Green Line: One million rides in September
October 2014
We knew there was strong demand for light rail between Minneapolis and Saint Paul when we began construction four years ago. But even our best modeling didn’t quite capture the excitement and pent up demand for the new METRO Green Line.
Ridership on the Green Line during the month of September totaled 1,063,512 riders, or just over 37,000 average weekday riders. That is a full 35% above projections!
What’s more, overall ridership in the University Avenue corridor is approaching double what it was last year. In September 2013, there were 653,208 rides on bus routes 16, 94 and 50, the limited-stop service that the Green Line replaced. During September 2014, the Green Line and routes 16 and 94 had a combined ridership of 1,185,217.
Not only is the Green Line introducing transit to new riders, but it was recently profiled on the CNN Money website under the title “How the Twin Cities got transit right.”
We have a lot to be proud of, but our work is not done. The Green Line continues to improve speeds with the help of city traffic engineers, ensuring the ride meets customer expectations. As we prepare for our first winter of Green Line operations, we look forward to continued feedback and strong ridership from our Metro Transit customers.
By Susan Haigh