(00:00:10) Good morning, and welcome to midday on Minnesota Public Radio. I'm Gary eichten. I want a transit system that gives people choices so they can get where they want to go when they need to get there. I'll know we're successful when I can ride light rail from Downtown Minneapolis to the mega mall and take computer rail commuter rail from st. Cloud to the Twin Cities Governor Jesse Ventura may or may not be able to take that commuter train soon. But it now looks like he will get his ride on the light rail line along Hiawatha Avenue in Minneapolis after Decades of debate the Minnesota Legislature this week approved spending another 60 million dollars in state money to build Minnesota's first light rail Transit line. There are still some additional hurdles to clear before the trains actually start running. But for the first time in State history now looks like all systems our goal for light rail. How will the system operate where will the money to operate the system come from? Will this unclog the freeways will it help or hurt the bus system will this first light rail line be the only light rail line in the Twin Cities or just the first of many. Those are some of the questions we're going to be discussing this our joining us here in the studio is Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin the chair of the Metropolitan LRT joint Powers board. Mr. McLaughlin has been leading the political effort to bring LRT to the Twin Cities and also with us is John Bird Metro transit's new assistant general manager for rail operations. Mr. Byrd who has spent some 25 years working on rail Transit operations. Most recently in California is in charge of directing the design the construction operations and maintenance of rail operations for Metro Transit. And of course, we invite you to join our conversation. As well after years of debate it now looks like LRT will be a reality and today as a good opportunity to find out how it's going to work. Give us a call. Our Twin City area number is 6512276 thousand 6512276 thousand if you're calling from outside, the Twin Cities one eight hundred two, four two two eight 286512276 thousand one eight hundred two, four two two eight two eight gentlemen. Thanks for coming in the midday today glad to be here. Thank you for having us. Mr. Bird. When's the line going to start? I'll be up and running. (00:02:34) We're we're hopeful that in the year 2003 that we're able to put that first train out there and bring Light Rail Transit finally into reality to Twin Cities for years ago roughly right around for years. Of course, we have a very aggressive schedule and we're trying to best that. (00:02:54) Okay commissioner McLaughlin. There are some hurdles left it. Layer, I guess most significantly you need to come up with about 220 million dollars in federal money, right? But is it is it safe to say now that that LRT is a goal or are those hurdles pretty significant? Well, I've always (00:03:19) not always in the last three or four years. I have said that the biggest problems that we have have been getting the the state approval to get the go-ahead from the state of Minnesota that the problem wasn't with the Hennepin County Board. The problem wasn't in Washington. We still have to get approvals there. We need to get in Washington. We need approvals from the Hennepin County board for some funding and we're negotiating with the airport commission right now, but to have the state on board committed to a hundred million dollars over the course of this project. That is that was the the linchpin that we needed. There's a clear direction from the state of Minnesota and now we can go to compete in Washington for Federal money and we've got the best best player you can get and Martin Sabo sitting at the table negotiating on our behalf. (00:04:06) There is a continuing dispute over rerouting Highway 55 or Hiawatha Avenue. Now is that is that dispute effect light rail at (00:04:16) all? Certainly. It's going to be part of the consideration for light rail in that particular quarter. We hope that we can arrive at some kind of agreement. So that will not impede Light Rail in that area but that is right in our quarter between Downtown Minneapolis and the airport. (00:04:34) So if the people who are opposed to the rerouting succeed does That Kill Light Rail or do you have another alternative know that (00:04:43) even if they if there was a new plan that for a different route that would delay the project a couple of years and that puts us out of the ballpark in terms of this round of federal funding which in effect kills it for another three four five years before we could start and then Got to have the again in three years of construction. And so that is a killer potentially and they in fact MnDOT wants to let bids this late this spring for a tunnel a cut and cover tunnel that is part of the road design, but it's also part of the LRT design. And so if that gets held up we're going to be delayed and the federal government doesn't like to commit money if the project is not going forward. So it clearly could jeopardize the project. Okay, that's very important to segue what to put on top of what Peter just mentioned the for any delays in our Light Rail Project right now as we move forward with the federal piece to bring that home and that's our last significant hurdle. We have to understand that there are a number of properties around the country if you will approximately a hundred and eighty that are vying for a federal dollar pool that has been shrinking over the years. So we need to move forward. We need to move forward with all due haste to bring this project home and secure the funding from the Federal. Government so that we can make this light rail system a reality. (00:06:03) Okay. Well, let's assume for a moment. The federal money has come in the door the local money. Is there the Highway 55 issue has been resolved all systems go for years from now. The train is going to be leaving the leaving the station for the first time. Let's see how frequently how frequently will a train be going by point a (00:06:28) in our first iteration which will be and