Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nov. 16, 2009
1,207 CUSTOMERS RODE NORTHSTAR TRAINS THIS MORNING
MINNEAPOLIS – (Nov. 16) – Customers boarded Northstar trains 1,207 times this morning as paying passengers rode commuter rail for first time on the 40-mile service between Big Lake and downtown Minneapolis, Metro Transit reported.
Assuming morning riders return home this afternoon, first-day totals will reach 2,414 rides, 70 percent of average weekday ridership expected during the first year.
Northstar offers five morning rush-hour trips to Minneapolis and five trips home in the afternoon as well as one reverse-commute trip. Three roundtrips are available on Saturdays and Sundays.
"Today was a good beginning to a service that has been nearly 13 years in the making," said Metro Transit General Manager Brian Lamb. "With speeds up to 79 mph, Northstar offers a fast trip and, more importantly, a consistent trip – 51 minutes end-to-end regardless of weather and nearby road congestion. Northstar provides a viable alternative to driving alone in a car for those who live along the Highway 10 corridor."
Metro Transit posted staff members at each of Northstar's six stations – Big Lake, Elk River, Anoka, Coon Rapids, Fridley and Target Field in Minneapolis – to help customers get acquainted with Northstar service. Those staff members will be on hand through Wednesday and again over the weekend. Then, as intended, Northstar will become a self-service operation.
Customers pay fares prior to boarding trains with prices ranging from $3.25 to $7 depending on the distance of the trip. Most customers use Metro Transit's Go-To smartcards that offer a 10 percent savings and deduct fares instantly by tapping the card to readers on the platforms.
Each train trip consists of a locomotive and four passenger cars, with each car seating about 140 customers. Passenger cars have three seating levels, work tables, electrical outlets and an on-board restroom. Each car can accommodate two bicycles and is fully accessible for persons with disabilities.
Each suburban station has adjacent park-and-ride facilities, and platforms are equipped with cameras, emergency telephones, enclosed shelters, heating and other amenities.
On arrival at Target Field in Minneapolis customers make easy connections to the Hiawatha light-rail line and to regional bus routes for rides to their final destinations. In Minneapolis, Metro Transit created a new route Ð Route 20 Ð that will carry Northstar customers to work locations in southeast portion of downtown, operating on Ninth and Tenth streets.
At the north end of the Northstar Line, St. Cloud Metro Bus today inaugurated NorthstarLink, providing commuter coach buses between St. Cloud and Big Lake Station, offering – for the first time – a daily transit option between St. Cloud and Minneapolis.
The $317 million Northstar rail project was designed and constructed by the Minnesota Department of Transportation. It is owned by the Met Council and managed by Metro Transit, an operating division of the Council.
-30-
(Editors: For more information contact Bob Gibbons, director of customer services, at 612-349-7509 or robert.gibbons@metc.state.mn.us)
