Trains to nowhere

"The question begs to be asked - what are we going to do with all these trains to nowhere? And of course, the granddaddy of them all, the Southwest Light Rail is double the budget and still not done. When it is done, will anyone ride it?"

Most every Monday morning, we drive our grandson from an appointment up to his school, which is just north of the cities. We take I-610 for part of the trip, and it passes over the Foley Transit Station. I can remember when the Foley Station was built not that many years ago. It would be full up of autos. Today - a ghost town.

The Coon Rapids Northstar Station, the Ramsey Northstar Station, the Elk Rive Northstar Station - all ghost towns. Why? Many do not work downtown anymore. And those who do, few of them work withing walking distance of Target Field. And to hop on an LRT to finish your trip, is taking your life in your hands. 

Trains in the Twin Cities are a mess - and an expensive mess at that. Some of the bigger magnets for crime in Minneapolis are the LRT stations. Good place to get mugged or assaulted. Yesterday, a fight broke out at one of them, and some poor guy was pushed to the tracks in front of an oncoming train. Obviously, he is no longer with us. Every once in a while, a shortened version of the Northstar Train can be seen heading into town. Very few people on board. If riders cannot pay for its operation, then who does? Look in the mirror, boy.

The Met Council has overreached, overbuilt, and overcommitted on this train folly thing. The George Floyd incident has reduced our number of cops in the Twin Cities by significant numbers. The pandemic has changed the definition of remote employee. Some experts are saying our downtown might never return to pre-Floyd and pre-pandemic levels. Plus, for cost and safety reasons, many employers are looking to the confines of the outer burbs for location. Why? It is cheaper and safer to work there. But - no trains go there. 

What happened in New York recently, is an all too familiar problem with riding their subway system. If you are not being mugged or pushed off a platform, you are being accosted by someone with mental health issues while on the subway. Recently, some young black man with mental issues decided to threaten riders on a moving subway car. A Marine, recently off active duty, knew what to do. He put the young perp in a restraining hold - a non-lethal choke hold. But as bad luck would have it, the young perp died. So now, the young Marine for trying to do what is right and protect the innocent, is being charged with murder or manslaughter. Why the overreach? The Marine is white, and the young perp was black. And Alvin Bragg is still Alvin Bragg.  

The question begs to be asked - what are we going to do with all these trains to nowhere? And of course, the granddaddy of them all, the Southwest Light Rail is double the budget and still not done. When it is done, will anyone ride it? Or will it look like the Northstar coming into town - a ghost train.

Your tax dollars in Minnesota, well spent. Thank you, Democrats!