The Green Line to start running just in time for Northern Spark

Art lovers will have a free ride to the biggest cultural event of the year. The Metro Green Line will start light rail service between downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul on June 14, Metro Transit announced this morning. The 11-mile line will run from the Union Depot station in St. Paul's Lowertown to to Target Field in downtown Minneapolis. The date coincides with Northern Spark 2014 - an all night art event that will take place this year in downtown Minneapolis. The grand opening will feature free rides along the Green Line -- originally known as the Central Corridor -- and a day-long celebration. Last year Northern Spark was based around Union Depot, and drew approximately 45,000 people. In its first year the festival took place in both cities; the addition of a direct light rail line between the two downtowns makes the prospect of doing so again more feasible.

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