Sunday evening, I happened to be coming back from a family function, where earlier in the day I used Northstar to go between Coon Rapids and Big Lake, where my wife met me for the rest of the afternoon. I had to get back to my car, so I availed myself of the Northstar Twins' special train from Big Lake back to Riverdale (and my car).
What I saw was what Metro Transit (and the naysayers about Northstar) would want to see: an eight-car, two-locomotive behemoth -- the largest train I've seen in person from Northstar -- and hundreds of Twins fans (if there were any Texas Rangers' fans on this train, they were in hiding) boarding at each of the five Northstar stations, happy not to have to hassle with I-94, the atrocious (and expensive) parking around Target Field (despite it being a Sunday night) and the fact there was actually a train that would wait for them, even after the completion of the Twins' 6-3 win and a three-game sweep of the bankrupt Rangers.
In fact, the train was standing room only as it departed Coon Rapids -- Riverdale. Which meant over 1200 passengers were aboard, as the train roared off into the late afternoon gloom towards Target Field.
There will be trains after every game from now until the end of August. Trainloads of happy fans, safely, efficiently traveling to and from what everyone said would be a 'boondoggle' -- Target Field -- as Minnesota finally joins the 'big leagues' 0f transportation, shortly after they finally joined the 'big leagues' of baseball stadia.
There was only one passenger wanting not to go to Target Field last night. One passenger willing to trade the comforts of the new stadium for the comfort of his own recliner. One passenger who didn't want to go all the way Downtown last night.
Meet that one passenger. Me.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Metro Transit 1, Northstar-riding Twins fans 0, Final
Well, the apocalypse happened Saturday night. And it only took less than six weeks of baseball for that to happen.
Northstar commuter train-riding Twins fans who attended Saturday's 12-inning marathon of bad pitching vs. the Milwaukee Brewers were faced with this situation as the 11th inning approached:
Either they had to:
a) Stay to the end of the game and be stranded in Downtown Minneapolis, or:
b) Run like hell to catch the train (it's just outside Gate 6) and make the 7:00 PM departure, missing the last two innings of the ball game.
Metro Transit's dogged insistence on one operating crew (only) on weekend days is not making friends of Twins baseball fans. The unbelieveable short-sightedness of Metro Transit underestimating the popularity of Northstar for Twins baseball games is yet another reason the schedule for Northstar needs to be expanded.
Now.
Northstar commuter train-riding Twins fans who attended Saturday's 12-inning marathon of bad pitching vs. the Milwaukee Brewers were faced with this situation as the 11th inning approached:
Either they had to:
a) Stay to the end of the game and be stranded in Downtown Minneapolis, or:
b) Run like hell to catch the train (it's just outside Gate 6) and make the 7:00 PM departure, missing the last two innings of the ball game.
Metro Transit's dogged insistence on one operating crew (only) on weekend days is not making friends of Twins baseball fans. The unbelieveable short-sightedness of Metro Transit underestimating the popularity of Northstar for Twins baseball games is yet another reason the schedule for Northstar needs to be expanded.
Now.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
New Schedule for Northstar, Route 889 Blues
Northstar commuter trains are on a new, more 'Twins-friendly' schedule, as the baseball season plods on, and the trains arrive Target Field standing-room-only, for nearly every game they run for. The ridership figures for days when there are Twins home games, as opposed to days when they do not run are way, way up. Now if they would only do something to encourage more off-peak, non-game-day ridership?
They have, in part. No longer are some (not all) Northstar riders stranded all day weekdays downtown, as the No. 889 'Northstar replacement' bus has changed its' schedule to a much more useful 1:05PM departure from Downtown Minneapolis, as the public had spoken -- LOUDLY -- about operating a mid-day trip to Coon Rapids (Riverdale) and Anoka stations.
Now, could we get this same 889 bus to continue to Elk River and Big Lake, in order to serve ALL Northstar patrons? (Fridley station is already also served by Metro Transit bus route No. 852). As long as the bus is deadheading back anyhow (another mistake,) you might as well make it available for all potential Northstar patrons to use.
If you make the train service at least palatable to use one direction, you would draw more passengers to the afternoon trains outbound from Downtown (and the 5 PM 'turnback' inbound) if you had another way to get there at times outside of the rush hours.
But what do we consumers, who use the service (and want to use it more) know?
They have, in part. No longer are some (not all) Northstar riders stranded all day weekdays downtown, as the No. 889 'Northstar replacement' bus has changed its' schedule to a much more useful 1:05PM departure from Downtown Minneapolis, as the public had spoken -- LOUDLY -- about operating a mid-day trip to Coon Rapids (Riverdale) and Anoka stations.
Now, could we get this same 889 bus to continue to Elk River and Big Lake, in order to serve ALL Northstar patrons? (Fridley station is already also served by Metro Transit bus route No. 852). As long as the bus is deadheading back anyhow (another mistake,) you might as well make it available for all potential Northstar patrons to use.
If you make the train service at least palatable to use one direction, you would draw more passengers to the afternoon trains outbound from Downtown (and the 5 PM 'turnback' inbound) if you had another way to get there at times outside of the rush hours.
But what do we consumers, who use the service (and want to use it more) know?
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