Northstar changes schedule...slightly

Northstar commuter rail schedules will change slightly beginning November 30th. All trains departing Target Field (Downtown Minneapolis), will now leave 5 minutes later than the current schedule. The change was made after many complaints from frequent riders, that the schedule was too tight to get across Downtown Minneapolis to the trains during the rush hour.

In addition, the first morning departure inbound (to Downtown Minneapolis) now departs all stations 5 minutes later, departing Big Lake at 5:05 AM.

The changes also affect the morning 'contra-flow' departure, but does not include any weekend departures.

Northstar after a few days: Analysis

After a few days of actual, common-folk operation of Northstar commuter train service, a few things stand out:

1. The White House is poorly protected compared to Northstar. There are transit Police everywhere. Even at Big Lake, they have some contraption which is supposedly an observation tower, but where it currently is (at Big Lake station, overlooking the parking lot) it might be better used by turning the thing about 120 degrees to the west, and used as a duck blind (or the world's most obtuse deer stand).
2. Need a train schedule? Fuhgeddaboutit, at least on trains and/or at the stations. No schedules to take away available. (In fact, I got mine only because I walked thru the 4th St. Transit Center on my way home after a Minnesota Wild road trip, en route from the Hiawatha Light Rail to my car.) Not only that, next to no one knows about the #887 St. Cloud bus connection (which, as I blogged earlier, does not stop at Becker nor at Clear Lake.) How would they know about it except online?
3. Most of the ticket machines (which do take credit cards, a Metro Transit first) are in obtuse locations, and are poorly marked. In fact, at Big Lake, they face west...and, since the prevailing wind direction is from the west, it will probably take an act of Almighty God (or Yahweh, or Buddha, or Allah, depending on your religion) for train passengers to receive tickets when ice storms hit.
4. Few of the passengers actually want to sit next to each other. On the train I rode, I would estimate that up to 20% of the passengers were out for a joy ride. In fact, one poor guy (who was with his first-grade daughter) actually told his cell phone caller that he was 'stuck with my kid on this train ride' and he'd be back into Downtown Minneapolis 'late' (5:52 PM).
5. Hopefully the regular passengers will figure out that the parking lot you want to park in, is the one where you arrive next to at the END of the day. Seemed that a lot of regular commuters were across the tracks from their cars after coming back from work.
6. Could we have ONE timetable with ALL the connections to and from Northstar trains? Please? Huh? Please??
7. Why no access at Target Field Station, Downtown Minneapolis, directly to the Northstar platform for buses to unload, paid fare area (the bus) to paid fare area (the train platform)? The 'shanks mare' connection from light rail to Northstar is bad enough, having to go via the Target Field left field pavilion concourse, but to have to walk a full block and a half to get a bus at the 4th St. Transit Center is ridiculous. (I'm surprised that this is not an ADA issue.)

OK, I'm off the soap box, for now. Can anyone fix this before people are totally alienated?

Thanks.

Welcome to Along the Right of Way!

I have wanted to do a transportation-related blog for some time, as I have been in the movement of people and products for nearly 30 years, and I think I have some things to say.

This was formerly part of 'Mileposts and Goalposts', my now-solely hockey and sports travel related blog here on Blogspot.com, so now hopefully those of you who don't want some puck with your train (or bus or planes) discussion will be satisfied, also.

Those articles that were about transportation on the old blog are now archived here. Feel free to comment on them at your leisure.

And stay safe out there!

Happy Commuter Train Day, Minnesota! (T)

Good morning, Minnesota. Welcome to the big leagues of transportation.

Today, Monday, November 16, 2009, begins the era of commuter rail in Minnesota, as the Northstar Line started service this morning between Big Lake and Downtown Minneapolis.

The line has been thirteen years in the making, with the political nay-sayers and the NIMBY's howling every single step of the way. Now, it's the people's turn to choose how they get to work.

I have railed in this blog previously as to how inadequate the bus plan (which should feed the trains, instead of the other way around, as the plan is now) is for these trains. No one source can be used for all the schedules; since no one jurisdiction operates everything regarding the train and it's so-called 'friendly' connections.

Hopefully, the service will need to be expanded...and soon. There are gaping holes in the schedule (weekdays mid-day, weekend mornings come to mind) and there's that 60-day notice to the BNSF Railway (the track's owners) about train service to special events (Twins' games at Target Field, events at the Metrodome, just to use two examples) to deal with. Hopefully, the powers-that-be administrating this service will realize that the direction is for expansion, not for sitting on the status quo.

Because, the status quo is what Minnesotans have had for all too long. And the status quo really sucks.

(Photo: Northstar commuter train at storage yard, Big Lake. © Metro Transit 2009. Used with permission.)

They listened! (M)

Last week, I railed against the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), and their lack of updated on-line info for the #19 United Center Express bus, which caused five of us to miss most of the pre-game of the Oct. 26 Minnesota Wild-Chicago Blackhawks game at the United Center.

Well, well, well...now at http://transitchicago.com/ there is a brand new list of stops for the route (dated 10/27/2009, the day after the Wild-Hawks game, the day I originally e-mailed my complaint to CTA), and the old schedule (from 2006-07) has been removed. A newer, proper description (not a timetable, sadly) has been put in its' place.

While this doesn't ease the pain of the original screw-up, at least the damage can now be limited.

Road Tripper rule: Always check your timetables while travelling...

WRT