southwest LRT

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board says it wants freight train traffic rerouted to St. Louis Park to make way for a light-rail line from Minneapolis to the southwest suburbs.

More of this here.

[KevinKorell]

Minneapolis, MN Star-Tribune, 8/28/13:

Met Council chief suggests avoiding vote in Southwest LRT feud

A group of metro leaders who face a crucial choice in the Southwest Corridor light-rail project debated a different question Wednesday: Could they decide without making a decision?

This is the latest.

[KevinKorell]

Minneapolis, MN Star-Tribune, 8/31/13:

Bowing to metro leaders, Met Council pushes back LRT action

Citing pleas from metro leaders to slow down, members of the agency overseeing the Southwest light-rail transit project decided Thursday that they would give the officials an extra week to consider decisions crucial to its future.

The delay was announced a day after city and county officials complained that they didn’t have enough time to consider whether to support rerouting freight train traffic to make way for the LRT or putting the light rail in a tunnel near the freight.

More here.

[Sloan]

Video

Neighbors Upset after $330M Light Rail Tunnel is Rejected
A $330 million tunnel underneath the Kenilworth corridor in Minneapolis is all but dead.

http://kstp.com/news...392.shtml?cat=1

[KevinKorell]

Minneapolis, MN Star-Tribune, 9/27/13:

Twin Cities & Western Railroad holds clout on Southwest LRT

As local governments and homeowners feud over the future of the biggest transit project in the Twin Cities, a small freight train company holds very good cards in shaping its design and cost.

Full story