Metro Transit Hiawatha Line
Facts about trains and construction
Length: 12 miles, connecting three of the Twin Cities’ most popular destinations – downtown Minneapolis, Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport and Mall of America in Bloomington.
Stations: 17 (see map)
Opening: Full service to the airport and Mall of America began Dec. 4.
Ridership: 19,300 per weekday in 2005 and 24,600 per weekday by year 2020
Patron generators: Downtown Minneapolis, University of Minnesota, 11 neighborhoods, Minnehaha Park, Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport and Mall of America.
Major park-and-ride lots: At Fort Snelling and 28th Avenue stations
Milestones achieved:
- Broke ground January 17, 2001
- Delivered 13 rail cars
- Completed 12 stations
- Mined airport rail tunnels
- Installed all track in Minneapolis
- Relocated utilities in downtown
- Partial service between the Warehouse District and Fort Snelling began June 26, 2004
- Full service to the airport and Mall of America began December 4, 2004
Light Rail Vehicles
Light-rail vehicles: 24 cars, each 94-feet long and manufactured by Bombardier.
A train may consist of two cars coupled together. Each car has four doorways and can hold 66 seated passengers plus standing room for 120. Inside each car are four luggage racks and four bicycle hangers.
Accessibility: Fully ADA compliant stations and vehicles with four wheelchair locations per vehicle. Level boarding at each train door. Ramps and tactile edges at all stations. Elevators at stations on bridges.
Power: Electrically powered by wires 16-feet overhead.
Yard and shop: 26.5 acres with maintenance facility between Cedar and Franklin avenues.
Top speed: 55 mph, with a general service speed of 40 mph and slower speed in downtown.
Service
- Rush hours: Every 7-1/2 minutes from 6 to 9 a.m. and 3 to 6 p.m.
- Every 10 minutes from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Every 15 minutes from 6:30 to 9 p.m.
- Every half hour from 4 to 6 a.m. and from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Feeder bus service: 46 Metro Transit routes connect to 14 rail stations with timed transfers. Twenty percent of rail customers arrive at their station by bus.
Fare collection: Self-service, barrier free, proof of payment.
Fares: Light-rail fares are the same as bus fares. Transfers valid between buses and trains if used within 2.5 hours.
Light Rail Construction
Construction funding (in millions $):
- Federal 334.3
- State of Minnesota 100.0
- Metropolitan Airports Commission 87.0
- Hennepin County 84.2
- Congestion Mitigation/Air Quality grant 49.8
- Transit capital grant 39.9
- Minnesota Dept of Transportation 20.1
- Total 715.3
Construction approach: Design/Build with separate contracts for light-rail vehicles and airport tunnels.
Corridor development potential: 7,150 new housing units, more than 19 million square feet of new commercial space with up to 68,000 new jobs by year 2020.
Partners:
- Metropolitan Council – owner
- Metro Transit – operator
- MnDOT – design and construction
- Metropolitan Airports Commission
- Hennepin County
- City of Bloomington
- City of Minneapolis
