Latest news with #MetroTransit
Washington Post
an hour ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Metro Transit Police officer fires gun during ‘federal task force operation'
A Metro Transit Police officer participating in a 'federal task force operation' early Sunday fired at someone in Northeast Washington, officials said. The highly unusual incident for the force that guards the city's public transportation system arrives as President Donald Trump calls for a boosted law enforcement presence in the city to tackle crime.
Axios
5 days ago
- Business
- Axios
Metro Transit ridership recovery was slow. Now it's in decline
Metro Transit's sluggish post-pandemic recovery is growing even more concerning as ridership numbers are sliding in the wrong direction. Metro Transit's sluggish post-pandemic recovery is growing even more concerning as ridership numbers are sliding in the wrong direction. Why it matters: A 7% decline so far this year is especially worrisome considering the backdrop — Twin Cities employers have been tightening their remote work policies, which means more people commuting. The big picture: National ridership was up 7% in the first quarter of the year and reached 85% of pre-pandemic levels. Metro Transit topped out around 60% of pre-pandemic ridership last year, but that number has fallen to 57%, despite the addition of several speedier bus rapid-transit routes in the past five years that were meant to increase usage. What they're saying: Amy Werdine was a regular user of the Green and Blue line trains to get around from her Downtown East apartment before the pandemic, riding them to the airport, restaurants in South Minneapolis and events in St. Paul. She found the trains back then safe and frequent, but that's not the case anymore, especially at the U.S. Bank Stadium station, where drug use is a problem. Werdine says she loves downtown, still feels incredibly safe walking around and defends the city when people say they're scared to visit. "Having said all of that, I basically do not ride the light rail anymore for a lot of reasons, and it makes me sad." By the numbers: Year-over-year crime on the system was up 7% in the first quarter of 2025, also a reversal of 2024 trends. The other side: " We believe our ongoing service improvements and the steps we're taking to provide a more consistently clean, safe, and welcoming experience on transit will lead more people to choose transit over time," Metro Transit general manager Lesley Kandaras said in a statement. Eric Lind, director of the Accessibility Observatory at the University of Minnesota's Center for Transportation Studies, said Metro Transit should be compared to other metro agencies with similar transit infrastructure and population, like Atlanta, Seattle, Dallas and Portland. He said those systems have 60 to 75% recovery rates, which means Metro Transit is not as far out of step as it may seem. Reality check: That is true for some cities, but Dallas was already 78% recovered back in 2023 and Portland was at 68%, though Denver's transit recovery rate was only 62% last year. Between the lines: Lind, who previously worked at Metro Transit, noted that a 2022 survey of riders showed 7% are primarily Spanish speakers. Even though Metro Transit police don't ask about immigration status, he said, some riders may be trying to avoid contact with law enforcement after ICE ramped up arrests. For Green Line rider Rachel Shields, the less populated trains don't feel as safe as before the pandemic, there aren't ample public parking lots on the route and the express bus she used to ride was cancelled. That's added up to her opting to drive more. State of play: As a growing number of employers call workers back into the office, it's likely that freeways and parking ramps get jammed. When that's happened before, it has increased transit usage, Lind said. Katie Morrison has been a Metro Transit user for 26 years and continues to feel safe, but one reason she's been driving more is that the buses to her downtown Minneapolis job aren't as frequent as they were before the pandemic.
CBS News
01-08-2025
- CBS News
1 arrested after stabbing on Metro Transit bus along Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis
One person has been arrested after a stabbing on a Metro Transit bus in downtown Minneapolis late Thursday. Metro Transit Police say the incident happened around 9:30 p.m. on Nicollet Mall near Grant Street, in the vicinity of the Hyatt Regency and Millennium Minneapolis hotels. Officers say the stabbing victim had non-life threatening injuries. Police arrested a suspect on second-degree assault charges. There were no other immediate details. Police are still investigating what led to the stabbing.
CBS News
25-07-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Metro Transit to expand routes, add express Park and Ride service
Starting next month, Metro Transit will increase service on more than 20 routes across the Twin Cities area. Officials also say starting Aug. 16, they're adding service to the area's busiest routes, including routes 18, 6, 68 and 645. Route 61, which runs between downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul, will also see expanded service every day. Metro Transit says it will open new express bus routes to and from Park and Rides in Blaine, Mounds View, Minnetonka, Coon Rapids and Brooklyn Park starting on Aug. 16. It will also bring back two routes that were suspended during the pandemic lockdown: route 134 which operates between Highland Park and downtown Minneapolis, and route 765 which runs between downtown Minneapolis and the Target North Campus in Brooklyn Park. Metro Transit says the August expansion will represent a 5% increase in service. There are also additional service improvements coming later this year. Starting in October, trips on the Blue and Green lines will run more often starting at 7 a.m. Then in December, the E Line will open, running between Southdale and the University of Minnesota. In 2024, Metro Transit says ridership increased by 6% compared to the year before. In January, it also lowered fares: full-priced adult fares on non-express bus routes and the light rail are $2 a day. For young people, seniors and Medicare recipients, the price is $1.
CBS News
26-06-2025
- CBS News
Police searching for missing 14-year-old boy last seen leaving Chaska home 2+ weeks ago
Authorities are asking for the public's help in locating a boy who ran away from his southwestern Twin Cities metro home earlier this month. The Chaska Police Department says 14-year-old Damian Campbell has not been seen or heard from since he left his home around 1:20 p.m. on June 8. Campbell was last seen wearing a "Snoopy" T-shirt and camouflage pants. He is said to be 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighs between 105 and 110 pounds. Both of his ears are pierced. Damian Campbell Chaska Police Department Police say Campbell may say his name is "Joshua Baker" and that he is from South Carolina. Campbell is known to frequent the Minneapolis area and use Metro Transit or Southwest Transit to get around, police say. Authorities believe Campbell may have visited the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and the Mall of America since he left home. Anyone who has information about Campbell is asked to call 911. Information can also be provided anonymously by calling 952-227-2479.
