St. Paul is a city that is looking ahead to the future and planning for the population expansion and the needs of any growing population. To this end the city of St. Paul has approved a new LRT (light rail transit) line that looks to connect St. Paul with neighboring Minneapolis and a number of major stops along the way. This is big news for commuters in the St. Paul area as the plan will streamline transportation between St. Paul and Minneapolis. The location of this project is known as the Central Corridor, a highly congested main thoroughfare between the two growing cities. with the goal of having trains running approximately every 71/2 minutes the reduced stress on the area's motorways will be impressive.
An estimated time of travel from one end to the other is about 35 minutes.
This new rail line is one of the city's answers to the growing congestion problem that exists along this corridor. It will mean that the residents of the area will now have an alternative mode of transportation available to them on their daily commute. This will also help to ease reliance on crude oil based gasoline and this is a welcome asset and gasoline prices are higher than they have ever been before. The new line will stretch from Union Depot Station in St. Paul through the downtown core and connect in Minneapolis with the existing Hiawatha Line at the Downtown East/Metrodome Station. The route runs parallel to I94.
The city of St. Paul is making a concerted effort to not only support the new line but to develop with access to the line in mind. The TOD (transit oriented development) Plan has vowed to make the new transit option highly accessible to the new developments that are to be placed in proximity to the line. This project is part of a greater goal of the Metropolitan Council that looks to double transit ridership by 2030. It is also the goal of the council to improve mobility within the city itself and reduce the growing congestion from autos and other vehicles.
