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Tim Nelson

Green Line ridership surges past expectations

Light rail near Kolthoff Hall
A Green Line light rail train passes by Kolthoff Hall at the University of Minnesota.
Jeffrey Thompson | MPR News 2014

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The Green Line light rail had another big month in October, with a record 1.3 million passengers, Metro Transit said Thursday.

Football fans recently boosted traffic as they caught trains to Vikings and Gophers games at TCF Bank Stadium.

Metro Transit spokesman Howie Padilla said the agency has noticed day-to-day numbers are picking up.

"It's nice for us to see a combination of that because people are getting used to taking the light rail for their daily activities — to get to school, to get to grocery shopping, to get to their medical appointments, to get to see families."

The popularity of the Green Line between Minneapolis and St. Paul continues to hit milestones and surge past Metro Transit's expectations.

Metro Transit had projected 41,000 riders on an average weekday by 2030.

"We've exceeded 40,000 for the last 10 weeks," Padilla said.

The Green Line opened in June of 2014. The Blue Line is also poised to break its annual ridership record, 10.2 million rides in 2012.