Station study areas and visualizations: July - September 2021

Station study areas

Station study areas for North Minneapolis

The Metropolitan Council and Hennepin County released potential station study areas and corridor concept drawings for the planned METRO Blue Line Extension in July 2021. A potential station study area is a location where the project is considering a station for the light rail.

View the station study areas under "What we shared" below.

How were these potential station study areas determined?

Previously planned stations
Stakeholder and community input
Key destinations
Transit connections
1/2 to 1 mile spacing
Overall number of stations

NOTE: The total number of stations has not been determined, meaning some potential station locations may be consolidated or eliminated.

How will these potential station study areas be evaluated?

These stations will be studied with regards to the project principles and goals, public engagement, and engineering requirements. Some additional considerations may include population and jobs, available right of way, and existing and future land use.

VisualizationsExample visualization on West Broadway in North Minneapolis

How might light rail look in your community? There are multiple ways light rail and stations can be built. It can run at street level, elevated above the street, and in some cases, tunnels might be used. Different options have different pluses and minuses. Typically, at grade stations offer the most advantages that benefit the community and riders and helps light rail integrate with the surrounding area. At grade is also the easiest to build. But, there are cases when other options might make sense for your community.

Some notes on the visualizations:

The corridor concept drawings are an extension of the route maps published in March 2021.
Each concept represents a vision of what Blue Line light rail could look like at individual locations along the considered routes.
Please note that these visualizations are conceptual in nature and are intended only to further ongoing discussions about route selection,
Your feedback on these materials will help us refine the route options and be incorporated into a report that will be available in fall 2021

What we shared

View the potential station study areas and light rail visualizations linked below and in the interactive map.

What we heard

Check back soon for the engagement report!