Southwest Corridor Not in Bonding Bill

Southwest Corridor not on bonding bill passed by Minnesota House today. This is a blow to the Southwest Corridor.

 Minnesota House passes bonding bill
"As before, the bill tilts heavily toward bricks-and-mortar projects like flood mitigation and bridge repairs, and leaves out most local projects like convention centers, the Southwest rail corridor, a face-lift for Nicollet Mall or a new ballpark for the St. Paul Saints.
“Let’s not tell Minnesotans that we’re preparing for the future, because we are not,” said Rep. Jean Wagenius, DFL-Minneapolis, lamenting some of the items that were left out of the bonding bill – including funds to fight invasive Asian carp in the rivers and funds for the Southwest light rail corridor.
The bill does contain a $55 million pot of money that can be used for capital project grants – grants that communities might be able to apply for to build, say, a minor league ballpark or a civic center. Rep. Steve Drazkowski, R-Mazeppa, offered an amendment that would have locked up that $55 million for road construction projects instead, but was voted down."


UPDATE:
Supporters say Southwest Corridor LRT could lose federal funds

Saints Ballpark, Southwest LRT Not in MN Bonding Bill
"On Monday night, the Minnesota House and Senate passed slightly different versions of a $496 million bonding bill—but neither version includes money for a new Saints ballpark or the Southwest Corridor Light Rail line.
Still, that isn’t a sure sign that both projects are dead."

Southwest LRT Alignment

Southwest Corridor gets green light

The 14-mile corridor between Minneapolis and Eden Prairie is on track to become the region’s third light rail line. The Council approved LRT on the alignment recommended by Hennepin County.

•Southwest Corridor information
•Video: Southwest LRT moving forward (Peter Bell)

Transit in the News

• New Light Rail Station Opening In Bloomington
• Hennepin County approves route for Southwest light-rail, linking Eden Prairies to Minneapolis
• Metro Transit sets station opening, notches initial Northstar ridership
• Spending bill includes money for rail extension
• New Northstar commuter train carried 33112 passengers in November

Southwest Transitway

Southwest Transitway

Southwest Transitway

Light rail choice coming this year

The future of rail in the metro inevitably revolves around light rail transit. Long before even the Hiawatha Line was finished in 2004, transit planners had been envisioning a network of LRT routes crisscrossing the region, cutting congestion and spurring redevelopment. For southwest commuters, the idea of light rail transit has moved beyond the dream phase, into the nitty-gritty.
This year, planners will be picking a route for the Southwest Transitway, an LRT route that would run from Eden Prairie into downtown Minneapolis. Should all go as planned, construction on the route could begin as early as 2015.
The reality of planning a light rail network involves long-long-long-term planning. The Southwest Transitway has been a work in progress for the last eight years, starting with a study evaluating any number of routes. In the past two years, the number of possible route alternatives was whittled down to three and now, planners expect to make a decision on a preferred alternative by late summer or early fall.
The Southwest Transitway project involves a number of partners within Hennepin County including all the cities on the route (Eden Prairie, St. Louis Park, Hopkins and Minneapolis). Ultimately the Metropolitan Council will make the final approval on the route design.

There are 4 possible alignment.