Development along light-rail transit line exceeds early projections

The Hiawatha light-rail train passes near the Reflections Condominiums, under construction in Bloomington.

The Metropolitan Council of Minneapolis-St. Paul reports on the great success of the light rail transit system recently opened for service in Minneapolis. From the article:

After decades of debate, the region in 2001 began building its first light-rail transit (LRT) line, along Hiawatha Avenue in Minneapolis. The project required a huge investment of time, labor and money -- $715.3 million from federal, state, regional and county sources. Public investments for the Hiawatha line were approved, in part, because planners predicted significant investments in nearby business and residential development. Has the project lived up to the dream?

After just one year of full operation, the answer is a solid “yes.” LRT is more than fulfilling its promise to attract both riders and development.

In its first year of full operation, Hiawatha LRT attracted 7.8 million riders, exceeding pre-construction estimates by 58.2 percent. By October 2005, ridership had surpassed projections for 2020, according to Bob Gibbons, director of customer services at Metro Transit. Forty percent of Hiawatha riders are new to transit. The majority of riders take the light rail to and from work, reducing traffic congestion and lessening competition for downtown parking spaces.

Housing construction booms along line

Before construction, planners predicted the areas surrounding LRT would draw 7,000 new housing units by 2020. By the end of 2005, more than 5,400 units were completed or in construction, and the City of Minneapolis had processed permits for 7,000 additional units for construction by 2008, according to the city planning department....
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Light rail (including streetcars) and heavy rail, if properly designed and routed, attracts new transit riders. And, compared to bus transit, public investments in rail-based transportation infrastructure seems to generate far more complementary private investment.

Index Keywords: transit