urbanMSP

It's not worth much, but I can also imagine people taking the train to Cedar Lake, that sounds fun.

I remember reading justified criticism that the E Line will skip stops near Calhoun or Nicollet Island. Small positive to at least see a LRT station really near Cedar Lake even if it won’t have many potential riders within walk distance to use the station.

I agree with the premise, but even without zero zoning concerns lowry hill and kenwood are not going to see a bunch of multifamily conversions or new construction. Maybe some high end new construction duplexes or a random triplex conversion of a shitty old victorian (though even those make more sense as a standard gut job). Single family homes are just too expensive, even tear-downs on small lots. And outdated duplexes are actually pretty plentiful. So any consternation about this is kind of pointless in my opinion, unless you're just arguing on principle, which I agree with.

While it's not as egregious as 21st St Station, the area of Bryn Mawr near Penn Ave Station is very underzoned in 2040 as well. Unsurprisingly, another area represented by CM Goodman. The Penn corridor is interior 3 and everything else is interior 2. Single family homes a few hundred feet from the Penn Ave platform have no chance to become more dense than a 3-plex.

While it's not as egregious as 21st St Station, the area of Bryn Mawr near Penn Ave Station is very underzoned in 2040 as well. Unsurprisingly, another area represented by CM Goodman. The Penn corridor is interior 3 and everything else is interior 2. Single family homes a few hundred feet from the Penn Ave platform have no chance to become more dense than a 3-plex.

Out of curiosity, couldn't zoning exemptions be made? I'm assuming that is how many apartments got built along Hiawatha, which is mainly SFH.

It's ironic they're holding a job fair for construction jobs across the street from defunct Thor. I'm wondering how many issues they're going to have recruiting workers?

"Lunda Construction Company and C.S. McCrossan Joint Venture (LMJV), along with their subcontractors, community-based organizations, and unions are holding a Southwest Light Rail Transit Construction Career Fair to discuss potential trade positions within their organizations. The event will be held March 26, 2020 from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM at the Minneapolis Urban League, 2100 Plymouth Avenue North, Minneapolis. Questions can be directed to Sannying Vang at: [email protected] or 952-209-2123 ext. 246."

I read an article about the construction of the subway in LA being sped up because coronavirus was making it easier to close roads full stop and get things done.

Any chance we could see an acceleration on this project?

Not sure if it'll speed up the SWLRT by much, but If the outbreak had happened two summers ago, I think they might of been able to close 35W down completely for the Orange Line/Downtown to Crosstown project (or at least save a lot of headaches with how much of a mess that was)

There will be an acceleration of the 94 re-surfacing from 280 to Nicollet due to the shelter order. That is the only project I have heard being pushed up.

Just curious if anyone's seen any documents or plans around how bus service will change when this thing finally opens. I'm hoping we'll see high-frequency feeder buses serving the stops in St. Louis Park and Hopkins, but that area is not at all conducive to direct routes because of highways, railroads, industrial areas, golf courses...

Just curious if anyone's seen any documents or plans around how bus service will change when this thing finally opens. I'm hoping we'll see high-frequency feeder buses serving the stops in St. Louis Park and Hopkins, but that area is not at all conducive to direct routes because of highways, railroads, industrial areas, golf courses...

Discussion about connecting buses from a couple pages ago: viewtopic.php?f=18&t=5&start=4480#p154313

I doubt we will see official plans until at least Network Next is finished.

Possibly incorrect list of Non-Freeway roads that get grade separated crossings from SWLRT:
1. Technology Drive and Prairie Center Drive
2. Prairie Center Drive (again)
3. Flying Cloud Drive
4, Flying Cloud Drive (again) and Shady Oak Rd
5. Felta Rd & Smetana Rd (in a tunnel)
6. Excelsior Blvd
7. Louisiana Ave
8. 5th Ave and 7th St entering elevated target field station.

This list does not include roads that get grade separated crossings because of grade separation that already exists.
...
Based on what we see, it seems clear that our transit authority is MUCH more willing to put in grade separation in suburban areas than they are in urban areas. There are several possible reasons for this (traffic flow expectations, ease of construction, available land, etc.) but it doesn't change the fact that we have failed to grade separate in areas that are crowded and where grade separation would arguably be the most useful for keeping everything moving smoothly.

It does seem that there are an insane number of tunnels & bridges on SWLRT!

I will point out, though, that Louisiana Ave. already has grade separation for existing rail.

(Edit: I hate when I think I’m on the last page of a discussion, and it turns out I quote something from 3 pages ago.)

Upside to more grade-separation: trains usually can move more quickly and there will be fewer safety issues that can save lives and reduce service interruptions caused by collisions. Downside: cost.

Considering SWLRT was decidedly about moving commuters, increasing speed via gentler curves and more grade separation makes a lot of sense.

Going forward in transit planning, I'd hope the focus is more on the purpose of a transit expansion project, a fair evaluation of alternatives that front-loads questions about how the transit project fits within the land use visions of each station area, and is more transparent in trade off discussions about grade separation components that drive cost but can come with some upsides. I certainly hope the Twin Cities can try not to plan future lines by comparing the reasonableness of infrastructure plans to what previous projects received. Else you can plan on a future with few tunnels or elevated segments - should they provide benefit.

Looks like the first LRT cars for this are being delivered today.

Looks like the first LRT cars for this are being delivered today.

Are these cars identical to the previous Green Line cars?

Looks like the first LRT cars for this are being delivered today.

Are these cars identical to the previous Green Line cars?

On the outside yes. On the inside there's bench seats in the middle section of the train. From a mechanical standpoint I don't know what, if anything, is different from the Type 2s.

Looks like the first LRT cars for this are being delivered today.

Are these cars identical to the previous Green Line cars?

On the outside yes. On the inside there's bench seats in the middle section of the train. From a mechanical standpoint I don't know what, if anything, is different from the Type 2s.

They changed the middle section for accessibility reasons, wheelchairs can’t currently cross an entire train without leaving the train and going in through another door.


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I believe this is what they do in Seattle.

They also found it will seat more people as people are more likely to sit next to each other and it increased the crush capacity for times like after sporting events

They also found it will seat more people as people are more likely to sit next to each other and it increased the crush capacity for times like after sporting events

We have it here in Portland. I find that it works pretty well. I just hope Metro Transit didn't adopt TriMet's bike rack style.

Here are a few of the pictures I took of the offloading in case anyone is curious. They delivered 2 cars as far as i could tell. I did not take many pictures since I was suppose to be at work when this occurred. The first image shows the attachment point between the ramp and the flatbed car. The second shows the second car still on the train with the 3rd showing the 1st car they offloaded. They had a drone set up which I presume was to take video. To remove the cars from the train they tie a strap to the front of the LRT car use a pickup truck to pull it off (I was expecting a more elaborate method for some reason). I work nearby and have only seen this occur twice in 3 years.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CkT7rF ... sp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-wah_2 ... sp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1DD_fX ... TN0mWDcXmi