LRT pays off for low-wage workers, study says

Has light rail worked in Minneapolis? A study from the University of Minnesota says at least one component of the master plan has: It’s given more low-income income earners access to more jobs.

The study, released a short time ago, said the number of low-wage jobs within 30 minutes’ commuting time increased by 50 percent:

In addition, low-wage workers have increasingly been locating near station areas. Hiawatha and related transit upgrades are estimated to have drawn 907 low-wage workers into the Hiawatha station areas. Out of the 907 relocated workers, 78 percent moved to areas near the Cedar-Riverside, Franklin Avenue and Lake Street-Midtown stations.

Likewise, the number of low-wage employers has increased near station areas, with Hiawatha and related transit upgrades having, by estimate, brought in more than 5,000 low-wage jobs into areas near downtown Minneapolis and suburban Bloomington light-rail stations.