Twin Cities Streetcar Transit (fantasy transit)

This page details the Twin Cities Streetcar System of my overall fantasy transit system.  This system uses the Minneapolis Streetcar proposals (part of the Access Minneapolis plan) as a baseline for core streetcar system that supplements my fantasy Light Rail system.  A few of the streetcar lines proposed in the Access Minneapolis plan have been replaced by fantasy LRT lines, while a few others were expanded, and two streetcar lines serving St. Paul are included in this fantasy system.

The below table shows a quick description of the streetcar lines in my fantasy system.  Included are links to maps of each corridor.

Line Name Location Description Map Links
Robbinsdale Robbinsdale Transit Center to Downtown Minneapolis Follows the Access Minneapolis proposal for a streetcar along the Washington Ave N/West Broadway corridor.
Northeast Northeast Minneapolis to Downtown Minneapolis A north-south line through northeast Minneapolis along University Ave NE.
Dinkytown University of Minnesota to Downtown Minneapolis Follows the Access Minneapolis proposal for a streetcar connecting downtown to the new Gopher stadium via 3rd Ave and University Ave SE.
Campus University of Minnesota:  East Bank to St. Paul Campus This is my idea of a streetcar replacement to the U of M transitway that connects the East Bank with the St. Paul Campus, and would be an extension of the Dinkytown streetcar line.
Franklin-Riverside West Franklin to Downtown Minneapolis via Cedar-Riverside An east-west route just south of downtown Minneapolis, then loops back to downtown via the Cedar-Riverside area.
Chicago South Minneapolis to Downtown Minneapolis Follows the Access Minneapolis proposal for a streetcar along Chicago Ave.
Nicollet Richfield to Downtown Minneapolis

Based on the Access Minneapolis proposal for a streetcar along Nicollet Ave, but realigned at 46th St to serve the 46th St station on my fantasy LRT Lakeville Line, and extended south to the Richfield "Hub" along 66th St.  Also rerouted on the south side of downtown to serve the Convention Center and align onto 3rd Ave through downtown.

Dunwoody Van White Blvd to Downtown Minneapolis A modification of the proposed Hennepin streetcar.  Since my fantasy LRT Hennepin Line serves Uptown, I've rerouted the proposed Hennepin streetcar to continue west along Dunwoody Blvd to Van White Blvd, ending at my fantasy LRT Southwest Line.
Downtown Loop Downtown Minneapolis loop A loop around downtown Minneapolis, utilizing Washington Ave, Chicago Ave, 9th St, and 1st Ave.
Snelling Highland Park to Roseville via St. Paul Midway A north-south route in St. Paul mostly following Snelling Ave.
Ford South Minneapolis to Highland Park An east-west route connecting the Hiawatha Line to Snelling Ave via 46th St and Ford Pkwy.
Capitol Downtown St. Paul to Little Canada A north-south line heading north from downtown St. Paul via Rice St.
Hopkins 5th Ave S and Main Street in Hopkins Based on a Hopkins city proposal for a trolley connecting the planned Southwest LRT station to the city's Main Street.  I've extended the streetcar west along Main Street to 17th Ave.

 

Rough Cost Estimates

The below chart shows a rough cost estimate for each line, based on a planning-level cost of $25 million per mile and rounded to the next higher million:

Line Name Mileage Cost
Robbinsdale 5.5 $138 million
Northeast 2.6 $65 million
Dinkytown 2.5 $63 million
Campus 3.2 $80 million
Franklin-Riverside 4.3 $108 million
Chicago 2.5 $63 million
Nicollet 7.2

$180 million

Dunwoody 1.1 $28 million
Downtown Loop 2.7 $68 million
Snelling 8.7 $218 million
Ford 2.6 $65 million
Capitol 6.7 $168 million
Hopkins 1.0 $25 million
Totals 50.6 $1,269 million

 

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Page last modified 17 October, 2009