Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 5, 2008
PORTIONS OF HIAWATHA LINE TO BE CLOSED
FOR WEEKEND MAINTENANCE
MINNEAPOLIS – (June 5) – Planned rail maintenance work will shut down portions of the Hiawatha light-rail line this weekend, pressing buses into service to replace trains.
The maintenance schedule calls for buses to substitute for trains from 2 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday (June 7) between Warehouse District/Hennepin Avenue Station and Franklin Avenue Station. Then, the following day (Sunday, June 8), buses will operate in place of trains between Fort Snelling Station and Mall of America from 2 a.m. to 2 p.m. Trains will operate normally outside of the work zones.
Work on Saturday will focus on rehabilitating and replacing track switches in the downtown zone, said Sheri Gingerich, deputy chief operations officer – rail. In addition, the overhead power supply will be modified, Gingerich said, in a way that will permit trains to serve Downtown East/Metrodome Station even when electricity is not available to trains at the other downtown stops.
"This is a major improvement," she said. "When there is a downtown disruption today, buses must take customers all the way to Franklin Avenue Station. By including Downtown East in the power grid that serves stations farther south, we have more recovery options and capabilities for our customers."
On Sunday light-rail maintenance crews will, among other things, work on track switches near 28th Avenue and Mall of America stations.
On both days a contractor will begin installing reflective pavement markings at pedestrian crossings.
Customers can learn of any last-minute changes to the maintenance schedule by calling the rail maintenance hotline at 612-373-3333, option 6.
The Hiawatha light-rail line is operated by Metro Transit, a service of the Metropolitan Council. Customers boarded Hiawatha trains 2.9 million times during the first four months of 2008, a 16 percent increase over the same period last year.
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(Editors: For information call Bob Gibbons, director of customer services, 612-349-7509 or via e-mail at robert.gibbons@metc.state.mn.us)
