The A Line: A Look Back Shawn Combs Walding - Project Engineer Metro Transit – Minneapolis/St Paul NCITE/ITS MN Joint ITS Committee – April 4,2017 shawn.walding@metrotransit.org

From initial plan to first rides Arterial BRT Quarterly Update - March 2014 From initial plan to first rides PLAN PROJECT PERFORMANCE

The plan: 11 “rapid bus” / arterial BRT lines Move customers 20-30% faster than local bus Bring transitway station experience to 160,000 riders Serve 1 in 3 Twin Cities jobs $500 million program, largely unfunded A Line (Snelling Avenue)

Arterial BRT, done our way Specialized vehicles with wider doors, open layout & other amenities Fully off-board fare payment & random fare checks Enhanced stations at half-mile spacing with all the features of light rail Curb extensions for in-lane stops, year-round maintenance & all-door boarding Transit signal priority Fast, frequent & all-day service

A Line: Project scope 10 miles 20 stations 4 cities 2 light rail connections 13-bus fleet $27 million project cost Proven frequent service corridor with 4,000 rides before improvement Forecast: 8,700 rides by 2030

From the beginning to launch day 2012 2014 2016 From the beginning to launch day Early 2015 Construction plans complete March 2015 Environmental documentation complete 2012 Snelling named first rapid bus line Planning begins Mid-2014 Station sites approved Funding secured February 2016 Opening day announced July 2015 Construction notice-to-proceed June 2016 Service begins at 10:00 a.m. June 11 Late 2013 Engineering contract award December 2015 Civil construction complete 2013 2015

2015: Major Construction Each platform took 4-6 weeks Construction coordinated with 3 other projects Pilot Station 7th & Olson PHASE 3 Sep.-Dec. Coordinated Project: Snelling Avenue Street & Bridge Work (MnDOT) May–November 2015 PHASE 1 Jul.-Oct. Coordinated Project: Minnehaha Avenue Reconstruction (Hennepin County) April–August 2015 PHASE 2 Oct-Dec. Coordinated Project: Ford Parkway Reconstruction (Ramsey County) June–October 2015

One corridor, many contexts ALX Open Forum – 8.20.2014 One corridor, many contexts Medium-rise, high traffic Colleges & Universities Suburban expressway big box center Rail station / transit center Low-density residential Neighborhood commercial nodes

Multiple jurisdictions MnDOT Trunk Highway 51 – Snelling Avenue Ramsey County Road 42 – Ford Parkway Hennepin County Road 46 – 46th Street Minneapolis traffic signals Ramsey County traffic signals MnDOT traffic signals Saint Paul traffic signals

Full suite of new & unique features Top cap beacon Roof-Mounted Heaters & Lights Destination Sign Security camera Station ID Information & Maps Real-time NexTrip monitor Emergency Phone Foundation Wall Transitway station experience 4’ Clear Zone Real-time annunciator button & speaker Detectable warning edge Near-level platform height

The pylon: Consistency where it’s critical Backlit branding & “beacon” bus arrival indicator Stands 13 feet tall Security camera Clear station name Custom messaging Real-time arrival information Audio speaker Braille station identifier Audio push-button

The green seconds: Nearside/Farside Objective: Position station platforms at appropriate location relative to intersection to achieve balance of speed, safety, and space Strategy: Start with farside location paired with TSP at signal Benefits: Reduces red light dwell Removes vertical elements from cross traffic sightlines Pulls loading zones away from intersection ped ramps Challenges Adjacent property owner concerns Concerns of intersection clearance Proximity to high rider locations Result: Developed “framework of comfort” 25% of platforms are nearside – Dense urban environments constrained Visibility concerns at nearside configurations This inch’s/second’s importance: Speed and reliability Safety – vehicle, bus and rider Visibility Who is the everyone? MnDOT – Traffic Safety Cities/Counties – TSP Property Owners Metro Transit When to engage?: Introduce at Environmental review TSP concept of operations Finalize at Preliminary design

The arrival minute: Beacon Objective: Transitway station experience, strong and consistent branding, arterial BRT identity Strategy: Install pylon beacon that pulses when bus is less than 1 minute from platform Benefits: Provides simple real time rider info at greater distance from platform Capitalizes on vertical elements Visually ties platform area to “enhanced service” Challenges New, vertical, lit roadside element for every road authority Concerns of safety & driver distraction Will it work?? Result: Soft implementation approach Presence has become integral to unique BRT experience

Winter is for systems work

Documenting our precedent Lessons Learned Design Narrative Spec Review Arterial BRT Design Guide Cost Calculators

Testing the “rapid” brand promise Schedule targeted 8-9 minutes savings per trip (20% faster than existing service) Early 2016: Several weeks of running time tests with signal priority in place & simulated customers Multiple full-fleet tests for operations management 92% on time through August 2016

Active Headway and Schedule Management

A Line: Initial performance Ridership Up 35% over 2015 Strongest growth at rail connections, Rosedale Transit Center & on Fridays Speed & reliability Schedule targeted 8-9 minutes savings per trip (20% faster than existing service) 92.2% on-time performance through October Strong customer response 2014 2015 2016 Pre-A Line 2016 With A Line

Pleasant surprises Customer behavior Ridership “Beacon” appreciation Rear-door boarding is prevalent Positive reactions from families, people with disabilities, seniors, students Ridership Up more than 35% over 2015 Strongest growth: Rail connections Rosedale Transit Center (shopping center) Weekends Fridays Clear indications that branding and visibility matters

Takeaways When precedent is unavailable….. “Take data seriously” – Christof Spieler Walk hand-in-hand with road authorities- these are important inches and seconds, proceed with open eyes and open dialogue Provide time to revisit design decisions during construction – recall original purpose and need to find solutions Consistent, Data Driven Approach provides guidance when precedent unavailable

A great BRT product is more than stations & buses Developed all-new standard operating procedures Trained & certified operators on providing A Line service Prepared extensive FAQ and training for all customer service representatives Testing, testing, and more testing Deployed custom information posters Created online how-to-ride videos

Lessons learn (-ed / -ing) Planning Define the problem, and then use the right tools to solve it Be consistent where it’s critical and flexible where it counts Construction Timing is everything (“Uncage the shelters!”) Multiple sites meant challenges disproportionate to construction costs If you think you have enough time for electrical connections, systems installation & integration, allow even more Build resources into your plan for supporting systems after opening day Nothing is more instructive than building the first project in a program

Lessons learn (-ed / -ing) Since opening day Finding balance between swift bus operations & top-notch customer service is challenging The learning curve for new fare machines is real; transitioning customers to smart card is key Build resources into your plan for supporting systems after opening day Event congestion is challenging (For 12 days a year, it’d be nice to have a guideway) BUT A $27 million project built TODAY for the other 353 days is well worth the investment. Investing in a better ride for today’s riders matters.

As the construction dust settles… Design Consistency Visual discovery – sightlines Systems reliability phase Reliability Additional bus purchased to ensure reliability TSP working well anecdotally, more monitoring planned Very positive customer comments, sum of inches and seconds felt strongly through regular/daily ridership TSP implemented at >50% of signals

The story continues C Line New Challenges Currently – preliminary design 2017 – Final Design 2018 – Construction Opening 2019 New Challenges Narrower right-of-way Greater coordination with concurrent corridor projects But…the learning curve softens

Shawn Combs Walding BRT Project Engineer shawn. walding@metrotransit Shawn Combs Walding BRT Project Engineer shawn.walding@metrotransit.org http://www.metrotransit.org/abrt