Follow up on my Buses and Railroad Crossings post from August 11, 2014. At some point recently an “Exempt” sign was added, so buses need no longer stop here (the railroad crossing on Franklin Avenue adjacent to I-94). The line has been essentially unused since Bemis closed stopped getting shipments. The site is now being reconfigured as Brickhouse Lofts. In […]
12.5 Miles Macalester-Groveland, Merriam Park, South Como The warm October continued for another day, which gave me another chance to ride. Like yesterday, Halloween ornamentation and leaves were plentiful. On my bike rides I often see an object I otherwise wouldn’t lay eyes on. Many times it’s the unusual, but occasionally, it’s objects so commonplace […]
In the 1944 musical film Meet Me In St. Louis, Judy Garland sung these famous words: Clang, clang, clang went the trolley Ding, ding, ding went the bell Zing, zing, zing went my heartstrings From the moment I saw him I fell Fell she did–into our hearts, and into the seat of a turn-of-the-century streetcar. […]
Here’s a map I put together using the Federal Railroad Administration’s Highway-Rail Crossing Inventory database, focusing on the number of main tracks at public grade crossings across the country. The main thing to see is that the vast majority of our rail infrastructure is single-tracked, only allowing trains to travel in one direction at a […]
CHS Field is a lovely new addition to Lowertown, well served by transit of all modes, from bus to slightly faster bus to slightly faster light rail with a dedicated right-of-way. And the Saint Paul Saints are rightly famous for their wide range of non-baseball entertainment. They have a ball-pig. They have humorous announcers. They […]
The Green Line extension is being planned to improve transportation options throughout the Southwest Corridor. That much should be self-evident. In the name of equity, “BUT NORTH MINNEAPOLIS!!” has become a battle cry of sorts for those on both sides of the never ending/never will end debate. Let’s make the most of what the Green Line […]
Out in the world, there exist all sorts of theories and ideas that are generally correct, in a broad, often academic sense. But you’ll find that those theories and ideas can’t always be applied to all possible situations in the universe. You can say, for example, that lower taxes are good for an economy. More people […]
Last Thursday, after a delay of almost 2½ years, the Amtrak study for adding a second daily train between the Chicago and the Twin Cities was finally released. The agreement to begin the supposed nine-month study was signed back on May 3, 2012, and it finally arrived on July 2, 2015, thirty-eight months later. Cue […]
Regrets! We all have them. One regret that I maybe have, and that a bunch of other people like me maybe could have, is that we all sort of got distracted several years ago. You probably know about the various snafus with the Green Line extension out to Eden Prairie (maybe?) and how there was […]
Published on Jun 11, 2015 The Type I Bombardier Light-Rail Vehicles are currently undergoing complete refurbishing and painting to match the newer trains that were added to the fleet in 2012. The refurbishing process includes a rigorous cleaning. Lights and other components are removed and, in some cases replaced with sturdier equipment that will better […]