A chance to look forward on transit

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The opening of the Central Corridor provides an opportunity to celebrate the two LRT lines that now provide service between St. Paul, Minneapolis, and the airport. It’s important to remember that ridership for Hiawatha (Blue Line) has blown past projected ridership for 2020. The Blue Line averaged 31,000 weekday riders in the 3rd quarter of 2013, significantly above the 2020 projections of 24,800 riders. It succeeded because it connected major centers of activity and is surrounded by areas of relative density. Continue Reading

Green Line grand opening at Union Station

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Our best intentions to walk and take the train from downtown St Paul to Minneapolis and back again were derailed when the rain hit. Once the rain came at us horizontally, staying local made more sense. That was OK since there were plenty of activities at Union Station to keep up hopping!My nine year old companion and I started at Union Depot to see Koo Koo Kangaroo. It was a perfect start to the day: live music and an hour-long dance workout. Neil and Bryan were in great form. Continue Reading

Green Line opens to gray skies

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Steady rain put a damper on festivities along the Metro Transit Green Line grand opening Saturday, but it didn’t stop crowds from turning out to ride the new light rail that connects 11 miles between the Twin Cities.Dual opening celebrations kicked off around 9 a.m. at Union Depot Station in St. Paul and Target Field Station in downtown Minneapolis.At each ribbon-cutting event, community members and Minnesota politicians — including Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges, St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman, Sen. Al Franken, Rep. Keith Ellison and Rep. Betty McCollum — lined up to explore the light rail and its 18 new stops.Politicians celebrated the $957 million project, which they said had been on Minnesotans’ minds for 30 years.“We know our future is stronger when we are together as the Twin Cities,” Rep. Betty McCollum said.Many also touted the new rail’s economic benefits — which according to Metropolitan Council has already contributed to at least $2.5 billion in construction and redevelopment along the Green Line’s corridor.“This is about getting a transportation system that moves people to match the economy we’re walking into,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar said.Community celebrations were held at seven stations along the line, including West Bank Station and Stadium Village Station, near the University of Minnesota campus.The West Bank Station’s gathering included music and a traditional dance by the Oromia Youth Association.Emi Nguyen, a recent University graduate, said she plans to take advantage of the downtown-to-downtown connection the Green Line provides.“I just graduated and got a job in downtown. I live at the Station on Washington,” she said, “so I’m really excited, it’s really convenient.”Ward 3 City Council Member Jacob Frey said students will benefit from the three campus stations that connect the University to both downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul.“It provides an excellent connection for students at the University to jobs downtown,” he said. Continue Reading

Green Line opening changes bus routes: Some will see tweaks, while the Route 50 bus line will be discontinued

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When the long-awaited Green Line light rail opens June 14, three popular University of Minnesota area bus routes will adapt.Beginning next Saturday, Metro Transit bus Route 50 will be discontinued, and routes 3 and 16 will undergo changes. The University’s Parking and Transportation Services is also weighing changes to Campus Connector routes after a student opinion survey this spring.In total, 17 routes around the Twin Cities that connect to the Green Line will change. Route 50, which runs through campus to downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul in either direction, will be cut altogether and replaced by the Green Line.The 50 used to connect campus with a commuter stop called Huron Station. But when the route is axed, a new local bus will replace that connection, according to a Metro Transit report.Route 3, which connects the Como neighborhood with the West Bank via 15th Avenue Southeast, will remain mostly the same, but its path in downtown Minneapolis will change slightly.And come June 14, Route 16 will become a “feeder” route for the Green Line, the Metro Transit report said. Continue Reading

The Green Line is not commuter rail

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In a recent blog post, MPR’s Hart Van Denburg shared a video showing a Green Line route in it’s entirety. He also felt the need to mention the time it has been taking in test runs to ride the route from end to end. There is no need to speculate as to whether he personally was being antagonistic in mentioning this, the duration of the route has drawn the ire of demurrers on various comment threads. Continue Reading

Party on the Green Line for June 14 opening day

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The rides are free, and there’s a party at every stop. In fact, the festivities associated with the opening of the Metro Transit Green Line on June 14 amount to one long linear carnival celebrating the uniqueness of the neighborhoods along the light-rail route.

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