1. D Line Project Overview
D Line TAC Meeting #1:
D Line Project Overview
NūLoop Partners| November 27, 2018
Charles Carlson, Director, Bus Rapid Transit 1

2. Local Corridor Transit Challenges
Slow speeds caused by slow fare payment, red lights
Limited infrastructure doesn’t match transit’s role in busy corridors
Ford Parkway (St. Paul)

3. Planned rapid bus system
11 improved corridors
Nearly 500,000 jobs served
$ million network
150,000 avg. weekday rides
+70,000 rides above today
The focus of this investment would be the rapid bus system, which was identified through a study of local bus corridors in 2012.
By themselves, rapid bus lines serve nearly 500,000 jobs, or 1 out of every 3 jobs in the region. These corridors carry 80,000 existing rides each day, or nearly 30% of the transit system. With rapid bus improvements, by 2030 these corridors will carry 150,000 daily rides.
The resulting 11-line system complements the METRO bus and rail lines. Together with METRO bus and rail lines, nearly half of the region’s jobs will be connected to frequent, reliable all-day transit.
Reference:
79,300 existing rides(2010) = 26M per year
147,900 (2030) rides = 48M per year
35,600 incremental over no-build = 11.6M per year

4. All-Door Boarding and Off-Board Payment
Route 5: Front-door boarding, all fares collected on board
BRT: All-door boarding, all fares collected at station

5. Neighborhood-Scale Stations

6. First corridor: A Line (Snelling Ave)
Opened June 2016
$27 million project cost
32% ridership increase in first year of operations
Nearly 4 million rides carried to date
Rapid bus lines are not just a proposed enhancement to our system, but a proven solution that has delivered cost-effective results.
The first line opened in 2016 on Snelling Avenue, and was supported by state funds as well as federal and Metropolitan Council funds.
Because the A Line largely replaced a local bus line, the incremental cost of this service funded primarily by existing resources. Of the $7 million annual operating cost, $5 million was already operating in the corridor. Service increased with the A Line, with additional service and increased frequency, especially in evenings and on weekends.

7. C Line (Penn Avenue North)
8.5 miles from downtown Minneapolis to Brooklyn Center
23 stations
7,600 daily rides today, 9,300 by 2030
$37 million project budget
Features 8 battery-electric articulated buses
Planned opening Spring 2019

8. C Line: Before (Penn & Plymouth)
Looking north, August 2016

9. Penn & Plymouth
Looking north, September 2018

10. September 2018: C Line bus delivery
C Line fleet includes 6 diesel and 8 electric articulated buses manufactured in St. Cloud, MN

11. Route 5 Highest ridership bus route 15,000 weekday rides
11 mph peak average speed
minute travel time

12. Existing Conditions: Route 5 Circulation
Buses make up 3-4% of traffic
…and carry up to 35% of people

13. D Line Project Scope 18.2 miles Approximately 50 stations
2030 daily ridership forecast with rapid bus: 23,500
Project cost = $75 million
$40 million identified
Schedule
2018 Planning
2019 Engineering
Construction, pending full funding 13

14. Future Corridors B Line (Lake Street/Marshall Ave)
Replacement of much of Route 21
West Lake Station to Snelling & University
Planning, Engineering
construction and operations
E Line (Hennepin Ave)
Replaces parts of Route 6
Coordination with city reconstruction in downtown and uptown
Construction planned for 2023
2019 Study of potential additional corridors
Review past lines identified but not yet selected/named
Evaluate criteria and prioritize implementation

15. Secured and needed funding
Source: 2030 corridor forecast ridership, Arterial Transitway Corridors Study (2012)