Minneapolis-St. Paul’s Metro Transit is going to spend $3 million a year hiring private security to deter crime at six of the region’s light-rail stations. As the Antiplanner recently documented, light rail attracts more crime than any other form of transit and the Twin Cities’ light rail attracts far more crime than any other light-rail system in the United States.
Patrons of the Twin Cities’ light-rail system suffer nearly twice as much crime as those of the next-highest system and at least six times as much as those of all but three other systems. Click image to download the Antiplanner’s report on Minnesota transportation in a post-COVID world.
Light rail attracts crime because fare enforcement is spotty and potential criminals figure that, if they can ride the trains for free, they can get away with other crimes as well. The Antiplanner recommended that Metro Transit install gates at every light-rail station, similar to those used for heavy-rail lines, but Metro Transit rejected this idea.
The problem with hiring private security is that it is likely to just push criminals to other stations. The Twin Cities’ light-rail system has 37 stations, so the cost of private security could potentially increase to $18 million a year. By comparison, installing gates that would require pre-payment to enter light-rail stations or stops might have a higher initial cost, but once installed would require minimal annual maintenance.
Even better would be to simply junk the light-rail system altogether and rely instead on buses, which suffer much lower crime rates and which require relatively negligible capital expenses. Buses are also less costly to operate: in 2021, Metro Transit spent $18.20 per vehicle-revenue mile for light rail and $16.02 for buses. Buses can’t carry as many passengers, but that’s irrelevant as the average light-rail car carried 12.5 passengers vs. 11.5 for buses, which have an average of 43 seats so could easily squeeze in 12.5 people if needed.
Instead of junking light rail, Metro Transit is recklessly building more. “Reckless” is a strong word, but the Minnesota Legislative Auditor released a report this week that found that Metro Transit “obligated itself to spend more money on Southwest LRT than the funds committed to the project,” failed to hold contractors accountable for delays, and “has not been fully transparent about the project’s delays and cost increases.” That sounds pretty reckless to me, and none of those problems would have taken place if Metro Transit relied on buses instead of light rail.
The Antiplanner’s report recommended that the light-rail line now under construction, which has suffered a bigger cost overrun than the entire cost of the region’s first light-rail line, be converted into a bus-rapid transit route, which would cost less to build, less to operate, less to maintain, and would be easier to convert to some other purpose if ridership demand failed to materialize. Naturally, Metro Transit also ignored this recommendation as it is determined to continue to rely on high-cost, low-capacity transit.
A decade ago Southwest Transit, which operates in a few SW suburban cities like Eden Prairie was looking at buying double decker buses.
https://finance-commerce.com/2013/04/southwest-transit-eyes-double-decker-bus/
Converting the right-away into bus transit would give it potential to be used. The primary reason they had for the route was that it was there. It’s an old railroad right of way. It runs through the backside of some warehouses and, mostly, back yards. You’d have to be a nutter to look at this route and go ya, that will get used.
BTW – Metro Transit is pulling this same brain dead move with the Purple Line BRT. Instead of running it up US61 or White Bear Avenue where all the places are people want to go, they’re taking the backroads and putting into on the Bruce Vento trail, again an abandoned RR right of way and again it’s serving nothing, just running through peoples’ backyards.
Anyone interested in seeing this use Southwest LRT route, here’s a good sat view to start with. https://goo.gl/maps/UgjY6pruKTPkk1KR7
At least the Purple Line looks to serve Maplewood Mall.
Initial planning for the Southwest Light Rail Line had a stop at Eden Prairie Center. The tracks run 1,000 from the property today. Instead they’re building a station 1/2 mile away called “Eden Prairie Towne Center”. It’s next to a bowling alley and a short walk to the backside of a Walmart. Lovely stuff if your goal is to build something that isn’t useful to folks.
Now why didn’t they build a station at Eden Prairie Center? They initially planned for one there? It’s simple, Eden Prairie Center said no. They saw the growth in problems at the Mall Of America ( MOA ) after they got a light rail station on site. Eden Prairie Center said thanks but not thanks. Now the station fits the line as a whole, it’s got a name but doesn’t server anyplace very well.