Midtown Corridor transit: Streetcar, enhanced bus, or a little of both?

Last week, neighbors gathered at the Colin Powell Center and Whittier Clinic to view the latest transportation plans for the Midtown Corridor.

Transit Options

There are three options that are in consideration at this point:

• Enhanced bus service, which would run along Lake Street between the light rail stations at Midtown (Blue Line) and West Lake (Green Line).
• Streetcar, which would run along the Midtown Greenway between the Blue and Green Line.
• A hybrid of the two, which includes a streetcar that would operate on the Greenway between the Blue and Green Line, as well as an enhanced bus line along Lake Street that would offer service to St. Paul.

The third hybrid option is a result of considerable resident feedback at Metro Transit’s February open house. Metro found that many people were interested in service into St. Paul. This third option would allow Metro Transit to extend enhanced bus service to the Midway shopping area at University and Snelling.

Meeting Project Goals

Metro Transit Project Manager Michael Mechtenberg said that the option they chose will need to meet the project’s goals, which are to

• increase transit use,
• improve mobility and access to jobs and activities,
• be a catalyst for housing and economic development,
• be cost-effective (capital and operating costs) and well-positioned for implementation, and
• build upon the vibrancy and diversity of the corridor by supporting healthy, active communities and the environment.

What’s Next

Project planners will be working on completing a more detailed analysis of the three options. They’ll look at the proposed operating plan and conceptual designs, costs, ridership forecasts, and environment and community issues.

Get Involved

• Attend an open house – an open house is planned for this fall.
• Receive email updates on the project by sending an email to midtown@metrotransit.org.
• Send feedback and input to Project Manager Michael Mechtenberg at midtown@metrotransit.org.
• Read a recent report on the project by Finance and Commerce or visit Metro Transit’s project website to see presentations and handouts.

(Images courtesy of Metro Transit)