Green Line / Central Corridor construction thread (archive)

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Tcmetro
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Re: Central Corridor LRT

Postby Tcmetro » July 14th, 2012, 8:03 am

I updated the map that spectre posted, as well as adding road reconstruction on University. Note that tracks have not been fully installed at the junctions, but the non-junction areas basically have completed tracks.
CCLRT071412.jpg

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Re: Central Corridor LRT

Postby MSPtoMKE » July 14th, 2012, 9:11 am

Cool, I hope you'll consider updating the map from time to time. It is a very short stretch, but there is a completed set of tracks and roadway on Cedar St. around 6th St. Some of the downtown streets that have been completed (4th as well as Robert) could also be added.
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spectre000
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Re: Central Corridor LRT

Postby spectre000 » July 14th, 2012, 9:39 am

Thanks tcmetro! A long way to go still. Hopefully by this time next year it will all be embedded. That'll be a celebrated milestone.

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LRV Op Dude
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Re: New Vikings LRT Station

Postby LRV Op Dude » July 14th, 2012, 10:46 am

by MSPtoMKE
A center platform here would be nice, but I do think it would be pretty difficult to change it now. You would have to tear out at least one of the current tracks to move them farther apart.
You are right there is no room for a center platform. But they do need room for queuing passanger.
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Re: Central Corridor LRT

Postby LRV Op Dude » July 14th, 2012, 10:58 am

Went to a forum the other day and the impression is that Metro Transit wants to have the Green Line passenger service up and running before the 2014 All-Star Game. The thinking is that the All-Star game will be held at Target Field.
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Re: New Vikings LRT Station

Postby mulad » July 14th, 2012, 11:34 am

The thought is creeping into my head that this station will need some changes when the Southwest LRT gets built -- widening the westbound platform a bit, at least. Fortunately, there's a decent amount of room off the end of the platform for crowds to get from one side to the other, since this station was built at an angle.

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Re: Central Corridor LRT

Postby mulad » July 14th, 2012, 1:19 pm

I don't follow sports, so I had to look that up -- July 15th, 2014.

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Re: Central Corridor LRT

Postby MSPtoMKE » July 14th, 2012, 10:17 pm

How sure are they that it will be at Target Field? They probably will want to have it up and running for at least a few weeks before a big event like that. Failing that, the other event that they will certainly want to have it open for is the Railvolution conference, which will be sometime in the fall of 2014.
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Re: Central Corridor LRT

Postby 612transplant » July 15th, 2012, 9:43 am

^^^My impression is that they're about 99% sure, although I don't know when the formal announcement comes...

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Re: Central Corridor LRT

Postby Wedgeguy » July 15th, 2012, 11:13 am

How sure are they that it will be at Target Field? They probably will want to have it up and running for at least a few weeks before a big event like that. Failing that, the other event that they will certainly want to have it open for is the Railvolution conference, which will be sometime in the fall of 2014.
With the fact that this is a second line and they know the problems with the first line. I see them getting the line up and running in plenty of time. IF they can stay ahead of the schedule that will help them too. We can hope for a good rest of the construction season and a winter where they can keep working on things that can be done with in the weather that happens.

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Re: Central Corridor LRT

Postby Lancestar2 » July 15th, 2012, 11:21 am

Sombody created a really nice video about the Green line CC segment thought I'd share it here is pretty neat to watch (and the music does grow on ya ;) )

*EDIT* -thanks! I get it now

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=210xIAEba50[/youtube]
Last edited by Lancestar2 on July 15th, 2012, 3:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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LRV Op Dude
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Re: Central Corridor LRT

Postby LRV Op Dude » July 15th, 2012, 12:14 pm

by Lancestar2
guess it won't embed as a youtube video hmm...
I figured out how to do that. You have to copy the URL and paste it. Than highlight it than click on youtube tab above.

by Lancestar2
Sombody created a really nice video about the Green line CC segment thought I'd share it here is pretty neat to watch (and the music does grow on ya )

I made that video. I am hoping to get out this week to finish the second half of the Green Line.
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Re: Central Corridor LRT

Postby mulad » July 15th, 2012, 12:24 pm

You also have to trim off the extra "&related=g-u-u" bit... We should see if the phpBB plugin or whatever can be fixed to automatically ignore that part of the URL.

