Streetcar activities in the Twin Cities of Minnesota (jubilation reigns)
Jerry Schneider
>Joe Lampe wrote these comments: Unfortunate 1889
>streetcar revival for Minneapolis & St. Paul?
>I've heard that Ed Anderson upset (insulted?)
>Mayor Ryback at a meeting some years ago, and
>Ryback has banished any discussion of PRT.
>
>This Article from
><http://www.startribune.com>StarTribune.com has been sent to you by JoeLampe.
>*Please note, the sender's identity has not been verified.
>
>The full Article, with any associated images and
>links can be viewed <http://www.startribune.com/local/112267654.html>here.
>Feds to help Nicollet-Central streetcar plans
>STEVE BRANDT and KATIE HUMPHREY, Star Tribune staff writers
>
>A jubilant Mayor R.T. Rybak announced Tuesday
>that Minneapolis has secured a $900,000 federal
>grant to begin a final study about how it might
>return commercial streetcar service to the city.
>
>Meanwhile, Dakota County is to get a similar
>grant of $1.18 million to its rail authority to
>look at transit options for Robert Street between St. Paul and Rosemount.
>
>In Minneapolis' case, the Federal Transit
>Administration grant will help finance a $1.2
>million study. It will compare potential
>streetcar service on Nicollet and Central
>Avenues with the alternative of beefed-up bus
>service. The city plans to match the grant with
>$300,000 reserved from an early streetcar feasibility study.
>
>Rybak said streetcar service has the potential
>to improve commercial activity on the Nicollet
>Mall, downtown generally, the Nicollet-Lake hub and Central Avenue.
>
>The analysis of transit alternatives will cover
>service as far north on Central as Columbia
>Heights and as far south on Nicollet as 46th
>Street, near a new freeway bus station on
>Interstate 35W. If the line were built, initial
>service likely would be for shorter legs of that route.
>
>"The tax base improves dramatically along
>streetcar lines," said Rybak, who envisions
>streetcars as part of his strategy to encourage
>redevelopment along business streets.
>
>The Twin Cities employed streetcars powered by
>overhead wires for transit until the mid-1950s,
>when buses replaced them and their tracks were
>torn up. Streetcars typically stop more and run
>more slowly than does light-rail transit, and they mix with other traffic.
>
>The Obama administration has awarded $408
>million in streetcar construction grants to
>cities. Mayoral aide Peter Wagenius said the
>city's streetcar proposal got a favorable review
>in part because the U.S. Department of
>Transportation revised its cost-effectiveness criteria.
>
>A next step in the streetcar planning process
>will be to select a consultant for the study. If
>the analysis favors streetcar service, the city
>could apply for federal funds to construct the
>line. Wagenius said that unlike some transit
>projects, the streetcar would be able to compete
>for federal help without help from budget
>earmarks, which appear less likely in the upcoming Congress.
>
>The Dakota County money is expected to allow the
>county's Regional Rail Authority to take a
>closer look at transit options between St. Paul
>and Rosemount. Attention is expected to focus on
>a corridor that encompasses Robert Street/Robert Trail and Hwy. 52.
>
>That study is intended to narrow down some
>potential routes and determine which modes of
>transit would be best -- rapid-transit buses and
>streetcars both have been mentioned. Completing
>such a study would put the county in a position
>to apply for more federal money to get the
>Robert Street corridor up and running as a transit line.
>
>Minnesota's grants were awarded from 67
>applications nationwide, all seeking a share of $73 million.
>
><mailto:steve....@startribune.com>steve....@startribune.com
>• 612-673-4438
>
><mailto:katie.h...@startribune.com>katie.h...@startribune.com
>• 952-882-9056
Jack Slade
We should be thinking of a fitting memorial for this type of Mayor.
Anybody know where we can get 100 trainloads of horse manure?
Jack Slade
--- On Wed, 12/22/10, Jerry Schneider <j...@peak.org> wrote:
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Richard Gronning
I'd heard the same thing. Now that you mention it, I heard it from Joe
Lampe. I don't think that it was intentional. The story that I heard was
that Ed started giving stats on LRT vs. PRT just after the Hiawatha Line
was built and Ryback got offended and walked away. I think that the
story was at the State Fair where we has T2C's Phase I 60' guideway and
vehicle to ride on.
The rail lobby is strong here, but there is actual progress in the PRT
area. I just wish that the 5 PRT developers could work together instead
of secretly working and competing.
Seasonal BEST to all,
Dick
>> <mailto:steve....@startribune.com>steve....@startribune.com �
>> 612-673-4438
>>
>> <mailto:katie.h...@startribune.com>katie.h...@startribune.com
>> � 952-882-9056
>
>