Light Rail to TCF

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Bayfieldgopher

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I am curious about the schedule for game days. I tried to find info on the web but still have ???

Does anyone know how frequent the train will run from Fridley and then from MSP to TCF and east ? And how soon after the game will it depart? I know the train left 1/2 hour after the Twins games so I assume that was a designated train.

I realize there will be various game times for Gopher games and the schedule isn't set until TV decides which has to affect the trail schedule. Will there be one designated train depending on the KO time? Or will riders be subject to the set Saturday train schedules?

We took the rail from Ft. Snelling to the dome years ago and I don't remember long lines of fans waiting to board.
 

Bayfieldgopher said:
I am curious about the schedule for game days. I tried to find info on the web but still have ???

Does anyone know how frequent the train will run from Fridley and then from MSP to TCF and east ? And how soon after the game will it depart? I know the train left 1/2 hour after the Twins games so I assume that was a designated train.

I realize there will be various game times for Gopher games and the schedule isn't set until TV decides which has to affect the trail schedule. Will there be one designated train depending on the KO time? Or will riders be subject to the set Saturday train schedules?

We took the rail from Ft. Snelling to the dome years ago and I don't remember long lines of fans waiting to board.
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I don't have any answers for you, but it will be nice to have the option to park downtown and then take the rail to the game. I get really frustrated with not being able to find a seat at the establishments on campus and downtown will be another option. Might even be able to skip the parking pass for the next season.
 

If you have taken LRT to a Twins or Vikings game then you already know how it will work. The trains will be running about every 10 minutes all day and all night until the bars close. Extra trains will run before and after the Gopher games. It's going to be great. Even for tailgaters. Never again will I drive my car to a Gopher game or to attend a concert at Northrup.
 

Also hearing that the Green Line between downtown Minneapolis and downtown St. Paul will, at least initially, run for almost 24 hours a day when it starts service in June. At least if you are riding the Green Line (not sure of their plans for the Blue Line and if that will be running more overnight hours too), no more having to rush out of the bar early with just about everyone else trying to catch the last LRT train leaving downtown Minneapolis which was at something like 1:45AM. Stupid choice by the Met Council of course because bar close isn't until 2AM. Did nothing but create masses of people all coming out of the bars and clubs at the exact same time, which of course at times creates conflicts, fights, etc.
 

If it is like the Twins or Vikings the Northstar won't have more than one trip in and out. Stupid, but true. Get on as far north as possible.
 


I talked to the transit company. I was told that the new green line will go by TCF every 10-15 minutes or so as its a dedicated track for light rail only.

The Northstar shares the rails with the railroad companies thus scheduling is a problem. The current Saturday schedule will make it impossible to get to TCF a 11am or 2:30pm start. It will be unlikely that there will be a Northstar will have a special train since TV controls the KO times which are announced a week or so prior to the game.. This would not allow enough time to coordinate another Northstar train.

Light rail will help lots of people avoid the parking crunch coming from St. Paul and the existing lines that go to downtown Minneapolis where you can get on the green line.

Arrive early and stay late.
 

Bayfieldgopher said:
I talked to the transit company. I was told that the new green line will go by TCF every 10-15 minutes or so as its a dedicated track for light rail only.

The Northstar shares the rails with the railroad companies thus scheduling is a problem. The current Saturday schedule will make it impossible to get to TCF a 11am or 2:30pm start. It will be unlikely that there will be a Northstar will have a special train since TV controls the KO times which are announced a week or so prior to the game.. This would not allow enough time to coordinate another Northstar train.

Light rail will help lots of people avoid the parking crunch coming from St. Paul and the existing lines that go to downtown Minneapolis where you can get on the green line.

Arrive early and stay late.
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friendly technical fyi, and not trying to sound snarky at all, but all LRT lines/track are for light rail trains only. that is not unique to the green line or blue line. it is specifically designed only for use by LRT sized train cars.

i think you may be confusing LRT (i.e. the green line, blue line, the eventual green line extension all the way out to eden prairie, the eventual orange line LRT to the northwest suburbs, etc.) with commuter sized rail, which is what northstar is. trains the size of northstar and common freight trains are too large and heavy to run on LRT grade track and they also run off diesel engines, where as LRT trains get their power from overhead wire.
 

supadupafly said:
Also hearing that the Green Line between downtown Minneapolis and downtown St. Paul will, at least initially, run for almost 24 hours a day when it starts service in June. At least if you are riding the Green Line (not sure of their plans for the Blue Line and if that will be running more overnight hours too), no more having to rush out of the bar early with just about everyone else trying to catch the last LRT train leaving downtown Minneapolis which was at something like 1:45AM. Stupid choice by the Met Council of course because bar close isn't until 2AM. Did nothing but create masses of people all coming out of the bars and clubs at the exact same time, which of course at times creates conflicts, fights, etc.
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Must be a deal with the taxis. I dealt with the same thing in Boston ... T stopped running at about 1:30, bars closed at 2. They were in cahoots with the taxi companies.
 

supadupafly said:
Also hearing that the Green Line between downtown Minneapolis and downtown St. Paul will, at least initially, run for almost 24 hours a day when it starts service in June. At least if you are riding the Green Line (not sure of their plans for the Blue Line and if that will be running more overnight hours too), no more having to rush out of the bar early with just about everyone else trying to catch the last LRT train leaving downtown Minneapolis which was at something like 1:45AM. Stupid choice by the Met Council of course because bar close isn't until 2AM. Did nothing but create masses of people all coming out of the bars and clubs at the exact same time, which of course at times creates conflicts, fights, etc.
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There has been an added train at 2:15 AM for a while out of downtown Minneapolis on the Blue line.
 