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Re: Central Corridor LRT

Postby ECtransplant » July 17th, 2012, 5:42 pm


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Re: Central Corridor LRT

Postby mulad » July 17th, 2012, 5:50 pm

Yeah, I thought I was reading a repeat of an old article with that one, since I know it's happened at least once before. I seem to recall copper thefts happening last year, but it might have just been earlier this spring.

I'm pretty concerned about the copper roofing material which appears to be a common theme among the stations. I was hoping that would just be some flashing that would go under another layer of something, but it appears to be out in the open. It better be strongly secured.

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Re: Central Corridor LRT

Postby MSPtoMKE » July 17th, 2012, 6:39 pm

That is too bad. Earlier this year, thieves were stealing copper from Seattle's light rail line bit by bit. It was not in a easily visible location along elevated tracks. By the time they realized it was missing, over $200,000 worth of copper was missing.

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/transpor ... 552820.php

I would imagine the Green Line stations will have fairly extensive CCTV coverage, so it would take a pretty bold thief to steal the copper flashing from the shelters. I would hope, anyway.
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Re: New Vikings LRT Station

Postby LRV Op Dude » July 18th, 2012, 11:20 am

Giving neighbors a say on the stadium
Besides the changes to the Metrodome site, the neighborhood will soon be home to one of the region’s largest transit hubs when the Central Corridor line joins the Hiawatha Line at the Downtown East/Metrodome Station.

David Fields, community development coordinator for EPNI and a member of the implementation committee, said the neighborhood group has been taking the “lead on visioning and planning for the revitalization of the [Downtown East/Elliot Park] district, with or without a stadium” for several years.

“Creating premier public spaces, a spectrum of new housing offerings, more economic enterprise, and a truly world-class transit exchange and portal at the Downtown East LRT station adjacent to the stadium are the goals I will advocate on the committee,” he said. “So far I have been heartened by what I have heard the mayor express, as I am encouraged by the leadership and make-up of the implementation committee, that these will be shared goals among us.”
Design prof Thomas Fisher wants stadium to produce ‘vibrant’ new Minneapolis area
The transit station is going to be key. Two lines [the Hiawatha and Central Corridor LRTs] will cross at the stadium. Anybody coming from St. Paul who wants to go to the airport, and anybody coming from the airport wanting to go to St. Paul is going to have to get off at that station. There's probably going to be a major bus terminus near the stadium, too.

Stations generate lots of commercial activity. Where people are changing trains, there will have to be dry cleaners, places to buy coffee and pick up newspapers. People want to live near stations, have their offices by them. This is a city that has not had a train system for a long time. So people don't understand that train lines are not where they are because of office buildings. Office buildings are where they are because of the trains. You put in the infrastructure and the development follows.
Sounds like they want something more than just a LRT station.
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seanrichardryan
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Re: New Vikings LRT Station

Postby seanrichardryan » July 18th, 2012, 12:17 pm

The 'Interchange II'?
Q. What, what? A. In da butt.

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Andrew_F
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Re: New Vikings LRT Station

Postby Andrew_F » July 18th, 2012, 1:37 pm

I hope they don't build a big ugly bus terminal thattakes up close to half the block. We have a lot of them here in Chicago. In some places they're nessecary and serve a big need, like at 95th or Rosemont, but some of them just really suck-- they take up a lot of space and ruin the pedestrian experience of the stations while they're underutilized by only a couple routes.

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Re: New Vikings LRT Station

Postby MSPtoMKE » July 18th, 2012, 10:16 pm

I don't really see this being a particularly large transfer station, honestly. There will be transfers between the Green and Blue lines of course, but they come together at a bit of an acute angle, so it is backtracking to make that connection. I think the biggest would be trips between the U of M and the Blue Line. For many trips, connecting at the Metrodome will still be the easiest route to take, but for others there are more direct routes via bus. As for connections between bus and light rail, I think they will diminish considerably from the current connections with routes 3, 16, 50, etc. The 3 will be the only all day route serving the station that I know of, and connections will be available at the West Bank Station with less backtracking. The only need for a bus transfer station that I can think of is if there are special bus services to games, but I would imagine that would be more for charter buses.

That being said, improvements to handle game day crowds would certainly be warranted. It could also probably be better integrated into the current and future plazas.
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