BRT on Snelling Avenue set to open in 2015

Story copied and pasted from Star Tribune (May 13):
Last chance to weigh in before A-Line BRT moves forward
Posted by: Tim Harlow Updated: May 12, 2014 - 1:10 PM

Bus service along Snelling Avenue is going to change, and this week the public has one last opportunity to check out plans and provide feedback for the area's second Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line. Four sessions are set for this week and next in St. Paul and Roseville.

Metro Transit is finalizing plans on how each of the stations will fit into the sidewalk and street along what is being branded as the A-Line. Starting in 2015, the BRT line will shuttle passengers between 46th Street Station on Hiawatha Avenue in Minneapolis and Rosedale Center, following closely what is now Route 84.

The A-Line will operate much like the Red Line in the southern metro. On that line, buses operate in a similar fashion as light-rail trains in that they stop only at designated stations about every half-mile along the route. By having fewer stops, Metro Transit says the new A-Line will offer trips 12 minutes faster than on the current Route 84 bus. Trip time will drop from 48 minutes to 36 minutes, Metro Transit said. The A-line will allow riders to connect with both the Blue and Green light rail lines, and serve destinations such as Hamline University, Macalester College, Minnehaha Park, and the Midway and Rosedale shopping centers.

Bus riders will be able to give feedback on station designs, comment on how they should function, and what features they should have. Metro Transit conducted a survey on Facebook and Twitter, and many of those who responded wanted the following amenities: Weather protection, enhanced maps, real-time information, destination signs, security cameras and bike racks.

The agency says A-line "will be the first in a system of additional urban BRT lines to be build over the next several years."

The area's first BRT line opened last June. Operated by the Minnesota Valley Transit Authority, the line provided 130,733 rides from June through December 2013.