Way, way back, during the housing boom of the early 2000s, a friend bought a house in the Standish-Ericsson neighborhood of Minneapolis. Living blocks from 46th Street near Lake Nokomis and Minnehaha Creek gave her easy access to the newly opened Hiawatha Light Rail line. And she took advantage of it, working in downtown Minneapolis for several years, enjoying the convenience, exercise, and reduced transportation cost provided by taking the train daily.
At that time, buying a home in South Minneapolis was more of a gamble than today: the neighborhoods were in transition, the Hiawatha corridor was largely undeveloped, even the usefulness of the train itself was still in question.
Now carrying 10.5 million riders annually, it’s clear the investment was worthwhile. Indeed, rail transportation in Minnesota has turned a corner, extending from Minneapolis into the surrounding suburbs, up the North Star Corridor to Big Lake—and in a few short weeks, finally connecting to Saint Paul.
Construction on the Green Line (originally referred to as the Central Corridor) began in late 2010, a full six years after completion of the Blue (formerly Hiawatha) Line. The Green Line spans the nearly 27-mile distance between Target Field in downtown Minneapolis and the beautifully revamped Union Depot on the eastern fringe of downtown Saint Paul (adjacent to the Saint Paul Farmers Market). And the corridor is no stranger to this type of mass transit: beginning in 1890, the St. Paul-Minneapolis Streetcar Line traversed University and Washington Avenues and served as the original gateway between the two cities. The line was phased out in the mid 1950s, in favor of the new bus system.
Saint Paul's newly renovated and recently reopened Union Depot
While there’s still more than a month until the Green Line opens on June 14, today marks the seventh annual National Train Day. The holiday began in 2008 to raise awareness of the advantages of rail travel. The date, May 10 (or the Saturday closest to it), commemorates the pounding of the Golden Spike in Promontory, Utah and completion of the first transcontinental railroad. Several events will be held in Minnesota, detailed on the website, www.nationaltrainday.com
Ang Anderson, Real Estate Licensee Riding the Rails -- EMAIL
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