Green Line LRT

Roads - Rails - Sidewalks - Bikeways
Silophant
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Re: Green Line (Central Corridor LRT)

Postby Silophant » February 14th, 2015, 5:51 pm

Still listed as taking two minutes to traverse the one block between Nicollet Mall and Hennepin stations. Argh.
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VAStationDude
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Re: Green Line (Central Corridor LRT)

Postby VAStationDude » February 14th, 2015, 6:32 pm

The large crowds getting on and off at Nicollet slow the train. Though the westbound light is pretty poorly timed. Unless someone holds the doors eastbound is really good.

EOst
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Re: Green Line (Central Corridor LRT)

Postby EOst » February 14th, 2015, 6:34 pm

Trains eastbound heading into Nicollet Mall station get delayed by the Nicollet Ave signal pretty regularly because it ends up being pretty long, with the protected crossing for traffic NW on 5th. The Hennepin one doesn't seem like as much of a problem.

HiawathaGuy
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Re: Green Line (Central Corridor LRT)

Postby HiawathaGuy » February 17th, 2015, 11:16 am

Tsk, Tsk!
U students pretending to jump or push others in front of on-coming train
http://www.startribune.com/local/blogs/292199631.html

twincitizen
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Re: Green Line (Central Corridor LRT)

Postby twincitizen » February 17th, 2015, 11:41 am

Green Line run time, effective March 7, is reduced by 2 minutes, all of the schedule time savings is along university avenue. My recent experience is that the train is slow in the downtowns, particularly west bound. East bound trains are almost always on time into the capitol station. Outside of the downtowns rice street and 280 are other trouble spots.
MinnPost agrees: http://www.minnpost.com/politics-policy ... tly-faster

The lead paragraph suggests that the scheduled time for eastbound trains will be reduced to 45 minutes, beginning on March 9. They don't make any inference that westbound scheduled times will/won't change. It's probably safe to say it won't be 45 minutes though, due to the ongoing "train spacing" issues getting into DTE Station. Anyone privy to that information?

If you take the originally given time of 39-40 minutes end-to-end, add in the 2.25-2.5 minutes for the 3 additional stations (let's be generous and make it an even 3 minutes), you get a goal of 42 or 43 minutes. Eastbound trains are now just 3 minutes shy of meeting that goal. It seems they could easily pick up another minute or more in downtown Minneapolis with improved signal coordination. If westbound Green Line trains are able to run on a more predictable schedule, the "train spacing" issue at DTE should mostly become a moot point, as the schedule itself will properly space the trains 5 minutes apart.

MinnMonkey
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Re: Green Line (Central Corridor LRT)

Postby MinnMonkey » February 17th, 2015, 12:31 pm

According to the schedule:

https://www.metrotransit.org/Data/Sites ... enline.pdf

Eastbound will be 45 minutes and Westbound will be 46 minutes.

twincitizen
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Re: Green Line (Central Corridor LRT)

Postby twincitizen » February 17th, 2015, 12:43 pm

Nicollet Mall to Central Station is now scheduled at 39 minutes, both directions.

The extra minute westbound is just TFS Platform 2 (which is irrelevant).

So I'm guessing this means they think they'll get the train spacing issues at DTE sorted out by way of running the trains on time (as I noted above).


Sidebar: In theory, shouldn't it be slightly faster on Sundays? Lighter passenger loads (NFL days excepted) and fewer cars waiting at cross streets (particularly in the downtowns)

MinnMonkey
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Re: Green Line (Central Corridor LRT)

Postby MinnMonkey » March 31st, 2015, 3:46 pm

Has anyone else had issues with the Green Line being on time lately? Almost every day for the past 3 weeks the trains I have been on are almost always 5-10 minutes behind schedule in both directions.

I have also noticed the train stopping more often at intersections that used to have full signal priority in St. Paul.

VAStationDude
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Re: Green Line (Central Corridor LRT)

Postby VAStationDude » March 31st, 2015, 5:10 pm

I can see one of the downtown st Paul stations from my desk. It's been pretty good going eastbound. The east bound train I used at lunch time was on time as was the one before and after it. It wouldn't shock me if the west bound trains aren't as punctual.

mulad
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Re: Green Line (Central Corridor LRT)

Postby mulad » April 6th, 2015, 5:52 pm

Metro Transit has started closing the skyway connection at Central station in Saint Paul from 9 pm to 5 am.

http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_ ... closing-at

Most skyways (except for some private legs in the system) are supposed to be open from 5 am to 2 am, though many of the entrances between street level and the skyway close much earlier. I think the only all-hours entrance for my workplace is the parking garage, and that's probably true for many downtown buildings. But this is a connection that was paid for with public dollars and was partly intended to allow better ADA access to the skyway.