year 2003 when we open the system we want to have certainly a Headway which means the frequency of the time between trains. We want to have a head way that's going to be compatible with the citizenry and the use our passenger projections for the number of people that are going to be riding in other words. We don't want them standing on platforms for too long a period of time. We're looking right at between seven and a half minutes and 10 minutes to start of course our head way is by demand, so we will be able to adjust that Headway. According to the man so that we can provide rapid transit to the people here in the Twin Cities (00:07:05) So in theory don't know more than a ten-minute (00:07:07) wait, 10 minutes during the peak. Absolutely. Yes. That's what we were planning on right now. That's what we plan on opening the system with and we will adjust it according to the demand (00:07:16) and what about off-peak hours (00:07:18) off peak? You'll look you'll see anything from 10 minutes to 15 minutes, perhaps deteriorating to 30 minutes late at night eleven twelve o'clock at night was more frequently than most of the buses correctly. I (00:07:31) know hmm. What's it going to cost to take the pick the LRT from Downtown Minneapolis out to the airport (00:07:39) that's going to be a policy decision by the board. However in if you use other models for Light Rail and bus mode they are comparable. So we're looking at a fair of what we're what we currently charged for bus rides probably rolled over into the rail. Yeah same as a bus ride and then you can you can transfer from bus to rail. Held the bus without any additional charge. So it's a it's going to be integrated fully with the the existing bus system. So same fare structure, correct the same business. (00:08:09) So now will there be places along the Route where people can drive to the drive to the LRT Line and get on the train and go to one of these destinations the park and rides in other words. Yes. (00:08:22) There's there are a couple of them planned. There is a park and ride that's being explored near the Mall of America probably to the north of the of the Mall of America Incorporated in the some of the new development that's occurring there. There's another one near just after you'd get over them and go to Bridge coming from in from Dakota County at both those places. They'll be significant amount of parking and then people could then transfer onto the bus. In addition to that. There is a new park and ride very large Park and Ride being planned in Dakota County Down Cedar Avenue and about Highway 13, and they People could park and ride take the bus on a dedicated bus lanes across the Minnesota River which is just a grim Crossing most mornings and most evenings come across and then they could feed right into the either bus transit or the LRT Line at the Mall of America so they can then make that as well that's going to be a major Improvement for people in Dakota County. We work closely with the Dakota County Board on that kind of Midway along the line (00:09:23) though how you'd either have to I suppose walk or would catch one of these feeder buses. (00:09:30) Correct Light Rail cannot succeed without a rich and often a running bus system to supported. So as Light Rail comes on board. We are going to rearrange certain lines so that we maximize our opportunities at each of the stations to feed pedestrian traffic into the station so that they can board Light Rail. So the station's Gary are going to be at for example that 50th Street in South Minneapolis. 4638 Lake and Andy Franklin and all those areas. There's going to be a feeder bus system now now feeding into into that LRT stop that's going to help people. I mean the crosstown bus service in South Minneapolis is pretty dismal. It's good on Lake Street a little bit on Franklin really thin on 38 but aside from that what you have our radial lines going into downtown that kind of snake their way through South Minneapolis. There's going to be a major Improvement in transit access in much of the grid Street Grid in South Minneapolis through this new feeder bus system, (00:10:31) Minnesota Legislature decided this week to set aside another 60 million dollars for construction of what would be the state's First Light Rail Transit line long long long debate over whether LRT should be built or not the legislature this year decided. Yes. Let's go ahead there are still some hurdles as we talked about Federal money in the rest. But today we thought since the legislature has decided that the state should have Light Rail Transit line we should find out a little bit more about exactly how that line would operate and if you'd like to join our conversation, give us a call our guests this our Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin and John Bird who is Metro transit's assistant general manager for rail operations are Twin City area number 6512276 thousand 6512276 thousand outside the Twin Cities one eight hundred two, four two two eight 286512276 thousand or one eight hundred two, four two two eight two eight thammarat your question, please my question is in this hearkens back to the 19th century when railroad Moguls like James G Hill and others who by the way got their most of their railroad land from land grants through the government, you know, it wasn't all Manifest Destiny and and rugged individual they were helped by the government to so because I know a lot of people object to light rail is all Government interference. It's like well anyway, they went and had little they made sure that they had towns along the railways that so that they would have customers. You know, they actually make they actually tried to work to make sure that they would have people using their rail systems. And and I was I'd heard your previous guest mentioned the idea of encouraging businesses to locate near Transit hubs, and I was wondering what type of work has been done in that regard. Okay. That's a great question Gary because this is (00:12:35) not lrd is not just about Transportation. It's about it is about development just as as Tamara indicated what's going on right now is that