Central Corridor Update - Fall/Winter 2012

Thermite Welding on METRO Green Line (Central Corridor) 100th Upload

Delivery of the Type II Siemens S70

Delivery of the Type II Siemens S70, LRV # 201, occurred on Sept 10, 2012. The Brandt towed it to the O&M early Tuesday morning, Sept 11, 2012. Below are pictures and video.



This is the first of 59 LRVs that was purchased by Metro Transit. 47 LRVs are for the new Green Line (Central Corridor) and 12 are for Blue Line (Hiawatha Line). I talked with a Siemens rep. He told me that the first two LRVs has to have 4000 miles of testing and the LRVs after only need 1000 miles of testing before going into service.

You maybe wondering what "Do Not Hump" means.
" It refers to a common method used to sort freight cars known as "humping," which involves the use of a man-made hill, or hump. A track heads up the hill and branches into numerous parallel tracks on its way down the other side. To make up new trains, a switch engine pushes a string of cars to the top of the hump, where the cars are uncoupled one at a time. Having determined the car's destination, a worker in a nearby tower pushes buttons or throws levers or whatever to get the track switches (you know, those things where one track divides into two) lined up properly. The car is then given a nudge, causing it to roll down the hump and onto the right track."

Green Line Connected to the Blue Line

(credit: Metropolitan Council)

Central Corridor Joined To Hiawatha LRT Line

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) —Crews working on the Central Corridor light rail line that will connect downtown Minneapolis with downtown St. Paul reached a milestone on Wednesday.

The line was officially joined with the existing Hiawatha LRT line in Minneapolis.

“This weld is our own version of the golden spike for the transcontinental railroad as it connects the Twin Cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis,” said Mark Fuhrmann, local program director for New Starts rail projects.

Service on the Central Corridor line is scheduled to begin in 2014.
Crews working on the Central Corridor light rail line that will connect downtown Minneapolis with downtown St. Paul reached a milestone on Wednesday.
The line was officially joined with the existing Hiawatha LRT line in Minneapolis.

“This weld is our own version of the golden spike for the transcontinental railroad as it connects the Twin Cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis,” said Mark Fuhrmann, local program director for New Starts rail projects.

Service on the Central Corridor line is scheduled to begin in 2014.

Green Line 10th Street Station Time Lapse

I found this on You Tube

METRO Green Line (Central Corridor light rail)

METRO Green Line (Central Corridor light rail) between Snelling Ave Station to Union Station Aug. 13,2012

Copper Theft Causes Damage to Light Rail Construction Sites

Copper Theft Causes $20K in Damage to Light Rail Construction Sites A thief stole $2,000 worth of copper wire from two St. Paul light rail construction sites and caused about $20,000 in damage.
Central Corridor Light Rail Transit Spokeswoman Laura Baennan confirmed the theft Monday, July 16.

The wire was taken Thursday night or Friday morning at construction sites near University and Western Avenues as well as Cedar and Tenth Streets.

The damage will cost the contractor about $20,000 to repair.

METRO Green Line (Central Corridor light rail)

METRO Green Line (Central Corridor light rail) between Blue Line (Hwy 35W) to Snelling Ave Station July 9, 2012.

METRO Green Line -Central Corridor Update: Summer 2012 (400 Post)

Excavator working on the Central Corridor Light Rail Project

Caterpillar 330B L Excavator working on the Central Corridor light rail project at Huron Blvd and University Ave

Interlocking Work

Here are some photos of the interlocking work for the Green Line connection to the Blue Line last weekend. (Note: I did not take theese pictures)

Central Corridor LRT Construction Half Done

Central Corridor LRT construction reaches halfway mark on schedule

ST. PAUL - May 14, 2012 - Construction of the Central Corridor LRT Project is 50 percent complete and on track to be 75 percent done by year's end.

"The contractors really hit the ground running in March. We now have work occurring in all areas of the nearly 10-mile long project, employing more than 3,000 workers to date,'' Met Council Chair Sue Haigh said.

Praise also goes to the Midway Chamber of Commerce for encouraging patronage of corridor businesses, to banks and other businesses that use their signs to promote University Avenue businesses, and to the city of St. Paul and U7 for administering the forgivable loan fund, Haigh said. Through 2011, 98 business assistance grants had been approved, totaling $1.34 million.

"And then there are the patient businesses that work with the project office to maintain access and share information with their tenants and the citizens who serve on the construction communication committees," she said

As a result of this cooperation, the project is on schedule to substantially complete utility relocations, roadway removal and replacement, track installation and the structural elements of all 18 stations by the end of this year, said Mark Fuhrmann, program director for New Starts rail projects.

"Overall, the project remains on schedule to open in 2014 and within budget," Fuhrmann said.

Installation of the electrical, signaling and communications systems as well as testing the operation of trains will occur in 2013 and 2014 before revenue service begins in 2014. When exactly service will begin depends on how the testing goes.

Since heavy construction in late summer 2010, crews have:

Relocated about eight miles of public utilities so they won't be under the tracks and any work on them in the future won't disrupt rail service.

• Removed and replaced five miles of roadway, sidewalks, curbs and gutters from building front to building front.
• Installed 3.5 miles of the 10 miles of double track.
• Begun work at 15 of the 18 station locations.
• Completed nearly two-thirds of the work on the Washington Avenue Bridge. Traffic is expected to resume this summer on the outside lanes of each side of the bridge in their final single-lane each way configuration. Double tracks will be installed in the inside lane of the bridge.
• Completed 35 percent of the work on the operation and maintenance facility in Lowertown St. Paul.
• Completed construction of the Interstate 35W flyover in Minneapolis where Central Corridor tracks will join Hiawatha LRT tracks. (Passengers will be able to continue their trip into downtown Minneapolis on the same train from the Metrodome to Target Field Station.)
• Demolished the former Bremer Bank and completed the skyway connection over Fifth Street in St. Paul.
• Completed two of the foundations for the 14 traction power substations that will convert electricity into a form that can be used to power the trains.
• Assembled the shell of the first new light rail vehicle, which is expected to arrive this fall in Minnesota.

Man Steals Copper from LRT Station On Green Line

Police Catch Light Rail Copper Thief at Bus Stop: MyFoxTWINCITIES.com

Minneapolis Transportation Interchange Concept Design

This what the new Interchange at Target Field may look like. The Interchange Project still need to find more funding. Construction suppose to start this Spring.

Minneapolis Transportation Interchange Concept Design from Luke Porter on Vimeo.

Central Corridor Update - Spring 2012

Central Corridor Update

Central Corridor Update

Met Council, feds make Central Corridor funding deal official

Central Corridor Light Rail Transit Full Funding Grant Agreement

The Full Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA) signing will occur at 11 a.m. in the Harold E. Stassen Office Building on the LRT route at 600 N. Robert Street in the state Capitol complex.
Gov. Mark Dayton, Sen. Al Franken, Rep. Betty McCollum, the mayors of St. Paul and Minneapolis, commissioners from Ramsey and Hennepin counties and Metropolitan Council Chair Sue Haigh will be among the speakers. Planners invited current and former officeholders who played a role in shepherding the line through 30 years of planning to unite Minnesota’s capital city and its largest city by light rail. This line is becoming a reality because of the partnership between state and local governments, which include the Ramsey and Hennepin counties’ regional rail authorities, the cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis and the Counties Transit Improvement Board.

Met Council Caught Wasting Money

Light Rail Party Plans on Taxpayer Dime Derailed