BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — Metro Transit hopes that with the opening of a new line ,servicing transit centers between Mall of America and Brooklyn Center, residents will have more access to all parts of life.
Elected leaders and Metro Transit officials held an official opening Saturday morning at the Mall of America Transit Station.
“It's a big day because these riders many of whom rely on transit for work in education opportunities will enjoy a service that is more reliable and 20% faster,” said Molly Cummings, the Metropolitan Council Vice-Chair.
The new 18-mile D Line will transport people between Mall of America and Brooklyn Center quicker than before. It will largely replace Route 5, which is the state's busiest bus route.
But while Metro Transit hopes this will bring more accessibility to downtown Minneapolis, Richfield and Bloomington, it announced service reductions.
This week, Move Minnesota protested the cutbacks, saying services aren’t adequate as it is. But the Metropolitan Council says its hiring efforts have been going well.
“We're reaching out to residents in the area, we're also reaching out to get more bus drivers and operators along the line,” said Cummings. “We've increased wages.”
The council said this revamping shouldn’t be stretching the system thin. “I think that we can I think that we've shown the need for keeping up with more lines,” said Cummings.
"And what we like with the D Line replacing Route 5, it doesn't really need too much additional staff because we will use our current drivers and support staff to facilitate the D Line as it's opening up.”
They say isn't just an investment in transportation, it's an investment in people.
A strong transit system does a lot of things,” said Angela Conley, Hennepin County Commissioner. “It builds wealth, it advances inclusive prosperity across the entire state.”
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