I am going to jump a freight that comes thru Moorhead with some really good friends of mine who live under the bridge and get off at Big Lake when the train slows down. We will bring our own food. You'd be surprised at the food we find along the rails. Just think of Roger Miller and KING OF THE ROAD
 

Dr.Don said:
I am going to jump a freight that comes thru Moorhead with some really good friends of mine who live under the bridge and get off at Big Lake when the train slows down. We will bring our own food. You'd be surprised at the food we find along the rails. Just think of Roger Miller and KING OF THE ROAD
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mmmmm hobo stew!
 

Dr.Don said:
I am going to jump a freight that comes thru Moorhead with some really good friends of mine who live under the bridge and get off at Big Lake when the train slows down. We will bring our own food. You'd be surprised at the food we find along the rails. Just think of Roger Miller and KING OF THE ROAD
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You've seen the commercial for that trailer dealer in Sebeka too many times.

Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk
 

Dr.Don said:
I am going to jump a freight that comes thru Moorhead with some really good friends of mine who live under the bridge and get off at Big Lake when the train slows down. We will bring our own food. You'd be surprised at the food we find along the rails. Just think of Roger Miller and KING OF THE ROAD
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Old worn out suit and shoes....I don't pay no union dues.
 



station19 said:
Old worn out suit and shoes....I don't pay no union dues.
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Yep, and I know every engineer on every train, all of their children and all of their names.

My worn out suit came from Men's Wearhouse and my worn out shoes are old canvas Converse White high tops.
 

Dr.Don said:
Yep, and I know every engineer on every train, all of their children and all of their names.

My worn out suit came from Men's Wearhouse and my worn out shoes are old canvas Converse White high tops.
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You won't be able to give them away.

george-zimmer-300x225.jpg
 

Does it make any sense for the University of Minnesota, or specifically the University of Minnesota Athletics Department to put together schedules in a tab how to get here? Maybe it could be interactive, where are you? Here are your options. With what I call the Hiawatha Line running to what the Mall of America, that is an option for anyone south or southwest. If you are coming from out of town at the Air Port, or heck now if you are arriving from Chicago on the train. Some one with IT tools could make that happen. Will it happen, I don't think so.
 



I live near the Green Line in St Paul. I think it'll be a nice boost for St Paul overall & I'll use it to get to TCF as a novelty, but that's it. 40 minutes from DT St Paul to DT Mpls is unreasonable for a normal commute, with way too many stops, imo. A person can take the 94 Express, with one stop & be there in 28 minutes or less.

Also, the idea of the train going right down the middle of University Ave is idiotic. My wife & I were betting when the first car/human would be hit since there is literally no barrier to turning in front of the trains. Our guess was the first day the Green Line opened someone would be hit, but the 'under' won, as a car got hit yesterday while the Green Line is still doing test runs.
 

Costa Rican Gopher said:
I live near the Green Line in St Paul. I think it'll be a nice boost for St Paul overall & I'll use it to get to TCF as a novelty, but that's it. 40 minutes from DT St Paul to DT Mpls is unreasonable for a normal commute, with way too many stops, imo. A person can take the 94 Express, with one stop & be there in 28 minutes or less.

Also, the idea of the train going right down the middle of University Ave is idiotic. My wife & I were betting when the first car/human would be hit since there is literally no barrier to turning in front of the trains. Our guess was the first day the Green Line opened someone would be hit, but the 'under' won, as a car got hit yesterday while the Green Line is still doing test runs.
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It is very said that the choice and design of the green line was corrupted by politics. First it was "rewarded" to St. Paul because Minneapolis got the Blue line, not because that was the best place to build the next light rail line. Then they included far too many stops because they were not willing to say no to anybody. As a result, the green will be no faster than the bus line it is going to replace. By doing that, you lose the reduced travel time that should be part of any new light rail line. Millions are being spent for very little improvement. I am neither a Democrat or a Republican and trust neither of them to doing the right thing. We have great needs but this certainly wasn't one of them as it was designed and built. Politics at it worst!:cry:
 



Killjoy said:
It is very said that the choice and design of the green line was corrupted by politics. First it was "rewarded" to St. Paul because Minneapolis got the Blue line, not because that was the best place to build the next light rail line. Then they included far too many stops because they were not willing to say no anybody. As a result, the green will be no faster than the bus line it is going to replace. By doing that, you loose the reduced travel time that should be part of any new light rail line. Millions are being spent for very little improvement. I am neither a Democrat or a Republican and trust neither of them to doing the right thing. We have great needs but this certainly wasn't one of them as it was designed and built. Politics at it worst!:cry:
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We bought 59 new models of light rail cars at a taxpayer cost of over 300 Million & then realized there's no designated seating for wheelchairs/handicapped.
 


