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Spring 2014

Operator's View METRO Green Line light-rail trains are undergoing full-schedule testing, running as often as every 10 minutes throughout the day and evening.  During the period leading up to opening day on June 14, 61 rail operators will become certified on the line and rail systems will undergo final testing.   In this photo, an operator of a westbound test train is seen from behind in silhouette as he prepares to pass an eastbound test train at Robert Street Station.

Celebrations planned at nine locations for opening day June 14  

Opening day celebration planning is well underway for the METRO Green Line’s first day of service Saturday, June 14, when all rides will be free that day and June 15. 

Community planning partners are bringing local leaders, businesses, nonprofits, artists and neighbors together to develop unique events at nine locations from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 14 following the 9 a.m. ribbon cutting for the line at Union Depot Station. 

For details on the events, check http://www.metrotransit.org/greenline periodically in the coming weeks for the latest details on opening day. Some highlights follow on the next two pages of this newsletter, the last issue before opening day. One more newsletter will follow with photos from the opening day.

Anchor event highlights

Union Depot | Discover Lowertown: Home of Arts, Entertainment & Fabulous Food

Following the official ribbon cutting, Lowertown businesses and Met Council staff are planning a Lowertown celebration featuring a full day of live music programming by The Current public radio station, a gallery of Lowertown artists, a Green Line commemorative poster art display and local entertainment. The festivities site will also serve as a connecting point for private events happening in and around Lowertown. Union Depot will also host the closing event of the day from 4 to 6 p.m. Look for upcoming announcements about bands and other entertainment scheduled at Union Depot. 

Target Field Station | Target Field Station Celebration

Metro Transit’s plans for Target Field Station include a live telecast of the official ribbon cutting from Union Depot, local music, family-friendly activities and story times with the Minneapolis Public Library, appearances from the Twins, Timberwolves and Lynx mascots, and sampling from North Loop restaurants. A “Keys to the Warehouse” scavenger hunt/coupon promotion will encourage guests to explore the North Loop and Warehouse District.

Community-driven station event highlights:

Central Station | Downtown: The Sky’s the Limit

A group of downtown business owners is developing a plan that features an outdoor music stage at  the station and a “Skyway Open” mini-golf tournament designed to get riders to explore skyway businesses and restaurants between Central and the Union Depot. Disability advocates will participate in the first train ceremony. The Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce is serving as fiscal agent and providing planning support.

Western Station | Explore Little Mekong

The Asian Economic Development Association will use opening day as the kickoff for its summer-long Asian Night Market. About 50 food and retail vendors will create a lively market atmosphere in the parking lot behind Mai Village. The event will also feature a main stage for performances, exhibitions of local arts and crafts and a neighborhood history display.

Victoria Station | Celebrate Good Times at Victoria

Model Cities and Aurora St. Anthony Neighborhood Development Corp. are creating an event that celebrates the art, culture and history of the Rondo, Summit U and Frogtown neighborhoods. Victoria’s  first train ceremony will include recognition for Red Caps still living in the community. (For more than 85 years, Red Caps were luggage porters at railroad stations across the country, including St. Paul’s Union Depot.) The event will also feature music, dance, performances from local youth groups, historical exhibits, and a series of bike activities led by Bikes for Change and Nice Ride.

Hamline Station | The Great Midway Get Together

The Midway Chamber of Commerce is planning a State Fair-themed celebration, complete with a Midway, Kidway, Grandstand and an International Bazaar featuring the Little Africa retailers and restaurants. The event will include a showcase from Gordon Parks High School, animal educators from Como Zoo, the Choo Choo Bob Show, and a “coupon-on-a-stick” program that will encourage people to explore local restaurants via a fleet of pedal-cabs.

Raymond Station | The Creative Enterprise Zone

St. Anthony Park Community Council – District 12 has assembled local artists and businesses to create an event with a distinct public art focus. Local artists are crafting windsocks and “art bikes” for wayfinding, as well as shade structures and a “garden of flowerpots.” Guests can join local artists in a mural painting project and Forecast Public Art will pilot a “pop-art art park.”  Food trucks, local musicians, and strolling performers will add to the celebration.

Stadium Village Station | Stadium Village Celebration with the Minnesota Vikings

The Stadium Village Commercial Association is planning a sports-themed event with appearances by Vikings and Gophers mascots, talent and cheerleaders, fun sports activities for families and samplings from Stadium Village restaurants. Northrop Auditorium will continue to celebrate its grand reopening and promote upcoming performances. Local music will liven the main stage. 

West Bank Station | West Bank Station Celebration

The West Bank Business Association is designing its celebration site as a hub for exploring West Bank restaurants, retailers and arts and cultural venues, all within walking distance of the West Bank Station. The event will offer a neighborhood festival atmosphere with an international flair. East African community leaders will plan arts, dance and cultural showcases. Local theaters will offer tours and the neighboring Brian Coyle Recreation Center will host a dance event and other activities.

