Target Field station

Target Field Station (formerly known during construction under the names of Minneapolis Intermodal Station, Downtown Minneapolis Ballpark station and The Interchange) is a multimodal commuter train and light rail station in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Located in the North Loop area of Downtown Minneapolis, the station is named for Target Field, the Minnesota Twins baseball stadium. METRO Blue Line light rail service started November 14, 2009; Northstar Line commuter rail service started November 16, 2009; METRO Green Line light rail service started on June 14, 2014.

Target Field
Metro light rail station
Northstar Commuter Rail trains at Target Field Station in 2009.
Location5th Street & 3rd Avenue North
Minneapolis, MN 55401
Coordinates44°59′00″N 93°16′38″W
Owned byMetro Transit
Line(s)  Blue Line 
 Green Line 
 Southwest LRT  (2023)
Northstar Line
Platforms3 Island platforms
Tracks4 (2 for light rail, 2 for Northstar)
Connections 5th Street Garage:
3, 14, 20, 94, 353, 355, 365, 375, 887[1]
Construction
Disabled accessYes
Other information
Fare zoneDowntown zone (light rail)
History
OpenedNovember 14, 2009 (light rail)
November 16, 2009 (commuter rail)[2]
June 14, 2014 (The Interchange)[3]
Services
Preceding station Metro Following station
Terminus Blue Line Warehouse District/Hennepin Avenue
toward Mall of America
Green Line Warehouse District/Hennepin Avenue
toward Saint Paul Union Depot
Preceding station Metro Transit Following station
Terminus Northstar Line Fridley
towards Big Lake
Proposed and future service
Preceding station Metro Following station
Future service (2023)
Terminus Southwest LRT Royalston Avenue/Farmers Market
toward Southwest
Proposed
Van White Blvd
toward Oak Grove Parkway
 Bottineau LRT Terminus

Layout
A view down upon the Northstar Commuter Rail platform at Target Field station.

The station adjoins Target Field, and commuter rail trains can wait next to the stadium. The station has an island platform serving commuter rail and two sets of light rail island platforms. The first was opened in 2009, the second in 2014.

The commuter train platform runs northeast–southwest below at ground level between two tracks. The 2009 light rail station platforms run northwest–southeast on the 5th Street North bridge over the commuter rail tracks, while the 2014 platforms were built northwest of the 2009 set. By the commuter platform is a third track on the northwest side that allows freight traffic to bypass the platform tracks.

History
First pair of platforms for light rail under construction.

The first railroad tracks in Minneapolis on the west bank of the Mississippi were placed in this location by the St. Paul and Pacific Railroad which later became the Great Northern Railway. The Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway and Great Northern Railway laid parallel east/west tracks in this location platted as Dakota Avenue/4th Avenue between 3rd Street North and 5th Street North. The Minneapolis and St. Louis Track was the southern track and the Great Northern track was the northern track. This grade separation was agreed in 1890 after much litigation.[4] The rail bed was lowered to form what is known as "The Cut" below the street grade today.[5]

The station is near the sites of other former Minneapolis railroad depots. The first rail depot in downtown Minneapolis, for the St. Paul and Pacific, was located east near the present-day Fourth Street along the same tracks.[4] The Minneapolis and St. Louis railway freight and passenger depots were located at the East side of Washington Avenue, also east of the present Target Field station.[6] The Electric Short Line Railway (Luce Line) depot was located at the northwest corner of 7th St. North and 3rd Avenue North. It was shared with the Minneapolis, St. Paul, Rochester and Dubuque Electric Traction Company (known as the Dan Patch Line and later the Minneapolis, Northfield and Southern Railway), as well as the Minneapolis, Anoka and Cuyuna Range Interurban railway.[4]

2009 station
Metro Transit's first new Siemens S70, #201, arrives at a 2012 unveiling to the news media at the 2009 platforms at Target Field station. It bears Green Line signage, though this was months before the Green Line opened.

The station was opened in 2009, to serve Northstar Commuter Rail and the Hiawatha Line, now METRO Blue Line. The light rail line was extended from its existing terminus at Warehouse District / Hennepin Avenue to serve the new station.

The Minnesota Twins pledged $2.6 million for its construction.[7]

2014 addition

The 2014 addition was designed by New York-based Perkins Eastman, to provide additional platform space for both METRO Green and Blue Lines, as well as provide community gathering space.[8]

Future plans

The Green Line extension, also known as the Southwest Corridor to Eden Prairie and the Blue Line extension, also known as the Bottineau Boulevard to Brooklyn Park will serve Target Field. The Northern Lights Express to Duluth would originate at Target Field.

Potential regional rail routes from Target Field station include the Dakota Rail Corridor to Hutchinson, the Dan Patch Corridor to Northfield, the Little Crow Line to Willmar, the Red Rock Corridor to Hastings, and the Minnesota Prairie Line to Norwood Young America.

Operation

Light rail trains from both Blue and Green Lines serve both the 2009 and 2014 platforms. Each train makes two stops at the station to serve both sets of platforms.

The Northstar Commuter Rail one-way fares from this station range from $1.00 to $3.25 on weekdays and $1.00 to $2.75 on weekends, depending on the destination.[9] The Northstar Line provides five morning and five afternoon trips each weekday.[10]

Recognition

Target Field Station won a 2015 Institute Honor Award for Regional and Urban Design by the American Institute of Architects.[8]

Additional photos
  • View of the commuter platform in front of the nearly-complete Target Field. The upper light-rail platforms are obscured by bridges.
  • First pair of light rail platforms, June 2009
  • Northstar platforms, June 2009
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References
  1. "Downtown Minneapolis Transit System Map". Metro Transit. December 2009. Archived from the original on February 4, 2010. Retrieved 2010-02-15.
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-11-19. Retrieved 2015-04-23.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. http://www.theinterchange.net/
  4. Hofsommer, Don L. (2005). Minneapolis and the Age of Railways: And the Age of Railways. University of Minnesota Press. ISBN 0-8166-4501-9.
  5. Minneapolis Warehouse District Designation Study. City of Minneapolis, Planning commission. October 2009
  6. Donovan L. Hofsommer (2009). The Minneapolis & St. Louis Railway: A Photographic History. U of Minnesota Press. ISBN 978-0-8166-5131-3.
  7. Paul Levy and Joy Powell, Finally, all aboard Northstar rail, Star Tribune, December 10, 2007.
  8. Leigh Painter, Kristen (10 January 2015). "Target Field Station wins national design award". Star Tribune. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
  9. https://www.metrotransit.org/fares#Northstarfares
  10. "Target Field Station". Metro Transit. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
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