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So they got the "North Star" commuter rail going in the last month or
so of 2009. And the first test of usability, ridership, has hit the
Strib, Dec 10, 2009, according to Bob Von Sternberg:
"During the train's first 15 days of operation last month, it averaged 2,207 passengers a day, compared with a 2010 daily average goal of about 2,460."
I had speculated last year that ridership would be low on the North Star Commuter Rail because of usability barriers designed apparently on purpose when the rail service was planned. The service to nowhere (Big Lake, MN pop 6,063), bad fare scheme and sharing the track with freight as a priority was not enough to suppress the ridership so Metro Transit had to do more "planning".
The service times were restricted to put the kibosh on meeting user goals, 5 trains only with the last evening train leaving Minneapolis at 6:10PM, now extended to 6:15PM and already broken down engines are causing problems. Limited unreliable service has put the North Star exactly where Governor Pawlenty wants it: into the FAIL zone. Well done Metro Transit, Metro Council and Governor Pawlenty, by ingeniously using transit usability as a guide to setting up barriers to the public you have succeeded in your goals of ruining public transit.