This past weekend I attended Train Days at Union Depot. This is a fun family event held annually at this historical downtown St. Paul train station. It is a chance for train lovers of all ages to view walk through the beautifully renovated Union Depot and see vintage train engines and even stroll through restored dining and passenger cars of yesteryear. There was an outdoor kid play area with food trucks and indoor events included model train displays, art activities, vendors and abundant photo ops.
One of the events was the opportunity to tour the Metro Transit Light Rail’s Green Line Operations and Maintenance facility. It is astounding to realize there are 46 trains that make up the Green Line along with an additional 46 trains being maintained at a similar facility on the far western end of the Blue Line. The Green Line trains are cleaned, maintained and housed at the Operations and Maintenance facility adjacent to CHS Field where the St. Paul Saints play their baseball games. It was an eye opening walk through viewing the pits and towers where teams of transit professionals keep everything moving from St. Paul to Minneapolis with many stops in between.
The metro light rail system is something that I am often asked about when home buyers are considering relocating to the Minneapolis/St Paul area. As anyone who knows me knows, I live in the far northern suburbs and have little chance to experience the light rail train system. To be honest, the tour was the first time I actually stepped foot onto one of these trains that are such an integral part of the cities transit system.
With so many recurring questions I wanted to be able to share more about the light rail routes; specifically where do these 90+ trains go daily? To answer this important question, I enlisted an expert in Twin Cities light rail travel to write a about the metro light rail system. This is a guided tour of sorts including highlights of all the stations along both active lines. I will be sharing these articles in series of posts over the next couple of weeks so please check back to learn more about the Minneapolis/St. Paul transit system.
Ready to make your move to a home near the Green or Blue Line? If you are buying, selling or relocating to Minnesota and need help from a professional REALTOR®, give me, Teri Eckholm of BOARDMAN Realty, a call or visit my website for a FREE Home Buyer Success Guide.
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