Southwest Corridor (Minnesota)

Infobox rail line
name = Southwest Line


image_width =
caption =
type = Light rail
system = Metro Transit Light Rail
status = Planning
locale = Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan: Minneapolis, Minnesota, St. Louis Park, Minnesota, Hopkins, Minnesota, Minnetonka, Minnesota, Eden Prairie, Minnesota
start = Eden Prairie, Minnesota
end = Minneapolis, Minnesota
stations = 30 planned
routes =
ridership = 23,500-28,100 est.
open = 2015
close =
owner =
operator = Southwest Metro Transit
character = Surface
stock =
linelength = 12 mi (19 km)
tracklength =
notrack =
gauge = RailGauge|sg (standard gauge)
el = Overhead lines
speed =
elevation =

The Southwest Corridor is a future light rail transit corridor between Minneapolis and Eden Prairie, USA, going through Hopkins and Minnetonka along the way. This project is alongside many other future transit projects in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, including the Central Corridor, Cedar Avenue Transitway, and the Northstar Line.

History

On March 4, the FTA Approved a $2 million study of the project, with an anticipated opening date in 2015. Upon the completion of the FTA study in Fall 2009, a final route must be approved by the Metropolitan Council, the state legislature, Hennepin County, and all four municipalities along the route. After this has been completed, the proposal will again go before the FTA for final funding approval. If accepted, the line is anticipated to open in 2015.

In April, Hennepin County Medical Center announced acquisition of a large parcel of property where the 3C Route would turn onto Nicollet. HCMC will build a clinic on the site with no plans to incorporate a light rail station, effectively eliminating the 3C Route.cite web | url=http://www.swjournal.com/index.php?publication=southwest&story=11491&page=152&category=63 | title=HCMC Clinic on the move | date=May 5, 2008 | author=Dylan Thomas | publisher=Southwest Journal | accessdate=2008-05-07]

During public input phases in 2007-2008 the final three proposed routes faced opposition by some members of two Minneapolis neighborhoods, Kenwood and Whittier. Kenwood's neighborhood organization released an official neighborhood stance against the line with Whittier's organization debating to release a stance. In Kenwood, one of the wealthiest neighborhoods, their criticism involves disruption to natural parkland and noise though the Kenilworth Corridor (which routes '1A' and '3A' would run on). The corridor is a freight rail line currently in use. [cite news | url=http://www.kenwoodminneapolis.org/pages/news.htm | title=Kenwood Newsletter | author=Kenwood Isles Area Association |date=March 2007] In Whittier, disruption to Nicollet Avenue by the '3C' route has brought concern to business owners regarding Eat Street as a business, restaurant and retail corridor of the Whittier neighborhood. [cite web | url=http://www.whittieralliance.org/minutes.html | title=Whittier Alliance, Community Meeting Minutes | date=2007-2008 | author=Eric James | publisher=Whittier Alliance]

The Bryn Mawr neighborhood has favored the routes moving through the Kenilworth Corridor as it supports their redevelopment plans. Also, suburban cities have received the proposals favorably with concern over routing within their cities than opposition of the line itself. The 3A route through job centers in Eden Prairie garnered approval from its City Council. Hopkins also proposed routing the line through their downtown Main Street but will instead be routed nearby. [{ [cite news | url=http://www.individual.com/story.php?story=76335639 | title= Dreams sprout along southwest rail route | publisher=Star Tribune | date=January 17, 2008 | author=Jenna Ross]

Stations

Notes

* Star Tribune: Transit Agency to Study Rail Plan [http://www.startribune.com/local/west/16241142.html]

External links

* [http://www.southwesttransitway.org Southwest Transitway]
* [http://www.southwesttransitway.org/images/recroutes.jpgSouthwest Transitway Station Maps]
* [http://www.co.hennepin.mn.us/portal/site/HCInternet/menuitem.14c0cacfe630405b258caf10b1466498/?vgnextoid=f52fbe2f09b7c010VgnVCM1000000f094689RCRD Hennepin County Transit Planning]