Green Line LRT

[Mdcastle]

Red Rock, when the project still actually had some life, would have had a direct connection between downtowns. There was discussion about whether to go the northern route (which I don't know if it was ever talked about would have allowed a stop near the fairgrounds), or the southern route which would allowed a stop on the west side of St Paul near the X.

[mulad]

There used to be a bunch of options for getting between the downtowns, back when we had several different railroads competing for traffic, but a lot of that track has been abandoned, particularly in and near downtown Minneapolis. We're really down to two options -- less than two in a sense, since it's almost certain to be one route from Target Field to the Minnesota Commercial Railroad yard near the old Amtrak station, where the route options diverge. Let's see if I can still embed a map anymore:



The orange line follows BNSF's Wayzata Subdivision across the river to the junction with the Midway Subdivision, and follows that to downtown Saint Paul. The red line is the Minnesota Commercial / Canadian Pacific route -- longer, but probably a bit easier to do financially/politically, and it also doesn't have the problem of getting the train facing the "wrong" direction if it were to continue to Chicago via the existing CP/BNSF routes. There are one or two options for having a train head southwest first before heading to Rochester, though.

There are a few other segments that could be considered for restoring tracks to make the route between the downtowns a bit shorter, but they'd most likely require adding tracks along the Mississippi Riverfront and taking over either the Stone Arch Bridge or the No. 9 bridge. The old Milwaukee Road "Short Line" had been an option for a while, though it would have been a tight fit against the Blue Line LRT tracks that now occupy part of the corridor, and there has been development near the old Milwaukee Road depot in downtown which prevents that route from being used unless there's some expensive tunneling.

There are a few options for using the tracks that run a bit farther north of the Midway Subdivision, now known as the BNSF St. Paul Subdivision (they run on the north side of Energy Park Drive, vs. the Midway Subdivision running on the south side). That may actually be worthwhile, since those tracks have fewer interactions with rail yards, but it would probably require demolishing some homes in the Beltrami neighborhood and some commercial buildings on the other side of I-35W. It would still be somewhat longer than the route I've shown in orange, though.

[illman00]

Is there any place that posts ridership numbers consistently? I'm curious how the green line has done with school in session and gopher/vikings games. When I search I only get articles from a few months ago after it opened.

[David Greene]

The fact that we've got a funding model that funds tunnels through parks but won't fund tunnels through dense urban areas should tell you that maybe the current funding model is indefensible

Those tunnels aren't apples-to-apples. A *lot* more is involved in tunneling under urban areas with buildings, utilities, etc. Sure, the Kenilworth tunnel has to work with water, but all tunnels do. Look how much we spent on utility relocation just to run Central at grade.

[MinnMonkey]

St. Paul must have given more intersections full transit priority or tweaked the system again. This week my westbound trains have all been on time arriving in downtown Minneapolis. This is the first time since the line has opened that this has happened.

[bubzki2]

St. Paul must have given more intersections full transit priority or tweaked the system again. This week my westbound trains have all been on time arriving in downtown Minneapolis. This is the first time since the line has opened that this has happened.

Can anyone else confirm this? I was blown away how much better it was last time I rode. I'd be curious to know if these changes are temporary, what they entail and if there's a chance they stick around. It's partially psychological, partially practical, but it's just amazing how much better this train is with improved timing!

[IllogicalJake]

Anyone see yet the TV screens in some LRVs showing area attractions? I was just on a Green Line train today with them...

[Didier]

On the other end of the signal spectrum, the situation on University Avenue at Huron is really bad. The University traffic is routinely stopped for as long as five minutes.

It appears to be a combination between the lights being on timers and the train forcing the University green light to be bypassed. So traffic on the only busy road at the intersection (University) sits stopped as the Huron lights and left turn lights go through their cycles with very few cars passing. It's not uncommon to sit there as the other lights cycle two or three times before the University traffic finally gets a green light.

[EOst]

Can anyone else confirm this? I was blown away how much better it was last time I rode. I'd be curious to know if these changes are temporary, what they entail and if there's a chance they stick around. It's partially psychological, partially practical, but it's just amazing how much better this train is with improved timing!

The cynic in me notes this is just in time for Rail~Volution.

When I got on today at around 4, the station kept repeating that eastbound trains were on a 10-minute delay. Waited about twenty minutes; three or so EB trains passed before an (extremely packed) WB train came.

[IllogicalJake]

Can anyone else confirm this? I was blown away how much better it was last time I rode. I'd be curious to know if these changes are temporary, what they entail and if there's a chance they stick around. It's partially psychological, partially practical, but it's just amazing how much better this train is with improved timing!

The cynic in me notes this is just in time for Rail~Volution.

When I got on today at around 4, the station kept repeating that eastbound trains were on a 10-minute delay. Waited about twenty minutes; three or so EB trains passed before an (extremely packed) WB train came.

Oh, Rail-volution. That's what the TV screens in the LRV were all about. I guess it's tied to that, then...

[grant1simons2]

http://finance-commerce.com/transit/201 ... t-traffic/

Well this just helps with everything all around. Nic on Fifth retail, Nicollet mall reconstruction, more retail interest. Thank you Green Line

[VAStationDude]

Green Line ridership is running over 40,000 per weekday

https://twitter.com/McLaughlin_P/status ... 0049601536

[mattaudio]

Hopefully we will be quick to learn the lesson that building transit to actual places and walkable nodes with people, even when saddled by technical or political problems that result in less-than-optimal service, is a winning plan far beyond building transit to distant park & rides.

[nate]

Green Line ridership is running over 40,000 per weekday

https://twitter.com/McLaughlin_P/status ... 0049601536

That is just f****g terrific.

Hopefully development follows. I see nothing but incredible potential at every station, every time I ride.

[twinkess]

Wow, that is a huge number

[ProspectPete]

That is wonderful. Now, we all have our favorite gripes about it, and for me, it the stretch of lights between Raymond and westgate Station, specifically over 280. All I ask is that they sync those two lights over 280, so when the train makes the first it doesn't have to sit on the bridge (with its backside blocking traffic) awaiting the second.

[Snelbian]

Green Line ridership is running over 40,000 per weekday

https://twitter.com/McLaughlin_P/status ... 0049601536

Got my copy of The Villager today. It's hilarious to see an editorial about the Green Line being a massive failure, then hopping on line and seeing this. It seems some people will continue to insist that the University alignment is a failure no matter what the reality is. And those people will always have a space set aside for them in St. Paul's pathetic excuse for hyperlocal journalism...

[HuskyGrad]

St. Paul must have given more intersections full transit priority or tweaked the system again. This week my westbound trains have all been on time arriving in downtown Minneapolis. This is the first time since the line has opened that this has happened.

Here you go.
http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_ ... een-lights

[MinnMonkey]

St. Paul must have given more intersections full transit priority or tweaked the system again. This week my westbound trains have all been on time arriving in downtown Minneapolis. This is the first time since the line has opened that this has happened.

Here you go.
http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_ ... een-lights

The article states 7 more low volume intersections could be added in October. I wonder which ones those are. I can think of 6 (Berry, Hampton, Aldine, Fry, Pascal and Griggs)

[JT$]

Green Line ridership is running over 40,000 per weekday

https://twitter.com/McLaughlin_P/status ... 0049601536

Anyone know what the ridership on the 50/16 was? Curious how that would compare.