USDOT Continues to Fund Better Rides to Work for Twin Cities Area Commuters and Low-Income Workers

Twin Cities Area commuters and low-income workers will enjoy improved transit service and easier access to employment sites thanks to three grants totaling $32.2 million from the Federal Transportation Administration (FTA), announced U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta announced today.

“Today we do our part to help get Minnesota commuters and low-income workers to work each day,” said Secretary Mineta. “The Bush Administration understands that transit serves as a lifeline to a strong economy, carrying America’s growing workforce to jobs throughout the country,” said Secretary Mineta.

A grant for $18.4 million will be used by The Metropolitan Council to pay contractors for design services and the 24 rail cars already in use for the Hiawatha Corridor Light Rail Project. The Hiawatha line opened its doors to the public in June 2004. The 12-mile rail line is scheduled for completion in December 2004 and will operate from the Warehouse District in downtown Minneapolis to the southern suburb of Bloomington, Minnesota. The line will consist of 17 station stops including the Metrodome, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and the Mall of America. With a fleet of 24 light rail vehicles, the line is expected to carry 24,000 riders per day by the year 2020. The FTA has committed a total of $341,152,000 million to the Hiawatha project.

An additional grant of $990,671 will be used to support Job Access and Reverse Commute van programs, which connect lower-income workers and welfare recipients to scattered employment sites throughout the Twin Cities metropolitan area.

The remaining funding awarded to the Metropolitan Council will assist in enhancing and improving bus services within the Twin Cities and its seven surrounding counties. A grant of $12.8 million will be used to purchase up to 65 new buses, over the next six years, which will replace existing vehicles that serve commuter routes within the Twin Cities and its seven surrounding counties. The first of the new buses are expected to be delivered in 2006.