I mostly think this connecting tower is $1.8 million down the tubes -- there are other skyway entrances across the street from this block in all directions, though I'm not sure of the hours (the block to the south is probably the best bet, since that's a parking garage).

nate
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Re: Green Line (Central Corridor LRT)

Postby nate » April 6th, 2015, 8:34 pm

So is the behavior in the stairway really THAT bad? I guess I honestly don't know. I myself have never felt intimidated, but I have been asked for money, witnessed people arguing loudly, and smelled a lot of marijuana smoke in my year of taking the train from Central every work day. Mostly, though, it is people just waiting for the train and minding their own business. To me, it is unseemly but not dangerous.

twincitizen
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Re: Green Line (Central Corridor LRT)

Postby twincitizen » April 7th, 2015, 6:21 am

More fare evasion on the Green Line than Blue Line, according to a study.
Article: http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/m ... -than.html
Study: http://www.metrocouncil.org/METC/files/ ... 6ab30b.pdf

PhilmerPhil
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Re: Green Line (Central Corridor LRT)

Postby PhilmerPhil » April 7th, 2015, 6:47 am

"Green Line passengers are generally making shorter trips than Blue Line riders (who are often making the entire route from the airport) and so view it as less likely they'll be caught fare-beating."

Or maybe the fare structure is set up in a way that some find it hard to pay $2.25 to go a couple stations when someone going from Apple Valley to Downtown Minneapolis pays the same?

RailBaronYarr
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Re: Green Line (Central Corridor LRT)

Postby RailBaronYarr » April 7th, 2015, 7:16 am

Mouth-foaming commenters aside, I don't think this is a huge deal. I read most of the study, and the article seemed to make a bigger deal of people who declined to show their passes. Unless I'm missing something, those who didn't show their fares don't affect the outcome of fare evasion rates.

In any case, this is normal for proof-of-payment transit systems. Hell, the Northstar has a 2% fare evasion rate. Every Metro Transit police hired to reduce rates would cost, what, $100k+/yr after benefits/etc? What's the reduction in evasion rate per head? Associated revenue boost? What's an equivalent "fare evasion" for drivers and the appropriate response wrt costs per revenue? What % of parked cars never fed the meter or are parked beyond the expiration?

twincitizen
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Re: Green Line (Central Corridor LRT)

Postby twincitizen » April 7th, 2015, 7:52 am

Phil, I don't think your comment is necessarily relevant, because the fares are exactly the same on the bus. This is about intentionally choosing not to pay the fare, not whether you agree with the price structure or not.

I'm not saying you're wrong, as I agree that our fare structure isn't very "fair" for people making short trips. Then again, that person making a very short trip could very well have the opportunity to make a return trip within 2.5 hours. No one commuting long distances is afforded that opportunity. And honestly, if someone is going just 1-2 stops on the Green Line, they have another choice - walking.

One of the better discussions on this topic will likely happen in the comments on Bob Collins' Newscut blog (MPR): http://blogs.mprnews.org/newscut/2015/0 ... reen-line/

RailBaronYarr
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Re: Green Line (Central Corridor LRT)

Postby RailBaronYarr » April 7th, 2015, 7:59 am

For comparison: http://www.mnpass.org/pdfs/394mnpass_tech_eval.pdf

Violation rates on 394 MnPass lanes ranged from 3-11% in 05/06. HOV violation rates on 35W ranged from 15-35% in the same timeframe. Extra policing brought the 394 compliance up from pre-MnPass violation rates from 11-24%.

So, drivers will choose to violate the law and not pay at rates equal to (or higher) than transit-riding hoodlums.

MNdible
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Re: Green Line (Central Corridor LRT)

Postby MNdible » April 7th, 2015, 8:14 am

While I agree that there's some inherent unfairness in the pricing structure, it may be preferable to a complicated zoned system. In any case, somebody who is making multiple short trips on a regular basis really really ought to have a monthly pass, end of story.

twincitizen
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Re: Green Line (Central Corridor LRT)

Postby twincitizen » April 7th, 2015, 8:37 am

Right, or at least a 10-Ride Pass (10 rides @ $2.25 for $18.50, nearly 20% discount) or a stored value pass (10% bonus on any amount of stored value, for any rides). This simply isn't about the fare structure, it's about intentionally defying the system because you believe you won't get caught.

xandrex
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Re: Green Line (Central Corridor LRT)

Postby xandrex » April 7th, 2015, 9:45 am

Or maybe the fare structure is set up in a way that some find it hard to pay $2.25 to go a couple stations when someone going from Apple Valley to Downtown Minneapolis pays the same?
I get the feeling that the demographics of the people riding the Red Line to the Blue into downtown are not significantly different than inner-city bus riders. You've got to be pretty pinched for cash to devote that much time getting downtown, given that you could also take an express bus.

And those express buses are more expensive, albeit only slightly.
While I agree that there's some inherent unfairness in the pricing structure, it may be preferable to a complicated zoned system. In any case, somebody who is making multiple short trips on a regular basis really really ought to have a monthly pass, end of story.
I have to agree here. It was maddening riding the buses in Manchester when I studied there for a semester in college. You could never figure out just how much you'd have to pay because it was all distance based. I ended up walking a lot during that time.


I also get the feeling that the people dodging fares are not necessarily doing it out of economic necessity. For a time I worked in a social services agency and nearly ever client, regardless of the program they were on, left with either a healthy supply of bus tokens or a Go-To card to pay for fares until their next check-in.

fehler
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Re: Green Line (Central Corridor LRT)

Postby fehler » April 7th, 2015, 10:03 am

I find that the people incensed at someone not paying a transit fare are the same people incensed at someone driving the speed limit on 35-W.


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