the City of Minneapolis put a moratorium on on development within a certain number of feet of the LRT stops and they are now looking at rezoning in those areas to see what what what out of happen. Are we are working right now at on the Franklin Avenue stop just as one example, that is a right. Now if you've ever been there at Franklin and Hiawatha, it is a pedestrian Wasteland for about three-eighths of a mile in either direction. It was it was about highways when that when that was built now, we're looking at building a station there that can be incorporated into a commercial development perhaps or an office complex. Maybe some apartment buildings could go there as well in order to generate people to ride but also have a have activities going on around the station so that it can be safe. We're looking at a major plan around the lake Street stop where there is some property available as well and then further down the corridor. There's also an examination with the neighborhood groups about how development Auto occur all along this line. If you think in saw in down near the ballpark in Downtown Minneapolis, there are lots of surface parking lots, very Within a couple blocks of the stops in Downtown Minneapolis particularly over near the ballpark those would become Prime development sites for either more modest sized offices. Not a 50-story office tower, but more modest office Tower or some some other business uses. And so I think this thing is going to be I just a tremendous spur to development and the local people local officials and their local communities are looking into how to how to make that happen terms of judging (00:14:29) the success of the line. Should we factor that in down the road we're going to open in four years. Let's say let's let's move 10 your ears down the road. Should we say well gosh you're moving a lot of people back and forth but no development or well, you're not moving that many people but boy it sure spurred development. (00:14:48) Well, I think it's absolutely a factor that ought to be measured and examined, you know, if people talk that way about the Metrodome and there's well, I think there's one bar that developed near the Metrodome Hubert says about it. I don't think that's going to be the case with light rail Transit and I think the performance of Light Rail I to be judged on the basis of its development impacts over the next 10 to 15 years in Portland. They open they just opened up a second line Gary and they didn't even open one of the stops out in the Suburban area because there was so much construction going on around the stop. There was almost a mini City that's being developed right now offices other businesses residential commercial development all around this thing and in another year that's going to be open and it's going to be sort of a new Mini town right along the rail stop. That's what I Envision happening and that's why I think this thing is it's more as your previous guest talked about. This is about more than just Transportation. (00:15:48) Mr. Bird. I had something occurred to me here what happens in the interim while especially Downtown Minneapolis while you're trying to build this build this line down Fifth Street, Right in the heart of downtown Minneapolis seems to me like chaos would rain down (00:16:04) there. We don't we don't we don't like look at it as chaos it like a Controlled Chaos controlled progress. The people will see a number of things as the as the construction blossoms all along. The high-water quarter. We're going to see basically is a lot of detours. They're going to see a lot of traffic jams as they put the quarter in they have to dig down so many inches 1218 inches put in a Bay score. Obviously, you don't want you to track going anywhere. Once you lay it down. They're going to have to bring that up. They put drainage pipes in they put aggregate base in they do a lot of things. So we're going to have to ask for the patient's of the people of Minneapolis while we established this line and hopefully what the finished product will will certainly go a long way to assuage their pain, you know, get that's a Management question and it's a real man. It's an issue that has to be managed. If you think about what happened when 394 the highway was built that construction was went on for years and years and years and there were businesses dozens of them that went out of business because of the disruption in my experience. We built the county has we built three Newberry built Three Bridges in Dinkytown. If you're familiar with Dinkytown, you know, how how dependent they are on those bridges. There's that little commercial area over there and we worked hand in hand with the neighborhood organization in the Business Association over there to minimize disruption and to make sure that the development the bridge itself that went in there was actually a catalyst for positive positive change and keeping them strong but to do that you've got to be in direct communication with the property owners in the area or you'll have a mess on your (00:17:50) hand Kevin your question Place. Yeah. I have questions about transit times on these on these trains friend of mine told me it's actually going to take long. To ride on the train to the airport, then the current bus service because of the speeds going through neighborhoods and so on and so forth. And is that correct? How long will it take to go from Minneapolis to the airport on this train system (00:18:12) currently, we're planning on a one-way trip of approximately 31 32 minutes. Your question is very poignant for me just a couple weeks ago being new to Minneapolis. I return my rental car and I rode the seven from the airport back to Minneapolis. And if my ride on the weekend was Indian too any indication at all. Certainly, we're not going to have any trouble beating surface traffic to the airport (00:18:39) now in terms of the Light Rail and and getting to and fro this may be a dumb question to you fellas and to a lot of other people but does the train have to stop for cross traffic? (00:18:50) Depending upon the alignment there are several types of alignment that light