Killjoy said:
It is very said that the choice and design of the green line was corrupted by politics. First it was "rewarded" to St. Paul because Minneapolis got the Blue line, not because that was the best place to build the next light rail line. Then they included far too many stops because they were not willing to say no to anybody. As a result, the green will be no faster than the bus line it is going to replace. By doing that, you lose the reduced travel time that should be part of any new light rail line. Milliehons are being spent for very little improvement. I am neither a Democrat or a Republican and trust neither of them to doing the right thing. We have great needs but this certainly wasn't one of them as it was designed and built. Politics at it worst!:cry:
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Could it be all those train stations were included because there are people who live, work, and do business in Minneapolis and St. Paul other than in the two central business districts? Get back to us after you have calculated and included in your analysis the amount of time and the total cost to drive and park your car in downtown Minneapolis or St. Paul or at the U. Your analysis should also include the projected vehicle travel times and parking fees for the next 25 years with minimal construction of freeways and downtown parking ramps. I believe a large percentage of the riders on the existing LRT between downtown Minneapolis and the Mega Mall wouldn't ever consider riding a bus anywhere or any time. I am one of them. Then do the necessary research and inform us of all the times that a major capital project in any city in America with a population of over 100,000 people didn't involve politics. Until then we have no choice but to conclude that you didn't fully think through your post. It goes without saying that Costa didn't think through his post.
 

UpnorthGo4 said:
Could it be all those train stations were included because there are people who live, work, and do business in Minneapolis and St. Paul other than the two central business districts/ Get back to us after you have calculated and included in your analysis the amount of time and the total cost to drive and park your car in downtown Minneapolis or St. Paul or at the U. Your analysis should also include the projected vehicle travel times and parking fees for the next 25 years with minimal construction of freeways and downtown parking ramps. I believe a large percentage of the riders on the existing LRT between Minneapolis and the Mega Mall who wouldn't ever consider riding a bus anywhere or any time I am one of them. Then do the necessary research and inform us of all the times that a major capital project in any city in America with a population of over 100,000 people didn't involve politics. Until then we have no choice but to conclude that you didn't fully think through your post. It goes without saying that Costa didn't think through his post.
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Since this is a football blog I will try for the last time to better explain why I believe the green-line light rail project was and is both a poor choice and that its design is flawed. First, light rail is best used to move many people a relatively long distance faster. Second, the cost of the infrastructure to do this is HUGE. Third, because of the politics of the process there are too many stations on the line to achieve any reduction in time from the present bus route. Fourth, thus we are spending millions for a project with questionable benefits which can be done much cheaper with the present bus system. Fifth, there were and are now many other potential light rail projects with significant greater benefits than this one. That is where we should be spending this money.

You certainly can choose to disagree with this. I have discussed this with knowledge people and many agree with me but I am sure there are those who would agree with you. But anyway I think we need to get back to football.
 


UpnorthGo4 said:
Could it be all those train stations were included because there are people who live, work, and do business in Minneapolis and St. Paul other than the two central business districts? Get back to us after you have calculated and included in your analysis the amount of time and the total cost to drive and park your car in downtown Minneapolis or St. Paul or at the U. Your analysis should also include the projected vehicle travel times and parking fees for the next 25 years with minimal construction of freeways and downtown parking ramps. I believe a large percentage of the riders on the existing LRT between Minneapolis and the Mega Mall wouldn't ever consider riding a bus anywhere or any time. I am one of them. Then do the necessary research and inform us of all the times that a major capital project in any city in America with a population of over 100,000 people didn't involve politics. Until then we have no choice but to conclude that you didn't fully think through your post. It goes without saying that Costa didn't think through his post.
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Nobody who is a proponent of light rail should ever begin any sentence with "Get back to us when you've calculated...".
 

husker70 said:
I took it for a whirl. I plugged in Airport Hilton in Bloomington wanting to arrive at TCF Bank Stadium at 11:00 AM on 09/20/2014. The game time has not been set, but tailgating should be available for the San Jose State game. The result was there is no service at 11:00 AM.
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There will be trains every 10-15 minutes leaving the downtown Target station going east on the new green line past TCF. One way from the south using the blue and green lines should take about an hour.

My concern was riding the Northstar line coming from the northwest (Fridley) and it appears that will not work for a 11:00 am or night game as there are just three trains scheduled on Saturdays. Unless they add another train which will be very difficult to fit in with all the train/freight traffic on the BN rail.

I could come from the east on the green line as trains will come by every 10-15 minutes and park in the Snelling area but I don't mind the 10 minute walk to TCF from where I park free.
 

badgergopher said:
Nobody who is a proponent of light rail should ever begin any sentence with "Get back to us when you've calculated...".
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+1 Thanks - I wasn't going to post anymore on this subject but your comment gave me a big laugh. Sadly it is particularly true for this project.
 

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