MINNEAPOLIS – Metro Transit gave KARE 11 News a first peak at their newest weapon in the battle against commuter problems. It is the Twin Cities first Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line.
The “A” line will begin service in Spring between Rosedale Mall and the 46th Street Station on the Blue Line light rail via Snelling Avenue in St. Paul and 46th Street in Minneapolis.
Twenty stations along the 10 mile route are currently under construction.
“It is brighter,” said Katie Roth, 'A Line' project manager. “It is a little bit taller and it has some different features that really stand out on the roadway.”
At the Metro Transit garages on 7th Street in Minneapolis, Scott McDonald, Metro Transit electrical supervisor, showed off the gadgetry inside the 12 new vehicles.
“This is the latest and greatest,” said McDonald.
The new buses have seven cameras, inside and out, and a device to give A line buses priority at intersections.
'A Line' riders will notice some changes. There are no fare boxes. Tickets will be purchased at the stations, as they are for light rail riders. The overhead “next stop” cords are gone, replaced by convenient, lower red buttons that activate a visual and voice response.
“The biggest difference is at the rear door,” said Roth. “It is 56-inches wide and it means that people can go in and out of that door freely without a lot of congestion and make it a more quick experience getting on and off.”
Each bus has 34 seats and 30 “strap hanger” standing positions. Some of the seats are designed to fold up or down as needed to accommodate passengers with carts or strollers.
Of course, on the road, the 'A Line' buses will be subject to the same speed limits and traffic.
“But where we pick up a lot of speed is by stopping less often,” said Roth, “and by when we are stopped, having that be a shorter stop. So, when people pay off board, it really decreases the amount of time that the bus is at the station.”
The 'A Line' is regarded as an “upgrade” from the old route 84 buses. Metro Transit expects an increase in ridership from the 4,000 riders on the 84 buses.
The 'A Line' is the first of an expected 12-17 BRTs in the Twin Cities. The next BRT is to be the 'C Line' running down Penn Avenue from Brooklyn Center through North Minneapolis in 2017.
The 'A Line' will feed passengers to both the Green Line light rail at University Avenue and the Blue Line light rail at 46th Street. It is to run every 10 minutes from 4 a.m. - 1 a.m. weekdays and weekends.