‘Transit’ Archives
Reliability vs. Scheduled Frequency
METRO TRANSIT Reliability vs. Scheduled Frequency by JOHN CHARLES WILSON The Metro Transit service change of 20 August 2022 can be seen in two ways: First, as a service reduction, or second, as a reduction in promises to what Metro Transit can reliably deliver at this time. The driver shortage is making it so buses and trains don’t always come when they’re supposed to. Reducing how often they’re supposed to come is a realistic solution for now. Anyway, here are the changes affecting the Phillips neighborhood. Light Rail service is being reduced from once every 12 minutes to once every 15 minutes.Route 2 is also being reduced from once every 12 minutes to once every 15 minutes.Route 9 afternoon rush hour service is being reduced from once every 20 minutes to once every half hour.The 7:35 AM Route 14 trip which leaves 38th Street Station going northbound will instead leave from 66th and Richfield Parkway to make transfers from Route 46 possible.The Route 21 eastbound [...]
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 [...]
