Green Line LRT: Job Accessibility Impacts in Minneapolis and Saint Paul

Abstract

This report presents the results of an analysis of accessibility to jobs for all Census blocks in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, MN, before and after the start of Green Line LRT service. Accessibility, also referred to as "connectivity," measures the potential for interactions between people and destinations in different locations. The accessibility metric used in this analysis is the number of jobs that can be reached by transit within 30 minutes of travel during the 7–9 AM period. For example, from an individual block it might be possible to reach 10,000 jobs within 30 minutes by transit on average between 7 and 9 AM. Residents of Saint Paul experience the greatest increase in access to jobs: a year after the opening of the Green Line, workers in Saint Paul can, on average, reach over 2,000 more jobs within 30 minutes by transit than they could previously — a 5.3% increase. This analysis suggests that had the Green Line been implemented without any supporting changes to the regional bus network, accessibility benefits would have been limited to areas near the new rail stations. The relatively low residential density of the area means that a single transit line (whether bus or rail) can reach only a small minority of residents. A well-designed network of routes can provide access to a much larger area, and can help distribute the benefits of new investments like the Green Line throughout the community.