In an alternate universe, the planning of Southwest light rail goes much smoother than in this universe, where planners assume light rail through a forest will get more ridership than light rail through Uptown, freight railroads don't need to be consulted on poorly planned reroutes until the last minute, and tunnels through forest and houses built 25 feet away from the freight rail tracks are acceptable. The following is a timeline in the competent universe.
1985: Hennepin County buys route known as the Kenilworth corridor from the Chicago & North Western Railway for future transit use.
Do: Preserve whole width of right-of-way for trail, transit and freight rail. Ensure that residents near the route or anyone buying a home near the right-of-way are informed about potential transit use near their homes.
Don't: Allow houses to be built on part of the right-of-way and just 25 feet from the tracks. Let real estate agents sucker people into buying houses near the tracks under the assumption that there won't be any more freight trains. Neglect to inform residents about future transit use along the route.
1994: Chicago & North Western Railway discontinues freight service through the Kenilworth corridor.
Do: Preserve whole width of right-of-way for trail, transit and freight rail. Rebuilding of Hwy. 55/Hiawatha Avenue calls for severing the 29th Street Railway Trench (now the Midtown Greenway), which will force the Twin Cities & Western Railroad Co. (TC&W) to use the Kenilworth corridor to travel east.
Don't: Neglect to inform people that freight trains may need to use the Kenilworth corridor again due to severing of 29th Street Railway Trench. Let people assume that the tracks are abandoned and that freight trains won't travel through there ever again. Let developers build next to tracks under the assumption the right-of-way will be used only by transit and a trail.
1998: 29th Street trench is severed and abandoned. TC&W begins using Kenilworth corridor to travel east to St. Paul.