LightRail is awesome
I’m one of, I’m sure many people, who doesn’t use the bus system. I have nothing against it, I just usually don’t have a use for it, and for the most part it’s too pricey for when I would use it (e.g. a jaunt downtown from Uptown). Also, I bike a lot including in winter. But I really like the light rail. I use the light rail very rarely, but it’s nice to know that I can have friends drop me off at a light rail station instead of going down I-35 and 62 which at most times are a total driving nightmare when I need to get to the airport. Also, it sells the tickets at a station and you can use a credit card. I hate having to lug around cash especially if I need exact change.
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I’m a big fan of LRT too and I’m glad they’re planning to expand. Let me tell ya though, those first few months commuting on Minnehaha were BRUTAL.
I’d like to ride the light rail more, but at the moment it’s just not convenient for me. I don’t live close enough to the line to make it practical for me to park and ride. By the time I drive far enough to do that, I might as well just drive where I’m going. I have taken it across downtown a number of times, though. That’s definitely worth the 50 cents.
But I am more than willing to pony up tax dollars for it and for the construction of more light rail lines.
I can’t find the article now (the best I can find is this showing construction at HHH in September), but I read recently that the Humphrey Terminal Station is going to close for about a year starting in September. They’ll be running a 24-hour shuttle from airport to airport again while they build more parking. It’s a bummer to me because I often used that light rail station and I never park at the airport.
The LRT is my favorite way to go downtown. I suck at trying to navigate the Ave and St #s in Minneapolis, so if I can hope the train from one of the park and rides, I’m one happy camper.
I bought my place near the LRT because I wanted the convenience. I love using it to get downtown, or to take it to the airport instead of needing to inconvenience someone else to give me a ride.