By JOHN CHARLES WILSON
As I’m fairly sure most people who use Metro Transit, or at least read this column, know, Metro Transit service has been severely curtailed in the past few years, first due to the pandemic, then due to a driver shortage.
Finally, there is good news on that front: some of the service we lost is being restored as of the next pick, effective Saturday, 17 June 2023. While improvements are happening throughout the system, the following changes most directly affect the alley readership area:
The Orange Line is being restored to run once every 15 minutes rather than every half hour on weekdays during the midday period.
The D Line will have minor schedule adjustments for construction on Osseo Rd. in North Minneapolis and to match traffic conditions.
Route 5 will also have minor schedule adjustments for construction on Osseo Rd.
Route 9 will be restored to run once every half hour on weekdays during the midday period, rather than once an hour.
Route 67 will have minor schedule adjustments, and will run on Robert St. rather than Cedar and Minnesota in downtown Saint Paul.
The most obvious benefit will be to those alley readers who use the Orange Line on I-35W and/or Route 9 along Franklin Ave. While Metro Transit has a long way to go to restore the good service it provided before the pandemic, these schedule improvements plus the safety initiatives that have been highly publicized on the TV news, may finally make transit use feasible again for more people.
Though we are often quick to complain about Metro Transit’s shortcomings, we often forget to praise them when they are doing something right. Perhaps a sincere, positive word of encouragement to our transit drivers is in order.
John Charles Wilson is a transit enthusiast who has been interested in this field since the 1970s.
