In early August of this year, Metro Transit officials reported that crime was trending downwards by 17.5% in the second quarter of 2024, while overall ridership trended upwards by 9% in the first half of 2024 — with August seeing the highest number of riders so far this year. This good sign shows that the system is improving as implementation of the Safety & Security Action Plan continues. I, too, notice this improvement. Despite this, as the busier of the Twin Cities’ two light rail lines, I believe the METRO Green Line can and should be better because the Green Line isn’t necessarily in a comfortable environment for everyone.
Don’t get me wrong: Metro Transit (and public transit in general) is a great way to get around the Twin Cities, especially on our growing light rail system. I’ve been having positive, comfortable and casual experiences on the Blue Line alongside the other services provided by Metro Transit, but not so much for the Green Line.
Running between downtown Minneapolis and downtown St. Paul, the Green Line is highly useful and connects with numerous destinations along the way. A few problems that are particularly present on the Green Line, however, can deter riders like me, who have options to drive or ride a bike or even walk rather than using the light rail service.
Onward to Downtown St. Paul
Every mode of transportation has its issues, whether safety and comfort or convenience. But the problems with public transit seem to overshadow those of driving a car or riding a bike (although I could go on about car pollution, road rage, reckless driving, car crashes, and hostile pedestrian and bike infrastructure).
To briefly describe myself, I’m an able-bodied, young adult, Asian male who doesn’t often (and can’t really) take Metro Transit and the Green Line. I live in Brooklyn Park and primarily get around by car, because mass transit in my suburb is infrequent and doesn’t connect to enough destinations that meet my needs. If I go to downtown Minneapolis on Metro Transit, I typically bike to take the route 723 and the D Line, from which I navigate my way to the Blue and Green lines. To get back home from there, I take the express bus when available instead of the D Line and 723 for time conveniences. I’ve never been harassed or threatened on Metro Transit, but I have often felt very uncomfortable on the Green Line.
Because of that, I decided to document my experiences this summer, which are just a sample of the Green Line and may not reflect the experiences of others or current conditions. For privacy and safety reasons, I did not photograph anybody or anything violating the Metro Transit code of conduct.
Day One: A Cool and Rainy Summer Day
I took this trip to downtown St. Paul during a cool and rainy Thursday morning in early August on the Green Line initially in the front, or first train car. I then switched to the rear, or second train car at the Snelling Avenue station to see what it was like. Since June 15 of this year, Metro Transit removed the middle car for all service hours except during major events and other expected high ridership days. Metro Transit cites that the additional car adds to maintenance costs and “unnecessary mileage.” The move comes because the middle car, what some call the “party car,” often attracts smokers, drug users and other rule breakers.
When I boarded the Green Line at the Nicollet Mall station, most riders chose the front car despite some being closer to the rear car. I followed suit and went to the front car to make my way to the Central Station in downtown St. Paul.
Metro Transit Presence was initially on my train. At the Stadium Village station, Metro Transit police officers checked on a sleeping person aboard the train as Community Service Officers were stationed at the Prospect Park Station. Beyond that, there wasn’t much Metro Transit presence elsewhere from what I could tell aside from the supplemental security officers present at Central Station.
In the front train car, the Green Line generally seemed like any other regular and uneventful transit experience. As I moved to the rear train car at Snelling Avenue, I was immediately hit with an odd stench likely from the smoking of drugs. I initially sat at the front end of the rear car with rows of seats side by side. A person began to smoke after grabbing a small piece of burnt aluminum foil left under a seat behind me.
Two other individuals swiftly joined in to smoke, which prompted me to move farther away. An individual in the group asked me if I wanted to smoke with them, to which I politely declined. I didn’t get a great look, but there likely was an exchange of cash between two of the individuals. I used the Metro Transit Text for Safety service where an operator immediately responded to my report and alerted transit police about the situation.
Stop after stop, many Green Line stations were unfortunately littered with bottles, food containers and packages, cigarette butts, some scraps of aluminum foil and did not feel like comfortable places to wait, board or disembark from a train. Door holding seems to be more common on the Green Line than the Blue Line, which runs from downtown Minneapolis to the Mall of America. This eventually adds minutes to the already long trip as my train stopped for several red lights from the lack of consistent signal priority.
Metro Transit regularly plays announcements at all light rail stations and on trains reminding riders that “smoking is not allowed on board” and to “not hold the train doors.” These announcements — sometimes monotone — seem to be ignored.
On this same day, I rode on the A Line, which runs from the 46th Street station in Minneapolis to Rosedale in St. Paul; Route 74 (a local route in St. Paul) and the Blue Line, which were all fairly comfortable. No issues arose on those trips. I yet again was fare checked by TRIP Agents on the Blue Line and continued to spot security at a few stations. Recent infrastructure improvements to the Lake Street/Midtown Station includes new sets of doors, one of which was previously damaged when I reported on this station back in May and June 2024.
