[as of June-2005]

The Hiawatha Line is a 12 mile (19 kilometer) light rail corridor in Minneapolis, Minnesota that extends to the southern suburb of Bloomington, in Hennepin County connecting downtown Minneapolis to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and the Mall of America.

Groundbreaking for the line took place on January 17, 2001. Regular service began on a first phase of the line on June 26, 2004 between Downtown and the Fort Snelling station. The second phase to the Airport and the Mall of America opened on December 4, 2004. It is operated by the Metro Transit division of the Metropolitan Council, which is also the largest operator of buses in the area.

The Minneapolis-St. Paul area once had an extensive network of streetcars (operated for many years by Twin City Rapid Transit, a precursor of Metro Transit), but the tracks were removed and services were eliminated in the 1950s. The Hiawatha Line opened 50 years and one week after the last regular-service streetcars ran in the city.

The line is named for Hiawatha Avenue, also known as Minnesota State Highway 55, which runs parallel to the train tracks for much of its distance. To integrate the train route with the rest of the area bus system, it was also given the name Route 55. In extremely heavy travel periods and when the rail line is out of service for any reason, buses use that route number. Before the second phase had been completed, a temporary bus line known as Route 155 provided a link to some destinations south of the Fort Snelling station.

Predicted daily ridership is 19,300 for 2005 and 24,600 for 2020. The line is incredibly popular with heavy loads during rush hours and considerable patronage during off-hours.

SERVICE

In basic service, trains operate every 10 minutes, though rush hour should see one train every 7.5 minutes, and late-night operation is only once every half hour. The line shuts down for about four hours each night, except for a shuttle service between the two terminals at the MSP airport. The airport used to operate a bus shuttle between the two terminals, but the light rail line has supplanted that service. It is free to ride between those two stations.

Single cars run most of the time, aided by two-car trains during peak hour periods. Timetable does not reflect the use of single cars vs. trains as the headway remains standard.

Passengers who ride the rail system are ordinarily charged the same fare as they would pay for the local Metro Transit bus system, and they can use their bus transfer cards to switch between the two different modes of transportation without making another payment. A new payment system using smart cards (known as Go-To Cards) was initially expected to be introduced along with the rail line, but software bugs have delayed introduction.

RIGHT-OF-WAY

The Downtown section of the line between Hennepin Ave and the Metrodome could be regarded as a 'street-running' section, although automobile traffic is not allowed over the tracks except for cross-track moves. A similar arrangement is also used further down the line along a brief section of Minnehaha Ave between E 52nd St and 54th St E prior to the VA Medical Center station.

The line runs on a completely segregated right-of-way as it struggles through a maze of highway ramps at the junction of I-35W, I-94 and Highways 55 and 122 south of downtown, between Metrodome and the Franklin Ave station. The line then follows a wide highway known as Hiawatha Ave on a heavily segregated and partially fenced-in right-of-way that parallels the roadway. Gated crossings are used between Metrodome and the 50th St / Minnehaha Park station, and at the Fort Snelling station. There are two impressive S-shaped tram-only viaducts: between the Franklin Ave station and the Lake St / Midtown station over Hiawatha Ave, and between the VA Medical Center station and the Fort Snelling station over Highway 62.

There are two stretches where tunnels are used on the line. A short tunnel parallel to Hiawatha Avenue travels under Minnehaha Parkway just north of the Minnehaha Park station. At the airport, twin tunnels (one for each northbound and southbound trains) go underground for 1.7 miles (2.7 km) to reach the Lindbergh Terminal station, the only stop that is totally underground about 70 feet (20 m) below the surface. Trains return to the surface as they approach Humphrey Terminal. Some of the sections under the airport required the use of a tunnel boring machine.

The remaining section is a lightly segregated right-of-way without fencing or gate crossings built in the middle of 34th Ave S, and on the side of American Blvd E and 28th Ave S. The line ends as it enters the ground level of the parking garage built around the Mall of America, at the designated transit center.

CARS

The Hiawatha Line uses Flexity Swift trams manufactured by Bombardier, electrically powered by overhead lines. The system is designed to output 750 volts of direct current. Trains can reach speeds of 55 miles per hour, but the general service speed is about 40 mph or slower (especially in the downtown region). They are of a 70% low-floor design, meaning that 70 percent of the floor inside is within about 14 inches (36 cm) of the ground. This is the same height as the rail platforms, so people who have disabilities don't have to step up. Each vehicle weighs about 107,000 pounds (48,500 kg) when empty. Vehicles have a capacity of 66 seated passengers plus 120 standees. Two vehicles may be linked together.

Vehicles have a color scheme that is primarily a combination of black, yellow, and gray. Yellow is a notable color because it was commonly used on the previous streetcar systems. Each vehicle has an A, B, and C section: The A and B sections are the large portions on each end, while the C section is a small portion that connects the two other pieces and has the vehicle's middle truck or bogie. Electricity is collected by a pantograph mounted on the B section. The first vehicle was delivered on March 19, 2003. 14 of 15 delivered vehicles were operational for the opening weekend. The initial order was eventually bumped up to a full 24 vehicles, which were operational by early 2005. An additional one to three vehicles will probably be ordered, using leftover funds from the construction budget and some money intended for a future upgrade that will extend the line a few city blocks and add several LRVs.

The noses of these vehicles are different than most other Flexity trains, containing a small scoop-shaped area. This could assist somewhat in the removal of snow, but the anticipated snow-management method is merely to run trains on a frequent basis rather than actually using snow removal equipment (this was what the earlier streetcar system usually did to keep lines clear, though they also often featured small scrapers in front of the lead wheels).

Each vehicle has a number of cameras onboard, pointing both inward and outward, to monitor passenger activity and other areas of interest for security and safety. Train stations also have cameras. Video feeds and the position of each vehicle on the line are monitored in a control room at the system's maintenance facility, located between Cedar-Riverside and Franklin Avenue stations.

STATIONS

Each of the 17 stations along the route are designed to have a unique architecture reflecting the neighborhood they stand in. This is not an entirely new idea for the region, as many of the higher-traffic bus stops around the city have distinct designs. If the need ever arises for three-vehicle trains, some stations are already designed with that capacity, and others were built to be easily expandable to handle the longer trainsets. Due to the unique makeup of Minneapolis's population, ticket-dispensing machines will present instructions in four languages: English, Spanish, Somali, and Hmong.

A significant amount of effort has gone into creating artwork for the different rail stations. In the months after the line first started, a number of small audio and video playback devices were installed in the stations, to provide amusement and topics for discussion among travelers waiting for the train.

DEPOT

The main facility is near the Franklin Ave station.

ERGONOMICS

Automobile traffic along S 5th St which carries trams through the downtown area is allowed in the northbound direction only, but mostly via the western lane, thus making cars meet trams head-on. This is considered a safer traffic engineering approach, as drivers face trams, which makes them more alert and aware of tram's presence. Such approach is used by many newly built North-American light rail systems. In some places automobile traffic moves north on both sides of the tramway right-of-way, but eastern lane does not go far, and is mostly used by local traffic. This arrangement proves to be confusing for out-of-state drivers who usually find themselves in the eastern lane, when the western lane is occupied by Twin City's drivers only. Cross traffic is prone to most mistakes as turning south into the western lane of S 5th St is very tempting. All cross streets have 'no turn on red' signs posted.

One city block between S 3rd Ave and S 4th Ave is occupied by the Government Plaza station and remains automobile-free, effectively making an entire tramway corridor via S 5th St unattractive for through traffic.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Photography is generally welcomed by Metro Transit staff.