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Metro Transit is the transit division of the Metropolitan Council, a regional governmental agency in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area of the U.S. state of Minnesota. Metro Transit is the largest operator of bus services in the seven-county region surrounding Minneapolis and St. Paul with 834 buses (including 140 articulated buses) on about 130 routes, Hiawatha Line light rail, and the Northstar Commuter Rail. It is reportedly the 18th largest transit system in the country, with approximately 240,000 rides provided each weekday, carrying 90% to 95% of the transit rides in the region. Several "opt-out" carriers exist in the area, including Southwest Metro Transit and Minnesota Valley Transit Authority. Metro Transit workers are organized through the Amalgamated Transit Union.
[edit] OverviewThe agency as it currently exists was first formed in the late 1960s, although the organization's history can be traced back to the early streetcar systems developed in the area in the mid to late 19th century. In 1970, it acquired the bus lines of Twin City Rapid Transit from businessman Carl Pohlad. The Metropolitan Council became the parent agency of Metro Transit in 1994. The light-rail system began operation on June 26, 2004, 50 years "to the month" since the last regular-service streetcar ran on June 19, 1954.  The organization has had several names over the years, though the most well-known name was probably Metropolitan Transit Commission (MTC). Vehicle livery is largely white, with a predominantly blue strip running horizontally along the side of buses. In addition, buses have a large white "T" inside a red circle on their roofs. The Hiawatha Line light-rail vehicles have a different color scheme, being predominantly black and gray, with yellow used on each end. Metro Transit uses vehicle wrap advertising on some buses and light rail cars, which can lead to a different appearance. All of the buses are handicapped-accessible, either using hydraulic lifts or a low-floor design. The Metropolitan Council also operates the Metro Mobility paratransit system for door-to-door transportation. The system claims to have a safety record five times better than the national average, although some worry that continuing reductions in break times and increases in the length of working days may cause the incident rate to rise. Metro Transit does not cover the whole Twin Cities area. About 17.5% of the area which has regular route transit service is served by six other transit systems. These "opt out" systems are listed below. Also about 5% of the system is contracted to private transit providers. [edit] Fleet[edit] BusesMetro Transit operates the Gillig Phantom (majority of the fleet), Gillig Advantage, New Flyer D60HF, D60LF, and MCI D4500. [edit] RailMain article: Hiawatha Line Bombardier Flexity Swift vehicles are operated on the Hiawatha light rail line, and are also expected to be used on the future Central Corridor light rail line. Main article: Northstar Line Rolling stock is for the Northstar Commuter Rail line, and consists of Bombardier BiLevel Coaches pulled by MotivePower MP36 locomotives. [edit] FundingCurrently Metro Transit receives the majority of its funding from the State Motor Vehicle Sales Tax, the State General Fund, fares, and federal revenues. Metro Transit prepares an annual calendar budget but most of its subsidy comes from state funds, which is on a July 1st biennial budget. Between 2001 and 2006, reductions in state general funds and state motor vehicle sales tax collections have forced a set of service cuts, fare increases, and fuel surcharges, all of which have reduced ridership.
Local policy requires that one third of the system's funding comes from fares, and current operations slightly exceed that level. Effective October 1, 2008, fares on all buses and trains increased by 25-cents.[1] Express routes cost more (on limited-stop portions) and certain eligible individuals (such as riders with disabilities) can ride for 75¢. Many of the fares are more expensive during rush hour periods; a rush-hour ride on an express bus currently costs $3.00, for instance. The system does not make much use of fare zones aside from downtown zones in Minneapolis and St. Paul where rides only cost 50¢. Fare transfer cards valid for 2.5 hours are available upon payment of fare. Trips on route 888 require a surcharge. A number of discounted multiple-use transit pass options are available, and the system introduced a contactless smart card (the Go-To card) for paying fares in early 2007. [edit] BRT features and research Metro Transit uses several methods to speed up bus lines, which can be considered forms of bus rapid transit (BRT). As in many metropolitan areas, high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) or carpool lanes are available for buses traveling on some highways. In downtown Minneapolis, there are several exclusive lanes for buses and taxis that go in the opposite direction of regular flow on one-way streets. Nicollet Mall is exclusively used for buses and taxis, though as of summer 2005, Metro Transit and the city of Minneapolis are experimenting with diverting buses to Hennepin Avenue in evening hours to reduce noise. Since 1991, Metro Transit buses have been allowed to use road shoulders to bypass traffic jams. Currently, buses are allowed to travel no more than 35 mph or 15 mph faster than the general purpose lanes. Some research has gone into improving the speed at which buses can travel in such a situation. Primarily, bus drivers have to be very attentive when taking the bus onto the shoulder, since that part of the road is only about one foot wider than the buses in many cases. Researchers at the University of Minnesota helped rig up a bus with a lane-keep system along with a heads-up display connected to a radar system to alert the driver of any obstacles. The technology was an adaptation of a system previously tested with drivers of snowplows, and made some headlines in the early 2000s decade, but has not yet been widely deployed. [edit] Commuter Rail and Light RailThe Northstar Corridor opened on Monday November 16, 2009. Several other lines are on the drawing board along with additional light rail projects, including the Central Corridor (Minnesota), which will run between the downtowns of St. Paul and Minneapolis via University Avenue, and is expected to start construction in early 2010. Other projects in the near future include commuter rail lines: Northern Lights Express, Red Rock Corridor, Rush Line, and the Bethel Corridor; light rail lines: Southwest Corridor, Northwest/Bottineau Boulevard Transitway, and the Robert Street Corridor; and Bus Rapid Transit lines: Cedar Avenue Transitway and the I-35W Busway. [edit] Route ListMain article: Metro Transit Routes [edit] Hi Frequency Network
[edit] See alsoOther Metropolitan Council services: Opt-out and regional providers:
[edit] References[edit] External links
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