Metro Transit’s Rider’s Almanac blogs focus on new Green Line stations  

Read Metro Transit’s blog postings on the new Green Line stations to learn how people plan to use the new Green Line to get to work, school and play. See:  http://www.metrotransit.org/riders-almanac-blog

The latest blog features the Dale Street Station:

Earth Day event showcases operations & maintenance facility   Metro Transit General Manager Brian Lamb (far right) and partners recognize Earth Day at  new energy-efficient light rail facility

Metro Transit, Xcel Energy and the Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce showcased the new METRO Green Line operations and maintenance facility in Lowertown St. Paul on Earth Day.

The facility was designed and constructed using practical sustainable principles (informed by Xcel Energy’s Energy Design Assistance Program) and is now in operation as light-rail systems and rail operators are tested and trained on the METRO Green Line. More than 100 Metro Transit employees - rail operators and maintenance and support staff - have begun moving into the energy-efficient facility.

Xcel Energy, Metro Transit and The Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce are partner organizations to the Energy Innovation Corridor (EIC). Established in 2010, EIC is a project of private, public and non-profit partners focused on developing a first-of-its-kind clean energy and transportation corridor along the Green Line. The EIC encompasses a one-quarter mile zone on either side of the Green  Line along its 11-mile length. The operations and maintenance facility anchors the eastern end of  the EIC.

In recognition of Earth Day, Metro Transit offset 100 percent of the electricity used for the METRO light-rail system and support facilities on April 22 through Xcel Energy’s Windsource program. Light- rail vehicles produce no exhaust or emissions. This Earth Day Windsource partnership demonstrates that light-rail can also be powered entirely by clean energy sources such as wind.

The greening of the Green Line .

Green Line wins award for storm water management, including 5-mile tree trench 

St. Paul received more than improved transit options with the building of the METRO Green Line (Central Corridor LRT). The city now can boast of an award-winning and sophisticated storm water management system along the LRT line, including a nearly five-mile tree trench.

The Metropolitan Council received a 2014 Sustainable St. Paul Award at an April 23 St. Paul City Council meeting for this water conservation work that was incorporated into the LRT construction.

The new storm water infrastructure includes an integrated tree trench system stretching almost five miles, with 1,200 trees planted on either side of University Avenue as seen in the  top photo. Rain water and storm water planters were also placed at nine locations along University Avenue, and infiltration trenches were built on two side streets within the corridor.

The Metropolitan Council shared the award with the Capitol Region Watershed District, the City of St. Paul and Ramsey County. Mark Fuhrmann, the New Starts program director for Metro Transit, represented the Metropolitan Council at the presentation. He is third from right in the bottom photo.

The new system will capture and treat polluted runoff along the highly developed corridor. The watershed district estimates that the project will reduce storm water volume by more than 50 percent annually. It’s also expected to reduce the sediment load entering the Mississippi River by nine tons and reduce the phosphorus load by 109 pounds.

Newsletters—The last Making Tracks newsletter will be issued after opening day June 14 when Metro Transit begins operating METRO Green Line trains.

Construction updates — Weekly construction updates will be issued until 11 cracked concrete intersections on University Avenue are replaced by mid-May. To see updates, please visit the www.centralcorridor.org homepage and click on News. Sign up for construction updates, news releases and newsletters by scrolling to the bottom of the homepage and entering your email address in the white ENewsletter Sign Up box.

Metro Transit’s customer service hotline has replaced the construction hotline. Calls are being taken by 612-373-3333. 

Follow us at: www.twitter.com/cclrt 

For general questions or comments - Call 651-602-1645 or email

centralcorridor@metc.state.mn.us

About the project:  

The Central Corridor Light Rail Transit Project (Green Line) will link downtown St. Paul and downtown Minneapolis along Washington and University avenues via the state Capitol and the University of Minnesota. Construction began in late summer 2010 on the planned 11-mile Central Corridor line, and service will begin on June 14, 2014. The line will connect with the METRO Blue Line at the Downtown East Station in Minneapolis and the Northstar commuter rail line at the Target Field Station. The Metropolitan Council is the grantee of federal funds. The regional government agency is charged with building the line in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Transportation. The Central Corridor Management Committee, which includes commissioners from Ramsey and Hennepin counties, the mayors of St. Paul and Minneapolis and the University of Minnesota, provides advice and oversight. Funding is provided by the Federal Transit Administration, Counties Transit Improvement Board, state of Minnesota, Ramsey and Hennepin counties' regional railroad authorities, city of St. Paul, Metropolitan Council and the Central Corridor Funders' Collaborative. The Central Corridor LRT Project Website is www.centralcorridor.org.