urbanMSP

Transit App blows it away for anything else.

The ticketing is really the main feature for the app. I agree that they could add value to the app with route favorites and next trip stop number favorites. I hope they add stuff like that in the near future. I am really hoping that the bugs were worked out with this update. It's useless if you can't activate a ticket when the bus is approaching without closing the app and maybe even deleting it and downloading it again. This is a nonstarter for a visitor to the Twin Cities. Having another cashless option is great though for me and my family too. Our GoTo card may have been misplaced or maybe we don't have change available for one of our kids.

Changes announced for June 17(With one already implemented):

https://www.metrotransit.org/these-rout ... on-june-17

So according to the evening news none of the SWLRT killing or Future-LRT killing crap made it into the transportation bill (ie requiring state approval of future LRT lines), though Hennepin County will pay the State's share of SWLRT's operating costs now.

It also sounded like Metro Transit's budget hole was plugged. I think they said Metro Transit got $70M, filling it completely, but I thought the deficit was $80M or $84M. I don't think the difference can be attributed to the pending fare increase, either, because they said that was still in the works to address a projected deficit in 3 years. Maybe they've already pared back some service (and delayed New service) worth $10-14M?

That's great news for now, but we will be back in the same situation in a few years. I really hope that somebody at the legislature can come up with an adequate solution. Constantly using general fund money to fill the transportation is absolutely ridiculous.


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I'm pretty sure the transportation bill contains a prohibition on the use of Certificates of Participation for LRT projects.

But wasn't that more of a problem before the CTIB breakup was resolved?

I doubt the Met Council would need (or want) to use that method with the likely future funding streams and CoP costs. But it was still something they were legally allowed to do and stripping that tool *specifically for LRT projects* has very little to do with any general conservative ideology.

Yes, I'm concerned about future projects. It's always better to have more options and there is really no reason for this language other than, "We hate the metro and LRT."

Dayton did very poorly by the metro in this year's transportation bill, AFAICT.

The CoP option was always an untested one that always seemed like it would have been frowned upon by the courts, and even if it wasn't it incurs higher financing costs than other less exotic bonds.

With the update I just saw in the Blue Line extension... it got me thinking. We should have a sticky post with a table showing the most recent info on the major transportation projects. It would be nice to have a spot to see what's all in the pipeline. Is there a way to do tables?

Something like this:
Project----expected heavy construction----Revenue Service Date
Orange Line BRT ---- 2017-2020 ---- 2020
Green Line ext ---- 2017-2020 ---- 2021
C Line ---- start in 2018 ---- 2021
Blue Line ext --- 2019-2021 ---- Mid 2022
Gold Line BRT ---- 2 year construction ---- 2023 or 2024
D Line ---- start in 2020 or 2021 ---- TBD

in Progress
Rush Line ---- LPA selected June 2017
Riverview ---- study ongoing. route decision expected September 2017

CAE is at it again, bashing transit and demanding roads. Comment early and often.

http://startribune.com/the-sad-truth-be ... on=opinion

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City of St. Paul purchased ROW at Maryland and Arcade to allow the #54 Extension to turn right.


This is the info I got from a friend who works at Metro Transit:

The Route 54 Extension is a demonstration bus service project benefiting W. 7th St., the East Side of St. Paul, and Maplewood. We are working to implement a limited stop, demonstration bus service using funding awarded by the Transportation Advisory Board to the Metropolitan Council. Route 54 currently operates limited stop service 7 days a week connecting Union Depot, downtown St. Paul, W. 7th St., the airport and the Mall of America. The bus service demonstration project would extend weekday and Saturday Route 54 service from downtown Saint Paul to Maplewood Mall. This service expansion will offer a fast, one seat ride from the East Side of Saint Paul to major regional employment sites including the MSP airport and the Mall of America. We anticipate starting the new service in late 2017 and have secured operating funds for three years. At the conclusion of the demonstration period the performance of the route extension will be evaluated and a determination of whether to add the service into Metro Transit’s regular operating budget will be made.

Specifically re: the Arcade/Maryland intersection, an easement was necessary from Walgreen’s to reconstruct the southeast corner of Arcade/Maryland intersection to facilitate a wider turning radius for northbound Arcade Street Metro Transit buses turning eastbound onto Maryland Avenue.

Am I missing the thread where this was mentioned? http://www.startribune.com/hennepin-ram ... 428273953/

We've been discussing it over here, though it's certainly germane to this thread as well.

Metro Transit posted to FB detailing what's all going to happen during the upcoming 11-day LRT outage.

I'm cautiously optimistic about the signal improvements. An actual tunnel through downtown is still decades away, of course, but, until such time as we actually reach capacity during rush hour, I continue to maintain that getting the traffic lights optimized so that trains never have to stop between stations would provide about 90% of the benefit of a tunnel for basically free. Or, at the very least, hopefully they fix the current infuriating issue where WB trains get stopped by the right-turn arrow from 5th onto Marquette every. single. time.

Yeah, although the way they describe the signal improvements is not encouraging. In that Facebook post they say "...signal improvements will be made to better integrate light rail operations with the city's traffic signal network. This will improve the flow of traffic downtown."

So are they saying that the signal improvements will makes things better for CARS? hmmmm

It's entirely possible that a well timed smart traffic system would make things better for both cars and LRT.