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Post by rubbertoe on Apr 13, 2010 7:09:24 GMT -8
All, Target field opened up yesterday in Minneapolis, with the Twins first home game there. Fans are very excited to have open air baseball since they had previously played in the Metrodome. The opening day temperature was 65 degrees, which was warmer than it was here in LA. The transit story of note is that the field is served by both a light rail station, and a commuter rail station both of which drop you off right at the park. Listen up Dodgers! Someone was thinking ahead: And here is a link to a video that shows all the options on how to get there. The most interesting one is that there is a bike trail that gets you there too, with hundreds of bike parking spaces at the park:  |
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Post by masonite on Apr 13, 2010 11:33:27 GMT -8
All, Target field opened up yesterday in Minneapolis, with the Twins first home game there. Fans are very excited to have open air baseball since they had previously played in the Metrodome. The opening day temperature was 65 degrees, which was warmer than it was here in LA. The transit story of note is that the field is served by both a light rail station, and a commuter rail station both of which drop you off right at the park. Listen up Dodgers! Someone was thinking ahead: www.startribune.com/sports/twins/targetfield/?elr=KArksUUUUAnd here is a link to a video that shows all the options on how to get there. The most interesting one is that there is a bike trail that gets you there too, with hundreds of bike parking spaces at the park: www.startribune.com/sports/twins/targetfield/84716177.html![]() [/img]image removed, needs to be 800 pixels wide. [/quote] I must say I am jealous. Minneapolis with one line has a direct downtown to airport connection and also a stop right at its new baseball stadium. Compared to us they look brillant in this regard as we of course have no rail to our airport and none to Dodger Stadium. In fact, until this year's shuttle from Union Station was implemented, Dodger Stadium was the only major league stadium to have no direct public transit link. |
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Post by LAofAnaheim on Apr 13, 2010 13:07:26 GMT -8
I must say I am jealous. Minneapolis with one line has a direct downtown to airport connection and also a stop right at its new baseball stadium. Compared to us they look brillant in this regard as we of course have no rail to our airport and none to Dodger Stadium. In fact, until this year's shuttle from Union Station was implemented, Dodger Stadium was the only major league stadium to have no direct public transit link. Don't feel too bad. Staples Center has a FANTASTIC connection to the Blue Line and is still only 4 blocks from the Red/Purple line station. Imagine when Expo opens and then we have direct connections to the Coliseum where the USC Trojans play. Now....let's make sure we don't build a NFL stadium in Industry!!! That's what creates this mess (non-accessible stadiums outside of the automobile). See Stadium, Dodger. |
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Post by rubbertoe on Apr 13, 2010 14:54:20 GMT -8
Back when I was following the Industry Stadium debate I saw that the proposed stadium is right next to a Metrolink stop:  The Google distance measuring tool shows that to be just 1 mile as the crow flies. Now, I'm not exactly sure where the proposed stadium lies on that site, but it could be even closer than the 1 mile Google shows. Given all that, wouldn't it be a great location for a football stadium? The site will only be used 8 times per year for football games, so there is really no need to have a light rail or subway stop there given the low usage. You could run special Metrolink trains on game day from both ends of the line to the game. The Target Field site is a good fit for light rail because it is used 81 times per year. That, coupled with the fact that it is basically in the downtown area. RT |
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Post by LAofAnaheim on Apr 13, 2010 15:23:59 GMT -8
What's the probability on running special Metrolink trains for the football events? Or even having a shuttle connection? Metrolink does a poor job already with Anaheim stadium and Angel games. The connecting trains that they advertise are not really that convenient..... At least the light rail or subway would be reliable in frequency.