Day Two: A Warm and Sunny Summer Day
Back to the Green Line, on day two, it wasn’t too drastic of a change on this warm and sunny Friday afternoon, also in early August. I took several trips going from the U.S. Bank Stadium Station to the Hamline Avenue Station and from there to the Union Depot Station, and then Central Station to the Nicollet Mall Station. All in the rear train car.
While loitering at the stations were less apparent, other issues like drug use and door holding remained. I transferred from the Blue Line to the Green Line at the U.S. Bank Stadium Station and headed over to Hamline Avenue Station to grab some bubble tea. I got back on the eastbound platform to a man and a woman conversing about whether they’re getting in the front or rear car. The woman made it clear that she wanted to be in the front car, presumably for safety reasons.
After spending some time exploring the St. Paul skyways and visiting businesses, I headed back to downtown Minneapolis on the Green Line from Central Station. Someone kept holding the train doors at the 10th Street Station, delaying the train. A gong-like ding often means that the light rail operator is speaking, someone is holding the doors or maybe both.
When a mother and her two children boarded the train, I offered her my priority seat – but she declined because of how close the seat is to those who smoke on board, she told me. Her intuitions were right, and I did have to move away from my seat further into the ride from the nauseous smoke. As my train departed from the Snelling Avenue Station, there was a person urinating on the westbound station platform, an unwelcome sight to see. Otherwise, the remainder of the ride remained mostly uneventful as speaker music played in the background.
Metro Transit Responds
After sharing my findings with Metro Transit, General Manager Lesley Kandaras, who began her position in July 2023 as the first woman in the role, responded to my comments:
As you noted, we are making strides as we continue our efforts to implement the Safety & Security Action Plan – reported crime has declined, ridership is growing, and we’ve increased our official presence through the Transit Rider Investment Program (TRIP), use of supplemental security, and ongoing police officer and Community Service Officer recruitment efforts.
That said, I know from my own experiences riding, as well as conversations with riders and staff, that there is more to be done to provide a consistently safe, welcoming experience for everyone. Please know that we are continuing to act with urgency to improve conditions.
On the Green Line, this includes having Metro Transit police officers proactively patrol light rail vehicles, stations, and station areas throughout the day, every day. Officers are being directed to focus their efforts at stations where we’re having the greatest challenges. At the moment, this includes the Dale Street, Snelling Avenue and 10th Street stations. While we are well short of our authorized strength, we are regularly offering overtime to police officers to expand our coverage. In recent months, about 75% of the police calls for service on the Green Line have been officer-initiated. In these cases, officers are proactively addressing issues they encounter on patrol rather than responding to a call about something that is in progress or had previously occurred.
Lesley Kandaras added that while I may have not personally observed TRIP Agents on the Green Line, they are a regular and growing presence while riding and monitoring stations throughout the day. Around a dozen TRIP Agents are now in field training and in Metro Transit’s proposed 2025 operating budget, they plan to double supplemental security and TRIP efforts.
She expressed that Community Service Officers are also active across the Green Line corridor as supplemental security are “monitoring Central Station and the surrounding area since June.” She additionally said that staff in the Real Time Information Center “are routinely monitoring activities on board vehicles and at stations.”
Kandaras mentioned that she will be holding more listening sessions at light rail stations this September and October and thanked me for my observations and ridership.
Let’s Make Transportation Better — For All
The presence and upkeep of Metro Transit can be far better, especially on the Green Line. The Blue Line, by contrast to the Green Line, has generally decently well-kept areas, better security presence (especially at the more problematic stations) and a far better rear car experience. A Streets.mn article from March 2023 also spotlighted some of the issues present on our light rail systems and highlights the importance of efficacy. The system isn’t quite fully there yet, but has seen effective improvements compared to a few years ago.
Despite feeling uncomfortable on the Green Line for a significant chunk of my time on board, I found myself enjoying the ride and having intentional and unintentional conversations with other riders. The vast majority of riders are simply using the Green Line to get from place to place without causing issues.
Based on my experiences, the bulk of the problems found on board the Green Line stem from drug use, littering and door holding. The problem isn’t the Green Line, light rail or public transit in general, but rather the social issues found within our communities.
Our Green Line serves historically underinvested and redlined neighborhoods of Minneapolis and St. Paul. During the building of I-94 in the 1950s and 60s, transportation planners intentionally bisected Rondo, a thriving and predominantly Black neighborhood. To this day, freeways and old racist policies and practices disproportionately impact our Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC) communities. We need to further invest in our public transit system and our communities to meet and go beyond needs.
I will continue to take the Green Line and Metro Transit — and others should, too. Whether we’re in our cars, on our streets, on our bikes, on our buses or on our trains, all community members deserve to feel safe, comfortable and welcomed to get to where they need to go — and that’s more likely to happen when an abundance of people, from a variety of backgrounds, use our mass transit resources.
All photos by Richie Song