‘Transit’ Archives
METRO TRANSIT
Safer and Smaller Trains? By JOHN CHARLES WILSON Metro Transit is in the midst of an experiment with running two-car, instead of three-car, trains on both the Blue and Green Lines. This experiment continues through 20 August. The purpose of the test is to see if two-car trains reduce the amount of cleaning necessary and increase the amount of “interaction” between the Metro Transit police and train riders. Three-car trains will still run on busy days, such as Twins game days. Personally, though it may not do much for the cleaning issue, I believe the best way to make train travel safer is to order “open gangway” light rail vehicles, as are used in Toronto. Instead of separate cars with no inside connection between them, open gangway trains fit together with an open corridor between cars, creating an effect similar to articulated buses. This means people in back don’t have the full separation from the front which seems to embolden troublemakers, and it also means [...]
Metro Transit: Bus Service Changes, Coming and Planned
By JOHN CHARLES WILSON Metro Transit’s quarterly service changes on 26 Match 2022 that affect the alley readership area are as follows: The Orange Line’s 15 minute southbound frequency is being extended from 7 to 8 PM.Route 2 will have minor adjustments to better reflect current usage.Route 5 will have minor adjustments to better reflect real travel times.Route 14 will have less morning school day trips to South and Roosevelt High Schools, and will run every 20 minutes instead of every 15 minutes during rush hours.Route 22 will have minor adjustments to reflect real travel times downtown and will also be cut to once every 20 minutes instead of every 15 minutes during rush hours.Route 27 will have schedule adjustments for better connections with the Orange Line. In addition to this, Metro Transit is planning to make Route 22 more efficient, starting in August 2022, by simplifying the route and by cutting back on stops to increase speed. The simplifications include [...]
Transit: Happy New Year, People of Phillips!
By JOHN CHARLES WILSON Well, the year 2021 is drawing to a close and 2022 is just now starting. As a transit enthusiast, I have a lot to be disappointed in and a lot to look forward to, and I hope alley readers feel the same. What was disappointing was primarily that the pandemic has decimated transit usage to the point where many bus and train routes have been curtailed. I had hoped things would be back to normal by now, but I suspect this is the new normal. The rise in attacks on innocent transit users, especially on unsupervised trains, is very disconcerting. There are people who now eschew the light rail for slower buses because they are perceived as safer. The fact that there is a shortage of bus and train drivers doesn’t help any, either. However, there are reasons to be hopeful for a better future: Maybe even if humans don’t beat coronavirus, we may find a way to have an uneasy truce with it. Maybe we will find a happy medium with security/law enforcement where [...]
