Orange Line / 35W@94: Downtown to Crosstown Project

[DanPatchToget]

I believe originally the 597 was going to remain when the Orange Line opened, but of course COVID happened and with the huge drop in express bus ridership I assume that's why it's also being replaced by the Orange Line. I wonder how the 460 and 465 will do when the Orange Line starts. Has MVTA proposed any changes for their routes yet? Hopefully they won't be petty like with the Red Line and saturate service on the 35W Corridor.

[tmart]

Yeah it was pretty striking to me how Minneapolis barely appeared in the bus network report. The most generous interpretation is that this will be reviewed in the near future as part of a more comprehensive plan. The most cynical interpretation is that this project is first and foremost a highway reconstruction, and so serving Minneapolis has never been a priority.

In an ideal world, we'd be working towards a comprehensive grid, where most stops on the Blue and Orange lines would be served by a direct, high-frequency feeder line. Great feeder buses are a big boost in general but I think could be especially important for the Orange Line given how pedestrian-unfriendly the station locations are.

Lake St, at least, is heading that direction, while 46th seems somewhat neglected. In a bigger sense, the lack of stops at Franklin or 38th unfortunately somewhat hobbles our ability to realize that type of grid network.

[Hero]

The reasoning stated in the presentation behind abandoning the 515 branch to the VA and the branch down Longfellow Ave is to serve Bloomington Ave south of 66th. What I don't understand is why not extend route 14 instead since it is already on Bloomington Ave and ends at 66th? Then they wouldn't abandon the VA or the airport workers they mentioned in the presentation.

Looking at these southern routes I find myself jealous of the east/west routes available. Maybe some day routes 23 and 46 can get higher frequency or maybe a new route could be added on 35th, 42nd or 58th.

[DanPatchToget]

Was there a local route serving 50th Street Station at one point? I recall seeing a bus connection available on an old transit map I had.

[Trademark]

The reasoning stated in the presentation behind abandoning the 515 branch to the VA and the branch down Longfellow Ave is to serve Bloomington Ave south of 66th. What I don't understand is why not extend route 14 instead since it is already on Bloomington Ave and ends at 66th? Then they wouldn't abandon the VA or the airport workers they mentioned in the presentation.

Looking at these southern routes I find myself jealous of the east/west routes available. Maybe some day routes 23 and 46 can get higher frequency or maybe a new route could be added on 35th, 42nd or 58th.

Because the Mall of America is a big destination from Richfield. And they are trying to keep the 515 high frequency. If people are going to the VA they can catch the blue line from moa. But that area of Minneapolis just isn't a huge draw.

[HiawathaGuy]

Was there a local route serving 50th Street Station at one point? I recall seeing a bus connection available on an old transit map I had.

I believe the 7 used to stop at 50th, but they moved that connection to 46th, since the bus could stay on 34th Ave S for a longer stretch and better connect with the train.

[HiawathaGuy]

Was there a local route serving 50th Street Station at one point? I recall seeing a bus connection available on an old transit map I had.

I believe the 7 used to stop at 50th, but they moved that connection to 46th, since the bus could stay on 34th Ave S for a longer stretch and better connect with the train.

I live a block south of the 50th Street LRT station and would sometimes use the 515 to supplement my commute from Best Buy campus when I worked there. I took the train to MOA and the 540 or 542 to the campus most often, but sometimes, if I caught the 535 to 66th and then the 515 to the VA, I could shave about 4 minutes off of my commute (vs. going to MOA and taking the train). However, since the 515 only had one of the 4 high frequency buses that went to the VA, if I missed the connection, I was screwed. So unless I was certain I could make the connection (this was just at the start of the real time info being available), I typically took the more trustworthy connection via MOA.

[Hero]

Because the Mall of America is a big destination from Richfield. And they are trying to keep the 515 high frequency. If people are going to the VA they can catch the blue line from moa. But that area of Minneapolis just isn't a huge draw.

I'm curious what the ridership numbers are for route 515. Looks like Southdale to MOA will have six buses an hour (two from route 538) and if route 515 didn't go to MOA people could transfer to high frequency route 5 at Portland Ave to reach MOA.

[Trademark]

Because the Mall of America is a big destination from Richfield. And they are trying to keep the 515 high frequency. If people are going to the VA they can catch the blue line from moa. But that area of Minneapolis just isn't a huge draw.

I'm curious what the ridership numbers are for route 515. Looks like Southdale to MOA will have six buses an hour (two from route 538) and if route 515 didn't go to MOA people could transfer to high frequency route 5 at Portland Ave to reach MOA.

I think 515 to MOA would be better and D line connect to Orange Line instead of MOA

[Bakken2016]

Yeah it was pretty striking to me how Minneapolis barely appeared in the bus network report. The most generous interpretation is that this will be reviewed in the near future as part of a more comprehensive plan. The most cynical interpretation is that this project is first and foremost a highway reconstruction, and so serving Minneapolis has never been a priority.

So the Orange Line Connecting Bus Study originally had more improvements in Minneapolis, but then Covid hit and with budget issues the planners focused on making sure good connections existed in Bloomington and Richfield where the least amount of service currently exists. They do plan on revisiting it in the future.

[Hero]

I think 515 to MOA would be better and D line connect to Orange Line instead of MOA

I'm curious why route 515 to MOA would be preferred over the D line to MOA? If I had to guess I'd imagine more people would need to transfer in this configuration than if the D line went to MOA.

Connecting the D line to the Orange line sounds interesting but where? Maybe 98th? Would that make the D line to long? Would an Orange line stop be a bigger destination for D line riders than MOA?

[Trademark]

The express busses that will use orange line stations need some type of orange line branding. Maybe an O before the number to signify that this bus will stop at least at Lake and 46th. Otherwise people will end up waiting longer for a bus that will take them where they want to go.

Example O578 to Southdale via Orange Line