Postby twincitizen » April 22nd, 2024, 2:04 pm
Just when it seemed like we were finally going to see aBRT lines open faster than one every three years (2016-A, 2019-C, 2022-D, 2025-B). It seems likely the E line will open in 2026, so that'll break the pattern at least. Then the plan seems to be to open the G Line in two phases, late 2027-28 (Rice) and late 2028-29 (Robert) if everything goes right. When selecting the F, G, and H Lines a few years back, Johnson-Lyndale (Route 4) just barely missed the cut. It should be the next route up for aBRT, unless the study gets a fresh look before "promoting" another route.
Looking back at the Network Next study completed in early 2021, it seems they should do a mild refresh of that study now that some of the underlying factors have changed, such as shifting ridership patterns post-pandemic, the new route for the Blue Line extension, Purple Line shifting to Maryland & White Bear Avenue, and official(??) cancellation of the Nicollet Streetcar. The next highest scoring routes that weren't advanced through the Network Next study were Nicollet, Broadway-Cedar (combining the north leg of the 14 and south leg of the 22), Randolph-East 7th (74), and Lowry. Not discussed in the study at all were ideas that have been mentioned on this forum like extending the C Line to the southside and extending the A Line along 46th. Extending the A Line to 50th & France should be given serious consideration, as that would hit transfer points to the D, E, and Orange Lines, the latter of which could use the ridership boost.