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Post by rubbertoe on Apr 13, 2010 15:45:28 GMT -8
What's the probability on running special Metrolink trains for the football events? There is a broad range of possibilities here. I could imagine anything from the Dallas Cowboys situation: $75 stadium parking and no mass transit access, to a situation like the LA County Fair, where they do run special trains to the event. I took one of those last year just to see what the Metrolink train was like since I had never been on one before. The stadiums website shows Metrolink as one of the transit options, but that could just be to try and show a good face while trying to get a team to relocate, and get the State to waive the CEQA requirements which they did. The special trains would obviously have to be coordinated with Metrolink since they would be running the service. That would take $$$, and then there is the question of who pays the $$$. Now you're in the political realm and not the transit realm  The Minnesota commuter rail (Northstar) is running special trains to 53 of the Twins 81 home games. I did some Googling of the internets this morning to see if I could find any info on how many people took the light rail or commuter rail to the game but didn't find anything after about 10 minutes so I gave up. If anyone has a link to such info I would appreciate it. The Northstar line goes out to the boonies, so comparisons to LA are minimal at beat. RT |
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Post by rubbertoe on Apr 13, 2010 16:02:17 GMT -8
Ok, here we go... www.myfoxtwincities.com/dpp/news/downtown-commuting-packed-for-target-field-opening-april-12-2010Of the 38,145 in attendance, 6500-7000 took transit (Northstar, light rail, bus). About 500 were on Northstar. So almost 20% of attendees took transit in, thats spectacular! If you happen to live in one of the 5 stops along the commuter rail line that ends right at the stadium, it's a complete no brainer to take that train in. www.metrotransit.org/twins/Northstar-Twins-service.asp1. Arrive 1 hour before the game, reserved seat on the train. 2. Leave 30 minutes after the last out. 3. No fighting the crowds trying to ride the light rail during rush hour. 4. No fighting the crowds getting into/out of the parking garages. 5. Drink as much Evian as you want at the game, no getting pulled over for drinking too much Evian. RT |
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Post by masonite on Apr 13, 2010 16:04:56 GMT -8
What's the probability on running special Metrolink trains for the football events? The special trains would obviously have to be coordinated with Metrolink since they would be running the service. That would take $$$, and then there is the question of who pays the $$$. Now you're in the political realm and not the transit realm RT During the playoffs last year, because the games started at an odd 5:00 or 5:30 time, Metrolink did run special trains from South Orange County to Angel Stadium. I'm sure they could be convinced to do the same for a special football train, especially if they know it is going to be full. If the train is full, then it really doesn't cost all that much, because these riders are often paying the full fare (no monthly passes/discounts). I don't think it would take much convincing. The problem is that the station is just a little too far to walk for most people. A shuttle would be nice, but not as nice as an Angel Stadium situation. |
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Post by tonyw79sfv on Apr 13, 2010 18:22:01 GMT -8
Only if we could demolish Dodgers Stadium and move it into the downtown core; the fact it's situated on a hill isolated from the bustling city is asking for isolation from public transit itself. To add insult to injury, the Minnesota Twin's previous ballpark, Hubert H Humphrey Metrodome, was also accessible by the Hiawatha Line, but not commuter rail.
In New York City in the Bronx, in time for the Yankees new stadium, which has excellent connections to the subway, MTA's Metro-North commuter rail added a station in the vicinity.
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Post by bluelineshawn on Apr 13, 2010 18:22:23 GMT -8
Transit isn't all that important for football. Or rather maybe I should say that football isn't important to transit. They only have 8 home games and a couple of preseason games and if they are lucky a playoff game or two. I know that the MTA in combination with NJT started a new train service to Giants Stadium. They have twice as many games and ridership is still fairly low. People like to drive to football games. They like to tailgate. They have a ton of people leaving after the game in a very short amount of time. 2-3 times as many as a baseball or basketball game.
I do think that baseball stadiums should be served by rail, but the team owners have to meet transit halfway. Stadiums outside of town or in otherwise inaccessible locations (Chavez Ravine) aren't worth the effort.
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Post by tonyw79sfv on Apr 13, 2010 18:29:23 GMT -8
Shawn, looks like you were echoing my sentiments at the same time. One thing we overlook is that in the past, a sport not known for being in line with public transit, NASCAR, provided chartered Metrolink service to Auto Club Speedway. Other special service provided using Metrolink trainsets or service are the Ventura County Fair, LA County Fair, Angels games, even a special expedition on the Alameda Corridor 8 years ago for its opening! If football is played in the City of Industry, lets hope something similar can be setup, because the one thing NIMBYs in the adjacent cities to the proposed stadium is complaining about, it's TRAFFIC!
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Post by Jason Saunders on Apr 13, 2010 23:45:36 GMT -8
Back when I was following the Industry Stadium debate I saw that the proposed stadium is right next to a Metrolink stop: The Google distance measuring tool shows that to be just 1 mile as the crow flies. Now, I'm not exactly sure where the proposed stadium lies on that site, but it could be even closer than the 1 mile Google shows. Given all that, wouldn't it be a great location for a football stadium? The site will only be used 8 times per year for football games, so there is really no need to have a light rail or subway stop there given the low usage. You could run special Metrolink trains on game day from both ends of the line to the game. The Target Field site is a good fit for light rail because it is used 81 times per year. That, coupled with the fact that it is basically in the downtown area. RT I'm only in my mid thirites but I remember when all this use to be fields. (or at least a big chuck of this image.) It may only be a shuttle stop from Metrolink but it's thirty miles to far out into suburbia. I vow NEVER see a game or concert here because I view this project as BAD urban planning. LA TIMES: latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2009/11/are-you-ready-for-la-live-san-gabriel-valley-editionthe-downtown-entertainment-complex-may-get-a-cousin-of-sorts-23-miles.html |
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Post by rubbertoe on Apr 16, 2010 13:18:17 GMT -8
Check out the nice follow up story on the Northstar service. Since opening day when 500 rode the train, they are now seeing 2,000+ and have to adjust the train schedules accordingly. If you build it they will come tinyurl.com/y3p8ckaRT |
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