It's the End of the Line for Central Fridley Bus Route

The 810 Bus stayed within Fridley, circulating between Northstar station and large employers, but had "low ridership." Metro Transit said the route will be eliminated May 17, 2013.

A new bus route that made its debut a little more than a year ago will stop running next month. That's the word from Metro Transit, which blamed the elimination of Route 810 on low ridership. The bus runs between Northstar Commuter Rail trains and major employers in Fridley. Related at Patch: Here is the announcement Metro Transit posted online March 26, 2013: For Route 810 customers. Effective Friday, May 17, Route 810 will be eliminated due to low customer demand. Route 810 has been partially supported by a federal grant that was expected to fund operations through March 2014, but due to low ridership on the route, the grant money will be spent in April. Thank you for riding this route. The last day of service will be Friday, May 17. To …

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Fridley Bus Shelter Smashed in Spin-Out Will Get Replaced

Metro Transit says a new shelter will be in place within a week. Fridley police are waiting on

Metro Transit will replace the bus shelter that was demolished by a one-vehicle spin-out crash on Saturday. Metro Transit spokesperson John Siqveland said the replacement shelter should arrive within a week. Meanwhile, a bench (with advertisement for Miller Funeral Home) is in place at the southwest corner of 73rd and University avenues NE—matching the bench at the northeast corner of the intersection, which does not have a shelter. Update: A commenter at the Fridley Patch Facebook page said Wednesday afternoon the new shelter is in place. Fridley Police Lt. Mike Monsrud said by email Tuesday that the Dec. 1, 2012 incident remains under investigation: Three people were transported to North Memorial Medical center from the accident scene. A…

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Chris Steller

4:50 pm on Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Thanks, Josh! I updated the post with that news.   more ›

Fridley Station Saw 104 Northstar Riders on Average Weekday in October

Local platforms were the start or endpoints for 2,937 rides in October 2012.

Here are the October 2012 ridership figures for the Northstar Commuter Rail line. (Click on PDF thumbnail.) Fridley, being the last stop before downtown Minneapolis, continues to see the fewest riders. The Minnesota Twins home season ended (mercifully) before October started, leaving Vikings home games as the major special draw for special Northstar Commuter Rail rides.  On Saturdays in December through Dec. 22, Northstar is offering special Holidazzle Parade trains. A family pass from Fridley costs $11. Related:

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'Stop Making Excuses' for Northstar Commuter Rail

The train that connects Big Lake to Minneapolis by way of Fridley isn't pulling its weight, argues a former Met Council official in the Star Tribune.

It's time to end the Northstar Commuter Rail service—at least on weekends. That's the opinion of former Metropolitan Council Chair Annette Meeks, now CEO of the conservative Freedom Foundation of Minnesota who also ran for lieutenant governor in Minnesota on the Republican ticket in 2010. In an op-ed in the Oct. 15, 2012 Star Tribune, Meeks wrote: Five years ago, I served as chairman of the Metropolitan Council's Transportation Committee. I have to admit I was very skeptical about spending precious transit resources to test commuter rail in the Twin Cities. And now, after nearly three full years of Northstar service, it appears that the skeptics were right: Northstar has failed to meet ridership projections, even during its first full and …

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Editor's Notebook

VIDEO: Ever Taken the Sing-Along Bus?

Mass transit is often a grim affair, but earlier this week, one Metro Transit bus broke out in song.

Metro Transit and its drivers are often the grimmest of civil servants. Stoically, if not humorlessly, they put up with customers who are rude, rowdy, or just plain drunk. Drivers cut in front of them, or box them in and prevent their topped bus from pulling out into traffic. It's no surprise that they don't have a strong reputation for joviality.  But every now and then, as in the YouTube video above, you meet a driver with a spring in their step. It's not clear which bus the videographer is riding, but it appears to be traveling northbound on Hennepin Avenue in downtown Minneapolis (the CVS store at 1110 Hennepin is visible out the bus windows at the 0:24 mark). The several passengers on the late-night trip are belting out "Shake, Rattle…

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Sunday Last Day for Free Rides on Route 10U Blue Hybrid Bus

Three Fridley firms helped build Metro Transit's new hybrid-electric bus.

Free Rides on Route 10U Blue Hybrid Bus This Week

Three Fridley firms helped build Metro Transit's new hybrid-electric bus.

If you see a blue bus on University Avenue, Central Avenue/Highway 65 or 53rd Avenue, hop on. It's Metro Transit's newest hybrid electric bus, and rides are free this week. You don't have to pay the fare on the blue Route 10U bus during its first week in regular service, which started Monday, Sept. 10. The bus made its debut on display at the 2012 Minnesota State Fair. This is how Metro Transit talks up its latest model: Unlike other buses, even some hybrids, the Xcelsior uses super efficient All Electric components, many that eliminate power-sucking hydraulic systems. Instead, itt uses an all Electric HVAC system, electric power steering rather than hydraulic and an electric air compressor to power pneumatic accessories like doors and …

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New Bus Route 810 Changes Monday: Now Circulates Clockwise in the Afternoon Too

The afternoon route of Fridley's new bus line will match the morning.

Metro Transit has announced changes effective Monday to the new bus route that started running in Fridley last month. Route 810 buses will now circulate through Fridley in a clockwise direction on their afternoon runs, as they already do for morning runs. The counter-clockwise circulation along Mississippi Street NE, Old Central Avenue NE, Osborne Road NE and University Avenue NE led to "concerns about missed connections with Northstar trains," Metro Transit said in its announcement. Take a short video ride aboard Route 810 during its afternoon service. "This will allow buses to make a series of right turns instead of left turns, improving reliability and on-time performance," according to the announcement. The six trips each in the …

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VIDEO: Take a Ride on Fridley's New Bus, Route 810

Route 810, Fridley's new circulator bus route, is increasing ridership.

The new Route 810 gives rush hour riders a 30-minute tour of Fridley, taking them from the Northstar Commuter Rail trains at Fridley Station to major area busineses, including Medtronic's Rice Creek campus, Cummins Power Generation and Unity Hospital. The route circulates 12 times daily during rush hours. Bus driver Mario Lee said ridership is still relatively low since the route's March 5 launch, with most afternoons so far seeing fewer than 10 customers.

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Central Ave.-University Ave. Not First in Line for Bus Rapid Transit

Two St. Paul routes will likely get BRT first among 11 proposed.

A bus rapid transit route that would send speedy buses flying up Central Avenue NE to 53rd Avenue NE then over to University Avenue NE is among 11 such routes under consideration by Metro Transit.  But two St. Paul routes have the greatest chance of being developed first, according to an article at MinnPost.  The last in a series of public meetings is set for Wednesday in St. Paul. 

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