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The Central Corridor is the 11-mile stretch between the downtown regions of Minneapolis and Saint Paul in Minnesota, which is currently proceeding with engineering work for a future light rail line to stem the growth of traffic congestion. The line is expected to follow the path of the current Metro Transit bus routes 16 and 50 along the combination of University Avenue and Washington Avenue (which runs from downtown Minneapolis past the University of Minnesota). However, an alignment along Interstate 94 had been considered. On June 6, 2006, the light rail option was endorsed by the Central Corridor Coordinating Committee.^[1] The Metropolitan Council gave final approval to this decision on June 28, 2006 and is expected to submit an application to enter preliminary engineering with the Federal Transit Administration soon. With the submission of the preliminary engineering application, the Central Corridor project will transition from the Central Corridor Coordinating Committee to the Metropolitan Council, who will manage the project through completion and operation.^[2] Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Lakes Motto: En Avant Location Location in Hennepin County and the state of Minnesota. ... Motto: Nickname: Location in Ramsey County, Minnesota Founded 1851 Incorporated 1854 County Ramsey County Borough {{{borough}}} Parrish {{{parrish}}} Mayor Chris Coleman (DFL) Area  - Total  - Water 145. ... Official language(s) None Capital Saint Paul Largest city Minneapolis Area  Ranked 12th  - Total 87,014 sq mi (225,365 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 400 miles (645 km)  - % water 8. ... This article is about light rail systems in general. ... Traffic jams are common in heavily populated areas. ... Metro Transit logo Metro Transit is the transit division of the Metropolitan Council, a regional governmental agency in the Minneapolis-St. ... University Avenue in the Minneapolis-St. ... Washington Avenue Bridge at night The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, almost always abbreviated U of M, is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system. ... Interstate 94 (abbreviated I-94) is a long interstate highway connecting the Great Lakes and Intermountain region of the United States. ... The Metropolitan Council is a governmental organization in Minnesota made up of representatives of local governmental units in and around the seven county metro area (see Minneapolis-St. ... The Metropolitan Council is a governmental organization in Minnesota made up of representatives of local governmental units in and around the seven county metro area (see Minneapolis-St. ...

The LRT line will be the second such line in the region after the Hiawatha Line, which opened in 2004 and connects Minneapolis with the southern suburb of Bloomington. It would also mark the return of rail to the corridor, as a streetcar line along University Avenue was the first of four "interurban" connections between Minneapolis and St. Paul as part of the old street railway that served the region. That line existed from 1890 until it was paved over in 1953. The tracks still lie beneath the pavement but will not be used for the new line. The line was best described as a streetcar, with frequent stops and a center-of-street right-of-way. It was one of four lines termed "interurban" because it ran from Minneapolis to Saint Paul. The others ran along Como Avenue, Selby and Lake, and West 7th in Saint Paul and then several streets in Minneapolis. Hiawatha light-rail vehicle #111 near Cedar-Riverside station The Hiawatha Line is a 12 mile (19 kilometer) light rail corridor in Minneapolis, Minnesota that extends to the southern suburb of Bloomington, in Hennepin County connecting downtown Minneapolis to the Minneapolis-St. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Bloomington is a city located in Hennepin County, Minnesota, a suburb south of Minneapolis. ... a historic postcard showing electric trolley-powered streetcars in Richmond, Virginia, where Frank J. Sprague successfully demonstrated his new system on the hills in 1888 A streetcar is a railway vehicle designed to carry passengers on tracks, usually laid in city streets. ... An interurban streetcar line or interurban, also called a radial railway in Canada, is a streetcar line running between urban areas. ... 1890 (MDCCCXC) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar). ... 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1953 calendar). ...

Projections

Though the 2003 study commissioned by the Central Corridor Coordinating Committee placed the cost at US$840 million, current estimates place the cost of the light-rail line at about US$930 million, due to delays already encountered. Current projections expect final engineering to finish by 2010. The line will take about three years to build and should be operational by 2014. The Warehouse District/Hennepin Avenue station is a light rail station on the Hiawatha Line in Minneapolis, Minnesota. ... The Nicollet Mall station is a light rail station on the Hiawatha Line in Minneapolis, Minnesota. ... The Government Plaza station is a light rail station on the Hiawatha Line in Minneapolis, Minnesota. ... The Downtown East/Metrodome station is a light rail station on the Hiawatha Line in Minneapolis, Minnesota. ... The Saint Paul Union Depot (sometimes referred to as SPUD) was the main train station in the city of Saint Paul, Minnesota until passenger rail service in the region was restructured in the 1960s and 1970s, with Amtrak taking over most passenger service in the United States. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about general United States currency. ... This article is about general United States currency. ... 2014 (MMXIV) will be a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Initial busway estimates placed BRT costs at less than $300 million, although the least-expensive options would have involved running the buses mixed with city traffic in downtown Minneapolis and near the University of Minnesota, regions that are already fairly congested and do not have enough room for dedicated bus lanes without taking away space for cars. Adding a tunnel for buses (which is already included in estimates for light rail) would have brought the cost up to about $600 million. Without a tunnel, projections indicate that buses would become a much less attractive transit alternative by about 2018 because they would become stuck in traffic, assuming Washington Avenue remained open to automobiles. A disused railway tunnel now converted to pedestrian and bicycle use, near Houyet, Belgium A tunnel is an underground passage. ... 2018 (MMXVIII) will be a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

As with many other light rail lines constructed in the U.S. during the last decade, the Hiawatha Line became more successful than what was predicted. This led to some delays for the Central Corridor project because local transit officials were forced to retool ridership models before submitting projections to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). The Metropolitan Council, which operates Metro Transit, submitted numbers showing that a light rail line would carry 43,000 passengers daily by the year 2030. The FTA agreed that the line would be cost-effective at this level, a key requirement for obtaining federal funding. ^[3] The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) within the U.S. Department of Transportation provides financial and technical assistance to the local transit systems. ... The Metropolitan Council is a governmental organization in Minnesota made up of representatives of local governmental units in and around the seven county metro area (see Minneapolis-St. ... The year 2030 (MMXXX) in the Gregorian calendar corresponds to 5790-5791 in the Hebrew calendar. ...

