Stadium Village station

Stadium Village is a light rail station on the Green Line on the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis. Located in the Stadium Village area, it lies east of 23rd Avenue Southeast between University Avenue and 4th Street, across the road from Huntington Bank Stadium.[2] East of the station, the rail line parallels the U of M Transitway until 29th Street SE, where it turns to enter Prospect Park station.

Stadium Village
Metro light rail station
Stadium Village, looking north
General information
Location2301 University Avenue
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Coordinates44°58′29″N 93°13′22.5″W
Owned byMetro Transit
Line(s)  Green Line 
PlatformsSide platforms
Tracks2
ConnectionsRoutes 6, 33, 120, 121, 272, 960, 992[1]
Construction
Bicycle facilities
AccessibleYes
Other information
Station codeSTVI
Fare zoneCampus Zone (2014–2022)
History
OpenedJune 14, 2014
Passengers
projected 2030950 per weekday[1]
Services
Preceding station Metro Following station
East Bank
toward Target Field
 Green Line Prospect Park
toward Saint Paul Union Depot
Location

History and design
Queues for trains after a Minnesota Vikings game in November 2014.

The first light rail proposal in 1981 by the Metropolitan Council identified an Oak Street station on Washington Avenue adjacent to Stadium Village's namesake Memorial Stadium.[3] These plans, which included an entire network, were largely mothballed after the Minnesota Legislature banned the use of public funds on light rail transit in 1985.[4]

In 1999 a direct bus predecessor to the Green Line, Route 50, was created as a limited stop service with Oak Street also the final stop on campus before 27th Avenue.[5] The original Central Corridor design was roughly similar to its current design at 23rd Avenue, expect configured as a sunken island platform. Directly south would have been the west portal for a tunnel under Washington Avenue. North it would have followed the same alignment and climbed to grade parallel with the Transitway. The Final EIS in 2009 concluded trains would run at grade on Washington Avenue, modifying the station to its built at grade configuration.[6]

Construction of the line along the Transitway began in 2011, with construction of the station starting in 2012.[7] The station opened along with the rest of the line in 2014.

Stadium Village was the west end of a free-fare zone with the Campus Zone Pass available to University of Minnesota students, staff, and facility. The program launched with the fall 2014 semester and was discontinued the fall 2022 semester after the university moved to a free universal transit pass for students.[8]

In 2025 the E Line will serve the station, with new University & 23rd Avenue station facilities constructed for bus rapid transit operations.[9]

Bus connections

Connections can be made to local Routes 6 and 33 on University Avenue. At the U of M Transitway connections can be made to University of Minnesota Campus Shuttle Routes 121 (Campus Connector) and 120 (East Bank Circulator) and express Route 272. There is a significant transfer point short distance west at University Avenue and Oak Street. Connections could be made to Route 960 during the 2019 Minnesota State Fair season due to a detour; service was suspended for following seasons.

The Green Line Night Bus and rail replacement buses stop on University Avenue.[10]

References
  1. "Stadium Village Station". Central Corridor. Metropolitan Council. Archived from the original on March 9, 2012. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
  2. "Central Corridor light rail illustrated plans". Central Corridor. Metropolitan Council. June 28, 2010. Archived from the original on September 7, 2010. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
  3. Midwest Research Institute; Sanders & Thomas, Inc.; Comsis Corporation; Metropolitan Council (March 1981). Light Rail Transit Feasibility Study. St. Paul: Metropolitan Council.
  4. "Laws of Minnesota 1985, 1st Special, chapter 10, section 105". Act of 1985. Minnesota State Legislature.
  5. "Central Corridor Transit Service Study Existing Conditions Report" (PDF). metrotransit.org. Metro Transit. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  6. Metropolitan Council; AECOM; Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc.; LTK Engineering Services (11 March 2009). Central Corridor Light Rail Transit Project FEIS Plans (Report). Metropolitan Council.
  7. "Construction on western end of Central Corridor begins in September". Metro Transit. 2010. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
  8. Melo, Frederick (31 August 2022). "U of M drops U-Pass, adds unlimited regional rides with Universal Transit Pass". St. Paul Pioneer Press. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  9. "METRO E Line Final Corridor Plan" (PDF). metrotransit.org. Metro Transit. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 September 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  10. "Rail Closures". metrotransit.org. Metro Transit. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
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