rail operates in it operates in city streets. We call that a downtown mall type of environment. We operate in a high-speed area up to 55 miles an hour in the in the in the initial Street Mall type of operation. We have to match City traffic which means that we are nothing more than a trolley car and we have to operate our trains according to the streetlights same as any automobile on the streets once we transition into our high-speed area. We're able to operate at 55 miles an hour. Then we move into a more typical railroad type of environment, whereby if you've seen those Gates and the rail will railroad warning lights that it's kind of hard to say railroad say that ten times and I've been at this for a while, you'll see the lights come on in the arm Gates come down then we operate in a more typical environment and and while we're on that I might add for all of our listeners. Out there, when you see that particular situation happening with the lights flashing and the gates coming down, please please do not go around those Gates By the time and wait for the train to pass. But anyway, that's you'll see that's called railroaded pre-emptive type of situation. So we be operating in both of (00:20:09) those and why not just put the train underground so you don't have to worry about cross traffic is that too expensive that's too (00:20:15) expensive either. Well, there are two reasons for that. One is the incremental cost additional cost of tunneling is substantial, even though tunneling costs here compared to other places in the country are relatively low, but it is it is much more expensive. Secondly, there's a design and Urban Design element to that many people many Urban Design professionals now believe that we're better off with the activity on the surface you want to it. It adds to a sense of Vitality in the community and in Downtown Minneapolis in particular that's an issue because we not only have the the Level but we have the Skyway level which many cities don't have and so in order to keep activity on the sidewalk level. You don't necessarily want to be adding a third level of of underground pedestrian traffic as well Peter your question, please (00:21:06) yeah. I've been a Commuter for quite a few years on the bus system going from western suburbs to downtown Minneapolis. I've done it because I've had to do it in part of your challenge is to encourage people who don't have to commute to commute and my question relates to the stops on the right light rail system if you've ever waited for a bus at 6:30 in the morning in January when it's 30 below you don't do it unless you have to do it is are the stops going to be heated at all, you know, there are bus shelters right now, but majority of them are not heated and I guess a related question is is Was a subway system ever considered where all the steps would be underground at least out of the (00:21:54) Wind. That's very that's a very good question Peter. Yes, we are currently planning in our design of stations. We have a couple of areas that passengers will be able to wait for the train in those areas. They will be heated. They will be demand type heating meaning that a waiting passenger can walk into this particular shelter area activate the heating mechanisms and wait for train. So yes, and they will be enclosed completely enclosed almost 360 Degrees to prevent wind from blowing through but yes, they will be heated. (00:22:31) We're talking this our about what looks to be a Minnesota's first light rail Transit line the legislature this week approved another 60 million dollars in funding for the Hiawatha line in Minneapolis. Still some hurdles to Claire. There's the need for substantial Federal funding and some other issues. But apparently the first LRT Line is going to be Built here in the state of Minnesota. We found out today that the line is expected to open in four years. And so we thought today would be a great opportunity a great day to find out how exactly this LRT Line is going to operate and if you'd like to join our conversation, if you got a question, give us a call six five one two, two seven six thousand 6512276 thousand 18002422828. That's our number outside the Twin Cities 1-800 to for 22828. Our guests this our John Bird Metro transit's assistant general manager form a rail operations and Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin. Who is the chair of the Metropolitan LRT joint Powers board. He's been leading the charge for light rail Transit here in the Twin Cities. We're going to get to some more callers in a couple of minutes, but let's take a break right now. Are you enjoying the programming you're hearing right now on Minnesota Public Radio. We'd like to know come to our public comment meeting Monday, May 24 The Hillcrest Recreation Center in st. Paul. We'd like to hear from you as to what it is you like about MPR but you (00:24:01) really love about the programming (00:24:03) and of course if there's something you think we can do better let your voice be heard at mpr's public comment meeting Monday the 24th at 7:00 at the Hillcrest Recreation Center 1978 Ford Parkway in St. Paul, by the way invitation to join us over the noon hour here on our midday program General colon Powell retired General Colin Powell at the national Press Club. That's what we're going to have on at noon today. General Powell has been spending his time traveling the country doing work for an agency that was set up to try to help kids get a better. Starting life. It's called America's promise The Alliance For Youth and he went to the Press Club to report on the Alliance 2 years into the operation and also to talk about several other issues. Of course, Jesse Ventura is talking about Colin Powell as a presidential candidate and I guess yesterday. The governor was suggesting that maybe there should be a Paula Ventura ticket put together any way you can hear from General Powell over the noon hour today right now time for some news headlines. Got a Cunningham is here Greta. Thanks Gary. Good morning. The justice department is trying to revoke accused not see John demjanjuk American citizenship. Daanyik was