Union Depot

[trkaiser]

That's a good point. I'd think it'd be better planning to get moving on the Minneapolis Multimodal Station ahead of this, since it's soon the intersection of three lines. Well, kind of soon.

[mfryxell123]

Regarding "where is the $100 million coming from..."

There was an article in Twin Cities Biz Journal that says there are bonding plans in place regardless what happens, so this should be moving forward and the $35 million is icing on the cake (reduced bonding amount).

[spectre000]

Their was a movie being filmed at the Union Depot on monday. The movie is titled "The Convincer". Pictures are available at the link below,

http://blog.regionalrail.org/?cat=13

[moda253]

Why would the Ramsey County Rail Authority be concerned about funding for the Multi Modal station in Heenepin county?

The funds being asked for are for the parts in Ramsey County, no?

That's a good point. I'd think it'd be better planning to get moving on the Minneapolis Multimodal Station ahead of this, since it's soon the intersection of three lines. Well, kind of soon.

[MNdible]

Why would the Ramsey County Rail Authority be concerned about funding for the Multi Modal station in Heenepin county?

The funds being asked for are for the parts in Ramsey County, no?

Maybe I'm misunderstanding your point, but my concern is that Union Depot seems to be receiving the lion's share of Federal transit dollars available (Ramsey County should feel free to spend as much of their money as they want). It's a cool project, but for the foreseeable future, it's going to be really underused. And there are other parts of the transit system that are over-used, and go wanting for funding to improve service. The Multi-Modal station may or may not be one of those items.

[Heatonator]

http://www.startribune.com/politics/local/97231029.html

Pelosi on Union Depot: 'This is the future'

The House speaker toured the historic building in St. Paul that lawmakers envision as transportation hub.

By ERIC ROPER, Star Tribune
Last update: June 27, 2010 - 12:19 AM

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi traveled to St. Paul's Lowertown area on Saturday to survey the empty halls of the historic Union Depot, which lawmakers hope to transform into a transportation hub, with the financial backing of the federal government.

Once the center of railroad activity in St. Paul, the mostly dormant building is expected to be on one end of a high-speed rail line that would link Chicago and the Twin Cities. It will also be home to the planned light-rail line between Minneapolis and St. Paul. The $237 million renovation project is slated to begin this fall and be completed in late 2012.

The federal government has allocated about $85 million for the effort, $35 million of which came from the stimulus bill. Ramsey County has proffered about $42 million, and planners still need to fill a funding gap of about $100 million.

Pelosi was joined Saturday by Democratic Reps. Betty McCollum, Keith Ellison and Jim Oberstar, the chairman of the House Transportation Committee. Before holding a news conference, the group toured the concourse.

[ad hoc]

http://www.twincities.com/ci_15381503?nclick_check=1

Reviving St. Paul's Union Depot
[...]
The end goal is to prepare the depot to reclaim its long-defunct role as a transportation hub for the east metro, if not the entire region. According to various plans in various stages, ranging from conception to construction, the Central Corridor light-rail line will stop in front of the depot's neoclassical pillars; Amtrak and commuter trains to points east, west, north and south will stop behind it; high-speed trains will carry passengers to and from Chicago; Greyhound and Jefferson bus lines will make it a destination; and local commuter buses will operate from it.

[...]
Underneath the landscaped and pillared turnaround at the depot's grand entrance sits a dingy and dim parking area. Worthless, right? Absolutely not. The "carriageway," as it's known, was actually a significant sheltered entry for passengers arriving by coach and car, according to a 166-page Historical Structures report by Beyer Blinder Belle Architects and Planners currently in draft form. When President Harry Truman visited the depot, which served passengers from the 1920s until 1971, he arrived through the carriageway.

Preliminary plans call for restoring the area, perhaps beneath understated arches with natural light streaming in. It would connect to the "headhouse" — the Fourth Street building most people think of as the depot — via a glassed entry with escalators and elevators.

The carriageway's restoration is one of many examples contained in documents that suggest, when the project is done, the public will be able to experience the building in ways they might not have even conceived of, says Leigh Rolfshus, associate vice president of HGA, a Minneapolis-based architecture firm involved in drawing up the vision.

"We'd like to add transparency to a lot of areas," Rolfshus said, noting that in areas where new construction is expected, complementary structures with great views are envisioned. "Back then, it wasn't glamorous to look out over the river and all that industry. Today, we treasure views like that."
[...]