2009 Hiawatha Line Construction
Metro Transit’s Hiawatha light-rail line has started a year-long construction project that will impact customer service and neighborhoods adjacent to 10 stations.
The bulk of the construction project involves lengthening platforms at 10 of the Hiawatha Line’s 17 stations to accommodate three-car trains.
Crews also will perform maintenance on the edges of the existing platforms, replacing the yellow warning line with new yellow pavers.
In addition to the platform extensions, crews occasionally will work at rail/roadway intersections to upgrade the signaling system. Construction of a new rail station at American Boulevard in Bloomington will cause minor speed reductions in the immediate area but is not expected to affect arrival times at other stations.
Construction is expected to be complete in March 2010.
Impacts to rail service
Late night-trains. On April 18, late-night train service began operating hourly, instead of every 30 minutes, to give crews more time to work in the rail right-of-way. Hourly service begins at 11:15 p.m. each night and continues until the end of the service day. Connections to late-night bus service in downtown Minneapolis are unchanged.
Weekend shutdowns. The construction schedule includes shutdowns of portions of the Hiawatha Line on weekends. During these periods buses will replace trains in the construction zones, which will affect multiple stations per weekend. Trains will operate normally on the remainder of the line.
Platform closures. Several stations will be worked on at one time. During these periods, customers will be able to enter and exit stations from only one end of the platform.
For construction updates by phone, call the Rail Maintenance Hotline at 612-373-3333, Option 6.
