February 14, 2013, Thursday - Streetcar Map Open House at Central Library

Time:  3:30pm - 5:30pm (Presentation at 4pm)

Location:  Central Library, 300 Nicollet Mall

Could a streetcar stop be coming to your doorstep?
 
The city released a map that shows, for the first time, where a proposed streetcar or enhanced bus system along Nicollet and Central Aves. would stop. The route would extend from 46th Street South to 41st Ave. NE.

The city is hosting this open house to inform people about the possible new transit options.
 
To be sure, it could be a while before streetcars actually start running in Minneapolis. The city still needs to complete its alternatives analysis -- expected in summer 2013 -- and then secure federal funding to make the project possible.
 
City leaders seem determined to pursue streetcars, which once criss-crossed Minneapolis, but the alternatives analysis could conclude that some form of enhanced bus system (such as bus rapid transit) would be more viable.
 
The route from South to Northeast Minneapolis includes nearly 40 stops, each within about two blocks of each other. That's a major difference from light rail, which features a much larger buffer between stops.