A Line - Arterial Rapid Bus

[Minneapolisite]

They should have started a limited service for the 84 with the August update for the entire system. Also strongly agree with limited service routes for the 18 and the 5: if you're going south, and I mean 40 or 50 something -th from around Downtown that takes foreeeever.

[grant1simons2]

Has construction on this started? They said in the plans to start in later 2014 and finish by 2015

[twincitizen]

It's not scheduled to begin service until Q4 2015, so I think much of it will be constructed in conjunction with other reconstruction projects next summer. I'd imagine that construction of the actual stations will be pretty swift.

[Snelbian]

It'll be a bit. There's really not much construction, just the larger platforms and new shelters. I can't speak for north of University or south of Dayton, but I know the Dayton and University stops will be built next summer in coordination with the Vintage on Selby and Snelling/94 bridge redecking work in an effort to kill three birds with one stone and avoid multiple road closings for separate projects. MNDoT, Metro Transit, and Ryan Companies have been emphasizing that at community meetings for about a year now. Remember, Snelling will be totally interrupted for essentially all of summer 2015, so the A Line CAN'T start service until September at the very earliest.

[HuskyGrad]

A-Line Update
http://a-line.cmail1.com/t/ViewEmail/r/ ... 9A8728A5A6

[acs]

No more stop cord: Instead of a cord for signaling stops, yellow stop “tape” will be placed at strategic locations on the bus—including in designated ADA seating—so that passengers can more easily request stops no matter where they sit or stand.

Wait, so is this thing going to stop at every block if someone steps on the line? I thought the plan was to stop only at the designated stops, roughly every 1/4 mile.

[FISHMANPET]

I'm guessing it's going to be like the signals on current buses near the front under the windows. IN addition to the cord there's a strip you can press. With these new low-floor buses the cord can be pretty far away from the seat, so this seems like a nice improvement. So I don't think it literally means yellow duct tape on the floor.

[mulad]

Like the existing route 54 bus, it's just to signal that someone wants got get off at the next designated stop. I was kind of curious whether they'd stop on request or just try to make all stops anyway like a light-rail train (but that's a bit excessive at 1/4-mile spacing). I believe the UMN campus shuttles have buttons or tape inside like they mentioned here -- they're mounted on the wall below the window rather than running a cord higher up where you need to reach to get it.

[FISHMANPET]

Here's the best picture I could online of them:

[IllogicalJake]

I expected the bus to stop at every stop, but I guess there's no problem with this. As a mostly-train rider I'm just not used to it.

[mattaudio]

Heck, don't the Red Line vehicles have a way to request stop despite the fact that the Red Line is allegedly real BRT?

[mulad]

Yep, you can make a stop request on the Red Line buses.

[Lancestar2]

A-Line Update
http://a-line.cmail1.com/t/ViewEmail/r/ ... 9A8728A5A6

Thanks for the update!

One question I had for everyone is do you understand the bus color scheme? It looks very blue in the link and the Metro Red line is this...

http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/m ... esigns.jpg

The busses looks so alike in design and color, but are they trying to brand them differently? Also will they be cross using the busses between the A line and the Red line?

[twincitizen]

Red Line is part of the "METRO" system (Green Line, Blue Line, etc.) and is branded as such. The A-Line, B-Line, etc. are a totally separate thing, and will operate under the regular Metro Transit bus brand, hence why you don't see anything other than "Metro Transit" on the bus. No, they will not be sharing vehicles, as the Red Line is operated by MVTA. Metro Transit will operate the lettered arterial routes out of their existing garages. They state that articulated buses could be used on future arterial lines, which I imagine the first would be the D-Line (Chicago-Fremont, or today's Route 5).

[IllogicalJake]

Red Line is part of the "METRO" system (Green Line, Blue Line, etc.) and is branded as such. The A-Line, B-Line, etc. are a totally separate thing, and will operate under the regular Metro Transit bus brand, hence why you don't see anything other than "Metro Transit" on the bus. No, they will not be sharing vehicles, as the Red Line is operated by MVTA. Metro Transit will operate the lettered arterial routes out of their existing garages. They state that articulated buses could be used on future arterial lines, which I imagine the first would be the D-Line (Chicago-Fremont, or today's Route 5).

Have reasons been given why this isn't part of the METRO system? I don't know how other cities typically set things up, but it seems like "METRO A-Line" would make more sense than just the A-Line.

[FISHMANPET]

The METRO branding has specific things like wide stop spacing, dedicated guideways, etc etc. The Arterial Bus doesn't fit that brand because it doesn't have all those things.

It would probably fit the Hi-Frequency network, if that branding is still a thing. Ironically the Red line, despite being METRO, is not part of the Hi-Frequency network because it doesn't run often enough.

I kinda feel like every year MetroTransit hires another consultant to come up with a new branding initiative, and then just fire them the next year and hire someone new, leaving the old brand around but not improving or marketing it in any way.

[IllogicalJake]

The METRO branding has specific things like wide stop spacing, dedicated guideways, etc etc. The Arterial Bus doesn't fit that brand because it doesn't have all those things.

Good to know, I just wasn't sure if a definition of the METRO branding and its requirements had ever been given.

[FISHMANPET]

Based on this page, I think the dominant qualifier for METRO is the dedicated guideway: http://www.metrotransit.org/metro-system

But RE disjoint branding, here's the page for the Hi-Frequency network, which still hasn't been updated to include the Green Line and take off the 16 (because the actual 16 is no longer hi frequency): http://www.metrotransit.org/hi-frequency-network

[HiawathaGuy]

A-Line Update
http://a-line.cmail1.com/t/ViewEmail/r/ ... 9A8728A5A6

One question I had for everyone is do you understand the bus color scheme? It looks very blue in the link and the Metro Red line is this...

The busses looks so alike in design and color, but are they trying to brand them differently? Also will they be cross using the busses between the A line and the Red line?

I personally like the subtle differences between the modes.

A BRT


METRO Red Line


Metro Transit Local Bus


METRO Trains


Commuter Trains

[twincitizen]

Well the hi-frequency network is more or less being replaced with the lettered arterial bus lines (with the exception of the 16, which was replaced by the Green Line), with few exceptions (no plans to upgrade the 515). The (weak) reasoning for not updating the Hi-Freq map is that they aren't really pushing that as a brand anymore. Plus, with opening another aBRT line every year, they'd be changing it quite often. It should just be removed from the website if they aren't going to bother keeping it current.

As far as a parent brand for the A Line, B Line, etc., it was going to be "Rapid Bus", but they scrapped that for the time being. The current thinking is that the letter line names provide enough branding on their own and don't need another layer of branding. After a few of them are rolled out, Metro Transit is going to reevaluate if they need a parent brand.