Twin Cities’ Central Corridor project installs first of 14 substations

Written by Jenifer Nunez, assistant editor

Crews have completed placement of the Minneapolis-St. Paul Central Corridor light-rail line's first traction-power substation just south of the Raymond Avenue Station. Fourteen substations, located about one mile apart, will convert alternating electrical current to direct current, which will power the light-rail vehicles using a system of overhead catenary wires. Throughout the next year, the 13 other substations will be installed at a rate of one a month.

“We’ve made tremendous progress this spring and summer,” said Rich Rovang, project director. “As of the end of July, the Central Corridor project reached 68 percent completion. At this pace, we should reach our goal to be 75 percent done by the year’s end.”

The Central Corridor Light Rail Transit Project will link downtown St. Paul and downtown Minneapolis along Washington and University avenues. Construction began in late 2010 on the planned 11-mile Central Corridor line and service will begin in 2014. The line will connect with the Hiawatha LRT line at the Metrodome station in Minneapolis and the Northstar commuter rail line at Target Field Station.

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