urbanMSP

Very minor changes for Metro Transit and Maple Grove Transit coming on Dec 2:
- New times for Nicollet Mall routes
- Minor expansion of hours on the 32 (Lowry)
- Elimination of the midday and evening service on the 264 (Mpls-Rosedale)
- 515 back on 66th St
- 1 new trip for the 355 (Mpls-Woodbury)

https://www.metrotransit.org/these-rout ... e-on-dec-2

Also some SW Transit changes coming up (Dec 18):
- 695 using 394 now because of 35W construction
- Blue Flex eliminated
- Red Flex adds stop at Optum and eliminates Best Buy and Meridian Crossings stops ("Flex Shuttle" route still serves these)
- A second Red Flex trip is extended to Mpls in the PM peak

https://swtransit.org/route-alerts/swflexchanges/
https://swtransit.org/route-alerts/rout ... ingchange/

A couple minor comments/questions about the Nicollet Mall routings.

The 10 will take Washington to 3rd to cross the river, while the 17/25 will use the old routing of Washington to Marquette/2nd to 1st to reach the bridge. Why not just pick one? It doesn't do a better job of serving the area north of Washington by splitting them apart by 1 or 2 blocks.

It doesn't specify what the 18 does after it reaches 3rd St. Will it go back to the terminal it briefly had at the Gateway ramp?

It's also worth pointing out that the Super Bowl detour to Hennepin will be different on both ends than the current detour...
https://www.metrotransit.org/superbowl/

I mean, presumably there is some reason that the current detour won't be used, but like the detour shakeup in late 2015 that originally sent the buses to Hennepin from Marquette/2nd, it isn't being communicated.

Edit: I also think it would be a good idea to split off the comments about Super Bowl transit to a new thread, even though I went ahead and commented on both subjects here... oops

This may have been mentioned on here before, but the StarTrib reports that the US Bank Stadium station closed for the 48 hours before the Super Bowl.

"Light-rail trains will still run on their regular schedules and routes. They will stop in the Cedar-Riverside area to the east and Government Plaza to the west."

http://www.startribune.com/u-s-bank-sta ... 459078573/

Light rail train derailed in Downtown Minneapolis. Looks to be a Blue Line train since its with Type 1 LRVs. No Blue/Green Line service into downtown at this time.

It's between 2nd and 3rd they've cleared the train from 2nd, but it appears to be still closed. There are a bunch of squads and maintenance workers. Are they able to lift the car back onto the tracks without unhooking the wires? It's also under the skyway between US Bank Plaza and Centurylink.

Based on preliminary info, they believe the effected train came off tracks after hitting a rail utility box lid that was not properly secured.

Got some photos


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So three derailments from the Blue Line, and one derailment from the Green Line. Is that a good safety record?

So three derailments from the Blue Line, and one derailment from the Green Line. Is that a good safety record?

so that is about 1 in 4 years for Blue Line and 1 in 3 years for Green Line. I wouldn't say that is the worst.

Are they the kind of derailments that have caused injuries? I'd be more worried about number of pedestrians killed than minor derailments.

So three derailments from the Blue Line, and one derailment from the Green Line. Is that a good safety record?

Yes, because it is my understanding that none of the derailments was operator error. If they were than I would be concerned.

http://www.twincities.com/2017/12/01/me ... -concerns/

Metro Transit is going to test safety shields, I am 100% for this with the increasing number of bus operator assaults!

In a perfect world people would be grateful to bus drivers. The key word being perfect, which is the exact opposite of the world we live in.

I've only experienced the safety shields on buses in London and Edinburgh. Anyone seen them in other places?

At least some MTA (NYC) buses have them. I found them a bit off-putting, but I guess I'm not opposed.

I have experienced them in Kansas City and Miami, still can communicate with the operator. It is kind of like when you go to a Super America with the shield.


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Super America with a shield? Never seen that.

Think like the box office at a theater, then.

IIRC San Francisco's streetcars have these. They're fine. If operators say they're important I'm inclined to believe them and support this.

And I agree with all the comments about how sad it is that something like this is necessary.

http://www.twincities.com/2017/12/01/me ... -concerns/

Metro Transit is going to test safety shields, I am 100% for this with the increasing number of bus operator assaults!

Nothing more inviting to hop on a bus and being reminded riding a bus can be dangerous by see the driver behind protective shielding.

http://www.twincities.com/2017/12/01/me ... -concerns/

Metro Transit is going to test safety shields, I am 100% for this with the increasing number of bus operator assaults!

Nothing more inviting to hop on a bus and being reminded riding a bus can be dangerous by see the driver behind protective shielding.

I don't think it is funny that operators are being assaulted, something had to be done. Metro Transit can't keep operators because of it, and if we want more robust transit in the Twin Cities, we need to keep operator employed.

The incidences of real assaults are really quite low: per the chart, if you omit things like spitting and swearing (which are no doubt unpleasant but not life threatening), we're talking about something less than 50 incidents per year, of which less than five rise to the level of assault. Sure, it's not great, but I don't know that boxing them off (and the correlated feeling of passengers that nobody is watching out for them) isn't a great trade-off.

Seems like beefing up security presence on a few problematic routes would be a better solution.