Demonstration route added with federal emergency funding

Express bus service offered from Forest Lake to downtown Minneapolis

New express bus service started Jan. 7 between the new Forest Lake Transit Center and downtown Minneapolis, thanks to emergency transit funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Route 288, a one-year demonstration route, will provide relief at the crowded 95th Avenue park-and-ride in Blaine and is part of a larger transit response to mitigate the impacts of the I-35W bridge collapse. Use of park-and-ride lots in the I-35W corridor grew by an average of 15% between October 2006 and October 2007, according to an annual survey by Metro Transit.

The new demonstration Route 288 starts at a 300-space park-and-ride at the Forest Lake Transit Center. See a map of the entire route (pdf).

The Forest Lake service is offered by the Metropolitan Council, using a contract provider. Planning assistance came from the Council’s Metro Transit and the Rush Line Corridor Task Force, a joint powers board of counties and cities along a corridor from St. Paul through Hinckley, Minnesota.

Testing the viability of service in the northeast

Studies by the Rush Line Corridor Task Force, along with a recent license plate survey at the crowded 95th Avenue park-and-ride, show significant park-and-ride usage by commuters from Forest Lake and the areas north and east of the city. Council and local officials say now’s the time to test the viability of express service between Forest Lake’s Transit Center and 300-plus space park-and-ride, and downtown Minneapolis.

“The demonstration route gives us an opportunity to address two regional mobility issues at once,” said Council Chair Peter Bell. “It will help put additional transit service on the streets in the wake of the bridge collapse, and it will help to determine the ridership demand and market for this service in the longer term.”

Ramsey County Commissioner Victoria Reinhardt, chair of the Rush Line Corridor Task Force, said she was pleased with the additional transit service to serve the east metro area. “With the help of the Legislature, we look forward to building on this beginning by offering service from North Branch to St. Paul, which will connect to Metropolitan Council service to Minneapolis at Forest Lake,” she said.

Five daily trips each way

Five morning and five afternoon trips aboard coach buses will offer 30-minute frequency. The first morning and the last afternoon trip will operate only between Forest Lake and 95th Avenue. Those first and last trips will be timed to connect with Express Route 250 at the 95th Avenue park-and-ride for Minneapolis service. In addition, the buses will have the time-saving advantage of being able to use shoulders for the majority of the route.

The fare during the one-year demonstration period will be $2.75. Route 288 customers benefit from the same fare cards and transfer policies as riders throughout the regional transit system.