Metro Transit's way to deal with Northstar interruption: Not deal with it at all

OK, Northstar riders. NOW do you see how much Metro Transit really cares about your service?

The abject failure of Metro Transit to clearly deal with the aftermath of BNSF Railway's train derailment early Saturday shows this blogger just how little the agency is committed to transit alternatives in the North Metro.

An eastbound grain train derailed after the embankment next to the Rice Creek bridge washed away following Saturday's early-morning 3+ inch rainfall in Fridley. The fact of the matter is that although the Staples Subdivision (the main line of BNSF that was washed out) would not allow trains to operate east of Coon Creek, the mainline west of Coon Creek was totally unscathed. Northstar could have operated with a bus bridge from Coon Rapids (Riverdale) to Downtown Minneapolis' 5th Street Transit Center, one block east of the train's Target Field terminus. This is especially true on Monday, where the combination of the start of the workweek and the Twins' day-night doubleheader (two admissions) would have been a prime example for showing that Northstar could have all-day service.

Instead, a terse statement was issued from Metro Transit Saturday afternoon, saying that Northstar trains were cancelled thru Monday, including for Twins' games on Saturday, Sunday and the Monday doubleheader, and that passengers, including commuters on Monday, were on their own to fend for themselves to get to work, or wherever they were going.

This is definitely a way that Metro Transit shows how they feel about the North suburbs. If this had happened on a South Suburban rail line, you would bet that they would have a bus bridge set up and pronto! But we live in the North Suburbs, where bus routes are not coordinated properly, and when disruptions occur, 'you're on your own! We can't get to you! Good Luck!'

This is disgusting...

Every Twins Game gets a Northstar train in 2011

Metro Transit, operator of the Northstar commuter train service, announced that there would be trains for all 81 Twins' baseball home games in 2011. Most games would be covered by existing trains in at least one direction. Twins day games normally start at either 12:10 PM (except Sundays), 1:10 PM (Sundays) or at 2:55 PM (Saturday day games televised by FOX, as part of their 'Major League Game of the Week' package). Night games start at 7:10 PM except on Saturdays, when home games start at 6:10 PM.

It's not just happening here, folks!

The severe winter weather which has become December, 2010, has not just affected transportation in the USA & Canada. While during the first two recent 'Snow-namis' both the Northstar and Hiawatha Light Rail lines ran nearly normally (Northstar ran on time throughout, thanks to BNSF Railway) the MSP Airport closed, buses (transit and intercity) stopped, and Amtrak's Empire Builder ran late, but it was still running, although once passengers arrived in St. Paul, they were stranded if they did not have a ride already, as the taxi companies pulled their taxis off the streets due to too much snow.

Europe has been affected as well. The system that hit Minnesota last weekend hit Europe this weekend, with equally devastating results. Eurostar services between London and Paris/Brussels as well as all high-speed services in France have had a 170-KPH (105 MPH)
speed restriction slapped on them, adding as much as two hours on London-Paris Eurostar runs. Trains are being turned back at their endpoints and are being sent out immediately, with lines of holiday travellers at London's St. Pancras International Terminal, supposedly out the doors and into the streets of London. Eurostar has requested that passengers who do not need to travel between Britain and the Continent, postpone their trip until after the Christmas holiday.

Eurostar is not scheduled to operate any trains on Christmas day.

Northstar Changes; Route 889 dropped

Metro Transit quietly dropped the Route 889 mid-day Northstar substitute bus on October 28th. The next day, a Friday-only thru bus (operating between St. Cloud and Downtown Minneapolis, stopping at all Northstar and Northstar Link stations) began operation. Dubbed Route 887F, the bus (operated by St. Cloud MetroBus) operates Fridays ONLY, allowing for mid-day service to all stations on the last day of most people's workweeks.

In other Northstar news, Nov. 16th and 17th (Tuesday and Wednesday) Northstar is FREE for all passengers, as Metro Transit celebrates Northstar's first anniversary and tries to attract more riders just ahead of the winter road aggravation season. Now, if there's snow either of those days, those free rides to and from Downtown Minneapolis, without the plethora of traffic accidents, are going to look mighty good...

Skol Northstar! Vikings game trains schedule announced

OK, Vikings faithful. Your team is playing 'exhibition' football. Soon, you all will begin your annual treks to the 'Dome, and you'll wait for-ever to get out of the parking lots/ramps after the game...

...unless you ride Northstar, in which case, the train will wait for YOU. For one hour after the final gun.

Metro Transit has released the train schedule for the first full season of Vikings' football, available at: http://www.metrotransit.org/ride-northstar-to-the-metrodome.aspx .

Soon, your pre-game parking worries will be over. Now remember, there is NO TAILGATING in Northstar parking lots. No liquor may be consumed (or, for that matter, poured) in them, either, nor on the trains (or any Metro Transit property) themselves.

You've been told. And, warned. So behave yourselves, folks.

Oh, and for those of you who are Gopher football fans: This service will NOT be available for Gopher football games.

Our condolences on your team's predicted fortune, this upcoming college football season.

Northstar catches 'Twins' fever', Becker added as commuter bus stop

Just briefly: Northstar commuter buses from St. Cloud to Big Lake will operate for designated Minnesota Twins home games, primarily on Saturdays, the rest of the 2010 MLB season. Catch the details at metrotransit.org. Look for Route 887 or go to the 'Northstar' tab.

In addition, St. Cloud-Big Lake buses now also stop at Becker en route, both directions, for all trips.

WRT

Aboard the Northstar Twins Special

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.