accused of being a brutal Nazi death camp guard, but he escaped the death penalty in Israel. There was evidence that he might have been a victim of mistaken identity later a US appeals court criticized the justice department for withholding evidence that might have cleared him hyuk hyuk is a retired Cleveland Auto worker. He's now seven. Nine newly-elected Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak wants to move quickly on Mideast. Peace. A spokesman for Barack says his government intends to implement the u.s. Brokered Wye River Accord by the end of the year. He also says Barack wants an early meeting with President Clinton followed by a peace conference with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak and King Abdullah of Jordan in Regional news, Minnesota telecommunications Regulators. Hope to decide this afternoon. If the Twin Cities will receive two new area codes the Public Utilities Commission is hearing an appeal of its decision to split the western suburbs from the metropolitan area Minneapolis Richfield in Fort Snelling would keep the 612 area code Commissioners are also considering request from businesses and alarm companies who want relief from the proposed split the forecast for the state of Minnesota today calls for partly sunny skies with the possibility of some showers in Western and Northern Minnesota highs today near 68 in the north 278 in the South tonight showers and thunderstorms likely in the west with a Chance of showers and thunderstorms in the East lows tonight from 45 in the north to 60 in the south for the Twin Cities this afternoon partly cloudy and turning a little Breezy with a high temperature near 75 checking conditions around the region Fargo reports partial sunshine and 66. It's cloudy in Rochester and 65 Duluth reports cloudy skies in 48 and in the Twin Cities Cloudy Skies a temperature of 64 Gary. That's a look at the latest news headlines. Thank you Greta 27 minutes before noon and we're talking this our about what looks to be the state's First Light Rail Transit line State Legislature this week approved some 60 million dollars in additional funding for the line. And while there are still some some hurdles to overcome. It appears that the line will in fact be built. We thought today given that situation we try to find a little bit more about exactly how this line would operate and whether we can expect more light rail Transit lines after this first one gets At our guests this are Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin chair of the Metropolitan LRT joint Powers board. John bird is with us. He is the assistant general manager for rail operations for Metro Transit and commissioner McLaughlin. Should we think about this as a kind of experimental line to see how it works or should we see this clearly as the first of many light rail Transit lines in the Twin Cities? Well, I think by (00:28:06) because because they had they would have to be a decision about spending additional funds on other lines it is it will function as an experiment. If it doesn't work people are not in the people aren't going to invest the money in the second and the third light but it is not it's not a I mean it's an experiment in that sense, but it is not this has been tried other places. And so I really have confidence that this is going to be the spine of a system that will evolve over the next 20 years into a into a regional wide. Component of the transportation system. Mmm. (00:28:41) Mr. Bird. Where is the money going to come from to actually operate the (00:28:45) system? It's going to come from several sources. Potentially. There's State revenues that that filter into Metro Transit and also there's an opportunity for some federal federal funding also to continue the operations. We're currently estimating and planning at about 10 million per year to operate the rail system. So you can see it's a substantial piece of money and we're going to have to identify those funds and make sure that we have those funds coming in for the years to come the fare box pays for Apple pay for a portion of that 10 million about four million dollars a year in Fair (00:29:20) revenues in the additional money though. Is that money that would normally go to the bus system is it normally money that would go to Highway construction or is it more money from some other (00:29:31) source Highway money is constitutionally dedicated. The gas tax money is constitutionally dedicated to Highway. You can't you can't take that money. But there's what we have is the system their state Appropriations for Transit. There is a property tax revenue that is generated by Metropolitan Council for the transit system. And that'll all be it'll be it would be money that could be used for the bus system or for rail Transit. There will be growth significant growth in that property tax revenue just by virtue of the growth in the property tax base in the metropolitan area so that there's going to be about a blast estimate I saw was at least a million and a half dollars available each year in growth in that property tax revenue to help fund expansion of the transit system. So in 2000 2001 2002 before this thing is ever up and running. There's going to be a million and a half dollars available each of those years for expansion of the bus system, then in 2003, they'll be another million and a half and every year after that and some of that would be captured for for the operational light rail system the idea (00:30:38) Is we're expanding (00:30:39) Transit. So that's going to take some additional money. They're gonna be more people riding. So you've got to provide some additional (00:30:43) funding but will the bus system get get short changed as a result of meaning of this new Transportation bill that just passed significant amount of money for the bus system the first year of the biennium, but then it drops back significantly the second year. I'll tell you later. Is that is that going to be a pattern that we should get accustomed to (00:31:02) know? And I don't think that's going to be what happened. What happened was, you know, one day in committee. I'd be there advocating