Purple Line BRT (Rush Line Corridor)

[Bakken2016]

I do think still serving St. John's Hospital is important, so maybe build in a loop to the terminus to serve a station near there and the mall like currently planned.

I also think Vadnais Heights shouldn't be left out, they support the project. So ending it in Vadnais Heights on County Road E, could definitely spur some TOD.

Also, a big project supporter is Ramsey County Commissioner Victoria Reinhardt, who lives in WBL. She might just push for the project to be done anyways, since WBL's resolution really is not legally binding. I still think it would be bad to push for that though.

[Hero]

If cut short will this have enough ridership to be built? Or is there not a certain ridership goal that needs to be met?

Also, whats the deal with Union Depot? Why does everything want to end there? It seems so far away from everything and it always seems empty. Even when some people are there it is so cavernous it seems empty. Nothing can be built south of it so unless something amazing gets built on the parking lot to the east I can't see it getting much better. Why not build something on the block that central LRT station bisects? That is a much better location.

[Mdcastle]

St Paul has this nice newly restored train station that ever since the Green Line planning started it's obvious they wanted to force people to use whether it was convenient for them or not.

[Bakken2016]

Purple Line Downtown.PNG

Even though it ends at Union Depot in the back the Robert and 5th St Station is near Central Station, and the it looks like their will be stations near the the Green Line platform before pulling into Union Depot. Also, these stations are being built with the Gold Line project.

[Trademark]

Purple Line Downtown.PNG

Even though it ends at Union Depot in the back the Robert and 5th St Station is near Central Station, and the it looks like their will be stations near the the Green Line platform before pulling into Union Depot. Also, these stations are being built with the Gold Line project.

One thing that Union Depot does provide that I don't think people realize is a great layover area for buses. It's hard for buses to just idle on downtown streets in between runs not to mention being able to have a break room and bathrooms for drivers.

[Bakken2016]

Ramsey County and the Met Council haven't explicitly said it, but based on reading the Star Tribune and Pioneer Press articles about WBL passing the resolution, it really seems they might continue with the routing anyways, but I guess we will see.

[alexschief]

The vocal support from the County level, especially Commissioner Reinhardt who actually lives in WBL, is really essential to keeping the project on track. While the new opposition from the town is pretty plainly meritless and tardy, it would still have weight if other politicians decided to go along with it. But if they don't, then that gives the Met Council enough cover to move ahead and say "look, previous councils already approved this, the FTA has accepted the plans, it's too late."

We will also get a good sense in Q1/Q2 of this year about the ability of transit to rebound from the pandemic and what purchase the "transit will never come back" argument will have in the future. High gas prices, warmer weather, and a more general return to offices are really the best case scenario for ridership to return (if Metro Transit can maintain enough operators to run the vehicles).

[Hero]

St Paul has this nice newly restored train station that ever since the Green Line planning started it's obvious they wanted to force people to use whether it was convenient for them or not.

I wonder if the better transit access is able to overcome the move away from the population center. It would be interesting to know if Amtrak ridership increased or decreased due to the move. A better location in my estimation would be just north of Stadium village LRT station on the edge of the rail yard. That location is near the population center, has good transit and has one of the highest transit dependent populations.

To bring this back on topic. Why wasn't the purple line sent south? St. Paul's highest density suburb is West St. Paul with about twice the density of Maplewood or Vadnais Heights.

[alexschief]

It's no secret that the Union Depot isn't positioned perfectly, but I think the complaints are a bit overwrought. The Green, Gold, and Purple Lines all make stops elsewhere in the downtown, so there are closer stations for everyone. Terminating at Union Depot makes sense because it has layover facilities, and common sense overruled the idea of having the Gold Line terminate there without going through downtown.

But also, the distance between Union Depot and the furthest out towers of downtown St. Paul is entirely comparable to the distance between Grand Central Terminal and Rockefeller Center, or Penn Station and Times Square. Union Station and Ogilvie TC are on the opposite side of the canal from Chicago's Loop. It's a pretty typical arrangement.

[Hero]

I'd argue those transit centers in New York and Chicago are surrounded by much denser development than Union Depot. The number of people who can quickly and easily reach Union Depot is limited by the river and it being in St Paul. Although I doubt Amtrak would move because of my anonymous post.

As for layover for buses why not use some of the vacant land at Central Station? I'd imagine a break room could be added to that building with the skyway connection.

[Tiller]

Ramsey County and the Met Council haven't explicitly said it, but based on reading the Star Tribune and Pioneer Press articles about WBL passing the resolution, it really seems they might continue with the routing anyways, but I guess we will see.

Ramsey County is all-in on the Purple Line, but the Met Council is getting cold feet. We need to lobby the policymakers on the MET Council. Otherwise it might get truncated to the Maplewood Mall, and it's an open question on how that may effect the FTA rating (and thus the ability to get federal funds).

[thespeedmccool]

I'd imagine the portion past Maplewood Mall is significantly the minority of the cost. If the Met Council backed out of Purple from Maplewood Mall to WBL, and therefore the FTA didn't fund it, could Ramsey County finance that portion alone? Financially, I think yes, but IDK what the legal and political implications of that would be.

[Bakken2016]

If the FTA funded the Gold Line which ends at a Park and Ride in Woodbury, no doubt they would fun the Purple Line ending at Maplewood Mall.

[thespeedmccool]

If the FTA funded the Gold Line which ends at a Park and Ride in Woodbury, no doubt they would fun the Purple Line ending at Maplewood Mall.

Of course the FTA would fund a qualified transit project with the backing of an MPO and transit agency. That wasn't the question.

If the Met Council withdraws support for Purple north of Maplewood Mall, would the FTA still match funds for the portion north of Maplewood Mall if Ramsey County decided to go it alone?

[Bakken2016]

Purple Line.PNG

https://www.metrotransit.org/Data/Sites ... -04-29.pdf

So it looks like they are exploring other options, either ending in Vadnais Heights or at Maplewood Mall Transit Center, with then a Purple Line connecter local service, kind of like the ORANGE Link that is ran by MVTA for the Orange Line. Keeping the LPA is still on the table though, so it will be interesting to see how this plays out.

[DanPatchToget]

I’m willing to bet NIMBYs would still complain about a connector bus link going through White Bear Lake.

[Bakken2016]

I’m willing to bet NIMBYs would still complain about a connector bus link going through White Bear Lake.

White Bear Lake used to have a local route between Maplewood Mall and Downtown WBL, but you probably aren't wrong.

[Bakken2016]

https://www.metrotransit.org/Data/Sites ... -04-29.pdf

This PowerPoint shows potential new routings for the Purple Line and the Purple Line Connector.

[daveybabymsp]

https://www.metrotransit.org/Data/Sites ... -04-29.pdf

This PowerPoint shows potential new routings for the Purple Line and the Purple Line Connector.

Do you know if they will be taking public comment on this?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Bakken2016]

https://www.metrotransit.org/Data/Sites ... -04-29.pdf

This PowerPoint shows potential new routings for the Purple Line and the Purple Line Connector.

Do you know if they will be taking public comment on this?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes, email Liz Jones the outreach coordinator for the project.