Smooth transit operation amid thousands in downtown Minneapolis
Big events bring thousands of riders for Minneapolis transit
Amid the massive crowd in downtown Minneapolis Friday night, a Metro Transit spokesperson said bus operation ran smoothly after the Taylor Swift concert.
“Last night couldn’t have gotten better,” said Drew Kerr, Metro Transit Communications. “A lot of gratitude and thankfulness for the services we provided.”
Kerr said thousands of concertgoers boarded within an hour of the show’s ending. It wasn’t just Swift fans, those attending Twin Cities Pride and other festivities added to the crowds. Overall, there were half a million people packed into the downtown area Friday night.
Due to the number of people who need to get home after a fun night, earlier this week, Metro Transit announced on its website it would extend services in the evenings due to high demands. “Additional light rail and/or bus service will be provided after the Taylor Swift concerts. Several bus routes exit downtown Minneapolis past 1 a.m., including the Metro D Line. The Metro Blue Line also has northbound trips that operate past midnight, which can be used to access the ABC Ramps near Target Field,” the website read.
Typically, services stop at 11:30 p.m., so the biggest challenge the Metro Transit faced was staffing for those extra hours.
“When we come up with these big events, we have to rely on staff to come in outside of their usual schedules. And so, it’s hard for us sometimes to know exactly what to expect when the day comes,” Kerr explained.
With only 85 operators on staff, Kerr said eventually more staff offered to work overtime.
Kerr adds that it’s not their first time having this prolonged schedule, they do it often for Vikings games and other big events. He said he hopes those that boarded the trains and buses this weekend will use them regularly moving forward.
“It’s a great way to get around, not just for concerts but all kinds of reason,” he said.
Source: KSTP