Light Rail Transit before the transportation people in the house and they would say the bus (00:31:13) system was what we need light rail is just (00:31:15) squandering money. We've got to be investing in the bus system. Well, then the next day when they're talking about bus system funding guess what they're not going to increase the funding for the bus system so that there can be any expansion whatsoever. What ended up being the compromise was that the Senate the Senate started out. They increased bus funding so that there could be about a five million dollar expansion of bus service the House Republicans in control there. They didn't provide for Any expansion of the bus system, and so what they did was they took the ten million dollars that would have been available over the two years of the biennium for bus system expansion in the Senate bill, and they applied it all in the first year, and so next year the Metro Transit and others myself included will go back and say, you know, we need to make the we need to continue this level of funding for the bus system philosophically with it Metro Transit with our job, and our goal is to build upon the successes that the that the bus mode has already experienced. If we bust ridership is up 10% over 1998 numbers and on Monday this coming Monday Metro Transit will have its one hundred and twenty-fifth million passenger. This is part of this is part of a two-year ridership goal that we placed before the legislative place before Mitchell Transit. So in order for rail to be successful we have to build on those successes, but certainly if you if if you Able to rail line at the expense of a bus line. How will you get people there? So we're quite attuned and quite aware of that and they go hand in hand in the expansion of transit in this area. (00:32:48) Okay back to questions here about how the light rail transit system will actually operate we guard is on the line with a question. Go ahead place. Thank you. I'm really excited about this light rail system my I'm a student at the University of Minnesota. So I was wondering how the university would be integrated into this light rail system. And whether we would actually also get light rails thinking that you know, the University of Minnesota is another state service institution and also a bit commuter campus and we have we're having all these large parking problems and to besides it's very expensive for students to own cars and do the commuting to the university through these cars and second question is right. Now, there's a very well functioning bus connection between the two campuses the st. Paul and Minneapolis campus, but you know if it's not only about Transportation, but also, Shirin and also petroleum dependence. Is there any plans that we stood transfer transfer this into campus connection into a light rail system? Okay. Thanks and I'll listen off the air. (00:33:49) Well, the plan is for the light rail stop to be connected directly to the inner Campus bus service. The light rail stops are going to be near Cedar Riverside and then over by the University of Minnesota and at one or both of those locations, the the inter-campus bus will pull right up next to the platform and you can move from the bus right onto the light rail or from the light rail onto the bus and then you can be zipped right over to campus East Bank the West Bank or over to the st. Paul campus long-term an extension of the light rail line a Spur going over towards St.Paul through the University of Minnesota campus. I think would be in the offing the see if this thing is a success Gary we want to be connected to this. 60,000 students faculty and other employees of the University of Minnesota. It's a huge generator of trips and their Your Collar it was absolutely correct. I mean parking over there is a nightmare it's expensive and they're a lot of people who need to be moved. So that is one of the reasons why why this line sold I think is because it was going to be integrated directly first with the Campus bus system longer term with a with an additional light rail line Morris. You're (00:35:04) next. Hi. I just have a quick question on I've been in Minnesota for about five years and from Atlanta Georgia, and my question is could you tell me the difference between the poles were of system here in Minnesota compared to rest systems in other major cities around the country marry you and take that one. (00:35:23) I certainly will there are there are many differences more sad and we could we could fill up the rest of the year time explaining the difference. I'd love to do that sometime, but unfortunately it can't from where you're from Atlanta. If we can compare that system to the system that we're placing here in Minneapolis that we plan on placing here in Minneapolis. We're placing a light rail system here in Atlanta that's called a heavy rail system. Now what the difference between those two modes are basically is the alignment and the alignment characteristics if you if you look at if you'll remember and for those listening if they can Envision Marta, they will see that basically there is no traffic across the tracks of Marta Marta does not run downtown. It runs underground above ground or at grade but it is great separated from most of the other activities in a municipal setting in a light rail setting as I mentioned before we will be operating downtown it consistent with streetlight and vehicle to vehicle traffic operation. So light rail and fuses itself into the community a bit more than heavy rail every rail is is separated and what we call grade separation and the heavy real speeds are usually a bit faster than light rail. The trains are usually longer but they are generally separate and apart and that's that's the difference between light and heavy rail. There's another element called a commuter rail that that in that includes Suburban suburbanite being brought into the central business district over a longer period of distance along a period of time and distance usually from an hour to our rides into the central business district. So that in the is a thumbnail sketch of the (00:37:03) differences