Riding the Storm out: 500 new Northstar riders in Dec. storm

During a Dec. 9 snowstorm that snarled Twin Cities metro traffic, the Northstar commuter trains pulled in another 500 people on that day alone, according to Metro Transit, the operator of the service, in comments made to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

The five round-trips that day carried nearly 2,800 passengers, or about 20% above what the normal daily average (2,400) has been in the service's first 5 weeks of operation.

The trains operate between Big Lake and Downtown Minneapolis, and operate over trackage owned by the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway.

Northstar Miscellany

Two things to note about Minnesota's commuter train:

1. Ridership for the second half of November, 2009 was slightly below estimates. The report did acknowledge the fact that Thanksgiving day (a day where no trains operate) did indeed occur during the time period. Ridership average 2,207 per day, slightly under the 2,460 estimated daily average. The release from Metro Transit, operator of the service, says that ridership patterns will not emerge until after the first of the year.

2. Metro Transit has leased a MP36 locomotive from the Utah Transit Authority, operator of the Salt Lake City-Ogden-Brigham City 'FrontRunner' commuter trains. The engine is intended to be a spare for the Northstar locomotives currently in service. The locomotive is undergoing repaint and refit at Northstar's Big Lake repair/servicing facility.

The last 'bus to nowhere', changes its' route

The Route 889 bus, which is the once-a-day, weekday 'mop-up' for the Northstar Commuter train, will change it's current route in Downtown Minneapolis from travelling on 3rd Ave. South to the every-other-block transit lane on 2nd Ave. South, beginning on December 14th.

The rest of the route, including the lack of stops at Elk River and Big Lake, will continue.