That’s 1
By Mitch Berg
The “Blue Line” – the Ventura Trolley, built down a right of way that either been cleared of obstsructions in the sixties, or built high above it – went several months before taking out its first vehicular rival.
The Green Line – drilled down the middle of one of the busiest streets in the Metro? It didn’t even last a day (and that’s leaving out the four train-on-car accidents during testing).
My prediction in the first year: 12 train-on-car accidents. Three fatalities (at least one of them in a car, and at least one staggering out of the Trend, Arnelia’s or Christenson’s.
June 18th, 2014 at 9:19 am
Don’t forget the strong-arm robbery. http://www.startribune.com/local/stpaul/263327091.html
Public transit is the only way to travel!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYOWDRnwdoo
June 18th, 2014 at 9:38 am
Fifty ton carriages running steel on steel (that’s called a “bearing” for you non-engineers) with drunks stumbling out of bars. What could possibly go wrong?
June 18th, 2014 at 10:23 am
Do what DC did, build a metro subway system, oh wait you already built light rail. Morons…
June 18th, 2014 at 11:55 am
As a devil’s advocate, I must ask how many of these train/ MV collisions were due to train error? I realize that this is a rather simplistic question as sometimes the “fault” may be attributed to the system as a whole, like the system being poorly designed, the location of the stop sign being improper, etc., rather than a specific attributable error like driver inattention, “running” a light, etc. So, who got the blame and for what?
The comments I get from friends about the train are generally positive. People seem to think it’s cute. They love to ride the train to the Twins’ stadium and back (ironic or what?) once or twice a year, take the grandkids to MOA once or twice a year, etc. Besides, it didn’t cost “them” anything.
Like the election of 2012, those from whom I expected logic and reason regarding this issue have left me holding the bag.
June 18th, 2014 at 11:59 am
“Besides, it didn’t cost “them” anything.”
And there in lies one of the problems. As highly subsidized as these boondoggles, at least 35% of the riders do not pay the fare!
June 18th, 2014 at 12:18 pm
I have not noticed in improvement in the morning and evening rush hour traffic on 94 between the Cities this week.
June 18th, 2014 at 1:20 pm
Joe; of course it’s always the car driver’s fault, because you take the accounts of only those people who survived the crash. Duh. And it’s always the drunk’s fault when he wanders in front of a train and gets killed, but never the fault of the guys who put a grade level railroad through a bar district. Never, ever.
POD: given that the Twin Cities are built only a few feet above a substrate of limestone, suffice it to say that I don’t think that building an actual subway would be a cost-effective idea, donchathink?
June 18th, 2014 at 4:02 pm
You know BB that did cross my mind the second I said that, well played