back in the phone's Brian your question. Yeah. I had a couple of questions for you. First of all, could you could you maybe explain the logistics of this system going through downtown? I guess I'm having trouble picturing all the traffic in the stoplights and and lines of cars waiting at lights and trying to see a train go by I'm having trouble visualizing that maybe you could explain how that's going to work logistically and secondly and more importantly what kind of security steps are you going to have on the train at the stops and Cetera? We have cameras or guards at all. To maintain security. Okay. (00:37:40) Well in downtown Bryan the line is going to be running on Fifth Street, which is the street that runs between the Hennepin County Government Center and City Hall. If you're familiar with a door runs into the essentially the north side of the of the Metrodome and they'll be four stops and downtown one in the warehouse District 1 between Nicollet and Marquette, which is the heart of both the commercial and the office tower area one at the between the government center in city hall and then one over at the at the Ballpark and what will happen is the trains will be they can have one two or three cars and they can stop between streets so that when the trains are actually stopped loading and unloading the not going to be blocking traffic at all. It takes I've watched in Portland. It takes less than a minute for for the A train to actually go across the street and have the gates go down in the won't be gates in downtown. But in the out in the along highway, I thought that would be Gates going down 38th Street and back up the takes less than a minute for the train to pass Which is less than or about the time it takes for a light to go from red to Red to Green on one of the stops. So it's not going to be a major disruption in that sense. All of the Traver chilly. All of the traffic is going to be diverted off of 5th and the Traffic Engineers in Downtown Minneapolis are have worked on examined whether they can reroute traffic and reroute the buses the other buses that are still going to be in downtown and they've got a plan to do that. And so We're working to make sure that the adjacent Property Owners still have access to their parking garages and they're loading ramps. All of that is being worked out and they've had there's been good experience with this. I mean, there are sidewalk cafes right next to the light rail line in Portland and San Diego and other places that I've been and it works it can be integrated very easily into a downtown downtown has got pretty bad traffic problems right now. There's no question about that. We think that long-term this is going to actually be provide some help once we get more people onto the transit system and fewer in their cars security. Mr. Barrett. I you know, I'd word. I'm excited by the questions that are coming in at did it indicates us that we're going to have a very intelligent ridership and that's exciting and I'm happy to answer some of these questions security real briefly. You'll see that it is part of the transit industry and and certainly we're going to incorporate that and into our particular project here security comes in several. Different forms primarily from a CCTV camera surveillance system on the platforms. There will be two cameras mounted to per each platform looking the length of each platform. We plan to have a security system on board each car of every train that that will be operating real time and recording devices to record anything that may happen on board the trains thirdly. We have a roving Transit Police fare inspection teams. We use an honor System. We plan on using an honor System for the Ferran forcement on light rail. So we will have teams actively writing our system checking for fares. So we plan to have a very aggressive blanketed if you will security program for light rail system Gary, you've got it. It's got to be safe. And the perception of the system is that it's got to be saying absolutely and and so that it this is a Priority I've been in discussions with John Wheeler at the Mall of America that is a concern of his I've been in discussions with people with the name in the neighborhood groups as well. And so lighting Staffing cameras in the like those are all going to be fully integrated. We've got good good experience that we can draw upon in other communities plus we want to have these developments occurring around some of the stop such as it Franklin Avenue so that it's not an isolated area, but it's an area where there is pedestrian traffic and activity (00:41:42) but no plan at this point for like armed guards on the on the (00:41:47) trains the whether the fare inspectors are armed or not was going to be a policy decision. I think you'll find that some cities have them some cities do not so that you can't rule out that possibility. I think at this particular venue. (00:42:01) Now, you mentioned honor System for fares. That means we can cheat. What does that how's that going to work? What's that? What's that all (00:42:07) about most of the systems that employ honor systems have basically Enjoy it. If you will less than 1% fare evasion. So the honor System does work and that means that everybody who purchases a ticket everyone who rides the system has to have a ticket in their possession. Hence the roving fare inspectors that may board at any time. They usually wait till the doors closed and then they ask for tickets and if you don't have a ticket on you then they proceed with civil different options from writing from writing a ticket writing you a traffic citation to asking you to exit the train. So all of those things will be ferreted out as we move toward our opening day, you know Gary I've seen you on the softball field and your spry enough to jump the turnstile still and so, you know, there's not the other systems aren't foolproof either. Well good minnesotans wouldn't that's what I've (00:43:00) heard wouldn't take advantage. Anyway, (00:43:03) Eric your question, please. (00:43:05) Okay, I'm originally from st. Louis Missouri, and we just rigid we just got a Metro System 