Lake Street/Midtown station
| Company type | Light rail station |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Founded | June 26, 2004 |
| Headquarters | Minneapolis , United States |
Area served | Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| Products | Light rail transit services (Blue Line) |
| Website | www |
Lake Street/Midtown station, sometimes referred to as Lake Street station or Midtown station, is a Blue Line light rail stop situated in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Positioned on a bridge spanning East Lake Street next to Highway 55, it serves as an important transit hub with connections including Metro Transit bus Route 21. The upcoming Metro B Line will feature platforms located beneath the existing Blue Line station; the eastbound bus rapid transit (BRT) stop opened in 2015, while the westbound platform is planned for completion in 2024, aiming for a June 2025 commencement.
Description
This elevated station extends over East Lake Street along the western flank of Minnesota State Highway 55, locally known as Hiawatha Avenue. It includes a central platform and is one of just two Blue Line stations constructed above ground level, the other being Franklin Avenue. Service at this location began on June 26, 2004.
Lake Street/Midtown is among four stations lining Hiawatha Avenue, alongside 38th Street, 46th Street, and 50th Street. This transit corridor passes through neighborhoods with varied architectural styles and established communities such as Longfellow and Corcoran.
Immediately north of the station, the Blue Line traverses Hiawatha Avenue via a concrete box girder flyover before descending back to ground level.
The nearby seasonal Midtown Farmers' Market operates weekly, featuring fresh produce, meats, baked items, crafts, and live entertainment, thereby fostering local community involvement.
In 2008, collaboration among local residents, Metro Transit, and Xcel Energy resulted in murals painted on electric utility boxes near the station that depict scenes from the market. Community members also advocated for enhanced accessibility through the installation of new sidewalks and stairways to mitigate erosion and improve commuter convenience.
This station was originally intended to serve as the terminus for the Minneapolis Streetcar System's Midtown Greenway Line.
Park and Ride lot
When the station opened, it included a 170-space park and ride facility leased from Anishinabe Academy elementary school. This lot was meant as a temporary solution until additional parking areas outside Minneapolis became available. The lot often exceeded its capacity, leading to vehicles parking in aisles and adjacent streets, which generated complaints from nearby residents during neighborhood meetings. Reports of criminal activity also surfaced, attributed in part to insufficient lighting. Efforts to enhance illumination were complicated by Metro Transit's lack of ownership since the lot was leased from the public school district.
This facility was the sole park and ride lot on the Blue Line located within Minneapolis city limits and was closed on March 7, 2015, to allow for redevelopment. More than 2,500 park and ride spaces are accessible at Fort Snelling and 28th Avenue stations toward the southern end of the Blue Line.
Bus connections and future bus rapid transit
Passengers can transfer to bus route 21 via a lower-level platform at this station.
The station will also accommodate the forthcoming Metro B Line, a bus rapid transit corridor under construction that will replace Route 21 along Lake Street and Selby Avenue. Although Route 21 serves approximately 10,000 passengers on weekdays, it accounts for only 2% of all traffic along Lake Street. The B Line will introduce dedicated stations and vehicles, frequent service throughout the day, off-board fare payment systems, near-level boarding platforms, and transit signal priority measures designed to increase travel speeds currently reduced to about 8 mph during peak periods.
Scheduled to begin operations in 2024, the B Line will offer crosstown connections to Southwest LRT, Metro E Line, Orange Line, D Line, A Line, and will terminate at Union Depot in downtown Saint Paul. The eastbound BRT platform was constructed in 2015 featuring amenities such as a shelter, station signage, heating elements, lighting, near-level boarding access, and infrastructure supporting off-board fare collection. Engineering work concluded in 2020 with construction commencing in 2023.
Future
Over the past two decades since its inauguration, the station has experienced significant deterioration, characterized by vandalism, malfunctioning elevators and escalators, as well as a rise in criminal activity. Starting in 2023, transit authorities introduced security personnel, which has reportedly led to a decline in crime rates. Nevertheless, the station has still been the site of several notable shootings and assaults.
In 2024, the Metropolitan Council granted a contract for the station’s redesign, with construction possibly commencing in 2025. Although Minnesota's light rail system currently uses a proof-of-payment approach, the Metropolitan Council is evaluating the implementation of faregates to secure the station in response to safety challenges.
Notable places nearby
- Longfellow neighborhood
- Corcoran neighborhood
- Hiawatha LRT Trail
- Little Earth Trail
- Minnehaha Mall & Hi-Lake Shopping Center
- Midtown YWCA
- Midtown Farmers' Market
- Minneapolis South High School
- Green Institute