Opposition

As with many transportation projects, businesses along the line have opposed development because of the economic impact it will cause while construction is underway. On-street parking is also expected to disappear in many places. However, another significant area of opposition comes from people who were displaced when St. Paul's nearby Rondo Avenue was ripped out to be replaced by the sunken Interstate 94 corridor starting in the 1950s. Rondo was the center of St. Paul's African-American community, and many area residents had low incomes. The Central Corridor's impact will be far less—hundreds of homes were demolished for I-94, while none are expected to be condemned for the new line. Still, there is concern that stops may be placed too far apart in the more ethnically-diverse regions along the line (parts now have a major Asian-American community), effectively bypassing many of the people who live there. Others are concerned about gentrification, where rising property values and taxes could force out lower-income residents.^[4] The 1950s were the decade that spanned the years 1950 through 1959, although some sources say from 1951 through 1960. ... For general discussion of dark-skinned people, see Black people. ... // An Asian American is generally defined as a person of Asian ancestry or origin who was born in or is an immigrant to the United States. ... Gentrification is a process in which low-cost, deteriorated neighborhoods experience urban restoration and an increase in property values, along with an influx of wealthier residents. ...

Transit links

By the time the Central Corridor project is completed, it is expected that the Northstar Corridor commuter rail line will connect downtown Minneapolis with northwestern suburbs, with a station at or near the north/western terminus of the Hiawatha Line and Central Corridor. The two light-rail lines would share trackage in downtown between the Northstar station and the Metrodome. A short westward extension to the current Hiawatha Line is planned to make it easier to directly transfer from Northstar to either of the light-rail corridors. The Northstar Corridor is a proposed commuter rail line that will serve a region which runs to the northwest from Minneapolis, Minnesota toward St. ... A Connex commuter train stands by the platform in Melbourne, Australia Regional rail systems, or commuter rail systems, usually provide a rail service through a central business district area into suburbs or other locations that draw large numbers of people on a daily basis. ... The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome is a domed sports stadium in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. ...

It is fairly likely that the Central Corridor line would link to the Saint Paul Union Depot, considered one of the great architectural achievements in the city and formerly one of the main points of departure for area train riders up until passenger rail service in the United States was restructured in the 1960s and 1970s. The station would probably also become a transfer point for people coming into St. Paul along the proposed Red Rock Corridor commuter rail line. There is some talk of moving the Amtrak intercity station from its current location near University between the cities to Union Depot. Amtrak provides daily service along the Empire Builder to Chicago, Seattle and Portland. At the present time, the Union Depot is partially used as a mail hub by the United States Postal Service, as well as home to a couple restaurants. It has not seen the revitalization of similar depots in other cities. The Saint Paul Union Depot (sometimes referred to as SPUD) was the main train station in the city of Saint Paul, Minnesota until passenger rail service in the region was restructured in the 1960s and 1970s, with Amtrak taking over most passenger service in the United States. ... The Parthenon on top of the Acropolis, Athens, Greece Architecture (from Latin, architectura and ultimately from Greek, αρχιτεκτων, a master builder, from αρχι- chief, leader and τεκτων, builder, carpenter) is the art and science of designing buildings and structures. ... The outrageously crowded Woodstock festival epitomized the popular antiwar movement of the 60s. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... Amtrak train in downtown Orlando, Florida Amtrak’s high-speed Acela Express at Penn Station New York, NY For other uses, see Amtrak (disambiguation). ... Empire Builder is a train route operated by Amtrak in the Midwestern and Northwestern United States. ... Chicago (officially named the City of Chicago) is the third largest city in the United States (after New York City and Los Angeles), with an official population of 2,896,016, as of the 2000 census. ... City nickname Emerald City City bird Great Blue Heron City flower Dahlia City mottos The City of Flowers The City of Goodwill City song Seattle, the Peerless City Mayor Greg Nickels County King County Area   - Total   - Land   - Water   - % water 369. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Roses, Stumptown, Bridgetown Location Location in Multnomah County and the state of Oregon Coordinates , Government Country State County United States Oregon Multnomah County Mayor Tom Potter Geographical characteristics Area     City 145. ... A previous USPS logo The United States Postal Service (USPS) is an independent establishment of the executive branch of the United States government (see ) responsible for providing postal service in the United States; it is generally referred to within the United States as the post office. ...

External links

• Metro Council Central Corridor Site
• Central Corridor Coordinating Committee Site

References

1. ^ Blake, Laurie, "Trains, not Buses on Central Corridor", Minneapolis Star-Tribune, June 6, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-06-07.
2. ^ "Metropolitan Council approves light rail along Central Corridor", Metropolitan Council, June 28, 2006.
3. ^ Salisbury, Bill, "Central Corridor light rail wins key OK", St. Paul Pioneer Press, March 22, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-04-05.
4. ^ Yuen, Laura, "Rondo haunting light-rail debate", St. Paul Pioneer Press, April 9, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-04-09.