93 and it seems to be working out very well. However, it's running a couple of opposition's and I believe that has a lot to do with the type of communities that are involved and where they had planned to propose like several other lines, and I know that two lines were defeated because simply because the people in that Community didn't want the spread from other people in other communities if anybody's familiar with st. Louis the Metro System goes from the airport to East st. Louis Illinois, which is not the greatest of neighborhoods and there's a lot of opposition with like bringing in drugs and all this other stuff. And so it got downgraded a couple times with a couple different lines. I'm just kind of curious if there's been any kind of a position with regards to religious organizations or race organizations. As far as the new proposed that you guys have planned. So far, we haven't encountered that kind of (00:44:06) opposition. The experience in St. Louis was was instructive. I think there was a huge park and ride that was built in East st. Louis and there was a concern because it was built in a neighborhood. That was pretty pretty difficult neighborhood and people said nobody's going to use that Park and Ride. Well, let me tell you it was full the second day. I mean like Bingo people's at I'm going to park my car here and I'm taking the (00:44:34) training and it has worked fine. And so (00:44:37) there's a lot of Mythology around these things. I think again the key is to manage the system to pay attention in your design to security and then make sure that you have a security system that is that operates on a day-to-day basis so that the system is safe and make sure that the system is perceived as safe. That is the key. It appears. You've done your homework and researching some of the some of the some of the eccentricities that come along. With rail systems continue to do that. I urge you to continue to do that. And what you'll find is that there is a certain Fear Factor at the proposal of a light rail line. There's a certain Fear Factor as a line is is put on the table brought off the table and put in the ground and then into operation but most of 90% of the fears that you hear do not come to fruition. Once the line is operating. There's such a there's such a Groundswell to get behind the line and two people the line and do populate the line that it brings communities together as opposed to separating. And in fact, there are places where they've said, oh, we don't want it line. We don't want your right hands it service and then they see the lion when it goes around some other part of the region they say hey, I want to be in line now. I we want one now. And so that's really been more The Experience look at the airport in Bart and on the west coast, they communities around the airport initially did not want Bart going to the airport and now look at what they're doing there. So that's if that's an example just (00:46:01) were just about out of Time here. Let me run down a couple of quick questions before we wrap up. First of all a seating. Is there going to be a seat for everybody or do you have to stand on this thing? Some of us may be Sprite enough to get around the Turn (00:46:18) Turn Style, but we don't want to stand. Typically we're going to have seventy two seats on board each one of our cars. We're hoping that we have more than seventy two people on board. We hope that we pack these trains 72 seats. We have four seats dedicated to the accessibility communities. We have bike racks planned on this train if not bike racks but places for people to board the trains with bikes. So we're inviting everybody to come on out once this thing gets started and if we don't have enough seats for you certainly will stand you in Comfort. Okay, (00:46:49) and who are we as a practical matter expecting to use the light rail Transit the most are we talking about local residents who live right along the line people elsewhere in the city. Somehow get to the line or essentially tourists and business Travelers. It's going to be a mix (00:47:09) of all those components because you've got the airport in the Mall of America you've got lots and lots of people who live within close proximity to that line and they will they will be using it to go either downtown and the University of Minnesota the airport or the mall to work or to or to travel the business Travelers will use it. I've been in touch with the convention Bureau in Minneapolis and they are very eager to have the line come on come into existence so that the World Travelers and u.s. Travelers can use it so it's a mix but it's going to be primarily local people using using the line (00:47:45) and when one day you'll find out about the federal money. (00:47:47) Well, actually they're they're dividing up that they've passed their budget resolution in Washington. And now each of the committee's today are going to get their allocation of the funds. So we'll know at the end of today how much Senate transportation and house Transportation will have and the house Transportation Appropriations. Relations Committee met a subcommittee maybe marking up their bill and have actually designating how much Hiawatha Avenue will get Before Memorial Day. It's not absolutely certain but it's a real possibility that before Memorial Day will know at least how much is in the house bill the Senate on a little slower (00:48:19) schedule gentlemen, thanks for coming in today appreciate every (00:48:22) lot of good information measure Hennepin County Commissioner Peter (00:48:25) McLaughlin who is chair of the Metropolitan LRT (00:48:28) joint Powers (00:48:29) board and John bird whose Metro transit's assistant general manager for rail operations joining us during this first hour of our midday program talking (00:48:37) about what apparently is going to be our first light rail Transit (00:48:42) line here in the state of Minnesota Legislature has approved its share of the money the waiting now for federal approval and some other hurdles, but otherwise the rail line should be running for years from now time now for the writers Almanac here on midday.