Dear Neighbor,
Congratulations to the Anoka County leaders who were successful in bringing express bus service to our area, running from East Bethel, Ham Lake and Blaine to downtown Minneapolis.
The county did well in gaining $6.6 million in federal grants to go along with a 20-percent county match.
Metro Transit will operate the line, running coach buses during the morning and evening rush hours. Metro Transit also will bear responsibility for owning and operating park-and-ride lots along the route.
The express line is scheduled to begin service this August and will continue for three years as a “demonstration” project. At that point, the line will be evaluated to determine whether it will continue as part of Metro Transit’s system once federal funding is exhausted.
I hope this turns out to be something that eases congestion on 65 and makes life easier for local commuters. Studies show buses are more cost effective than trains in mass transit. It will be interesting to see how this thing takes off during the next three years and what reports indicate.
Again, hats off to the local officials who were successful in the grant process to help make this happen. Here is a recent news article with more information: http://abcnewspapers.com/2013/10/28/metro-transit-will-run-hwy-65-express-bus-service/.
Sincerely,
Tom