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Commute from Forest Lake to Downtown Minneapolis? Take the Express—Fast and Easy!

By
Real Estate Agent with Boardman Realty Minnesota License#90858

Forest Lake residents who work in downtown Minneapolis can skip the frustrating traffic jams and backups! A new commuter station, or transit center, began offering express bus transportation in January. No need to drive 35 down to the 95th station either...The new Park and Ride station is located a hop, skip or jump from most Forest Lake homes!

288busAs a Realtor, I get questions regarding the commute to downtown from Forest Lake all of the time. It is a concern for anyone considering a move to the Forest Lake or Wyoming area. A normal traffic free commute from Forest Lake by car to downtown Minneapolis is about 30-40 minutes. Add in rush hour traffic and the delays can stretch the ride into the city by 20-30 minutes especially in light of the 35W bridge collapse and detours. The best option was the nearby, very busy, Park and Ride at 95th Avenue in Blaine, just south of Lino Lakes. Great option...no doubt, but the new station is...A Welcome Relief!

The new Forest Lake express route started without a lot of fanfare but with a good number of excited riders! The station is not yet open but rides have begun.

The free parking and convenient location has attracted several commuters.

 It is located on the Hardwood Creek Trail just west of Highway 61 and 202nd Avenue about a mile south of Forest Lake High School.

 Great for parents of students who may have to drop off a student the high school, Century or Southwest Junior High as it is just minutes south of any of these schools.

The transit center, scheduled to be complete in early March, will be heated or cooled as weather dictates and have bathroom facilities for commuters.

Check out the Route 288 schedule HERE!

Departure times run at approximately 30 minute intervals between 5 AM to 7 AM and get commuters downtown in an approximate 45 minute ride! Using shoulders and commuter lanes gets the riders to their downtown workplace destination quickly. Return express rides to Forest Lake start just before 3:30 in the afternoon and run approximately every 25-30 minutes until 5PM.

If you are considering moving to the north metro but avoided Forest Lake and Wyoming due to the commute, it is time to think again. This route will make your commute to downtown Minneapolis a breeze! Communities like Chisago, Scandia,Stacy and Lindstrom also will benefit as the transit station location is easily accessible from these communities as well.

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If you are buying, selling or relocating to Minnesota and  need help from a professional Realtor, give me a call or visit my website for a FREE Relocation Packet.  I specialize in acreage and lakeshore properties in the north and east Twin Cities metro area including Ham Lake, Lino Lakes and all communities in the Forest Lake School District! Serving Anoka, Chisago, Ramsey and Washington Counties in Minnesota.

Copyright 2008 Teri Eckholm  http://www.terieckholm.com/

Posted by

Teri Eckholm. REALTOR with Boardman Realty, is a native Minnesotan who has lived and worked in the Minneapolis St Paul metro all of her life. She specializes in lakeshore homes, acreage properties and first time home buyers but assists anyone making a move in the north and east Twin Cities metro.

If you are buying, selling or relocating to Minnesota and need help from a professional REALTOR®, give Teri , a call or visit her website for a FREE Home Buyer Success Guide or FREE Home Value Report She specialize in acreage and lakeshore properties in the north and east Twin Cities metro area including Ham Lake, Lino Lakes and all communities in the Forest Lake School District! Serving Anoka, Chisago, Ramsey and Washington Counties in Minnesota.

Copyright 2019 terieckholm.com

 

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Comments(11)

Show All Comments Sort:
Julie Neerings~Lifting Hearts ♥ Building Dreams~
Agent Referral - Salt Lake City, UT
Teri~Free, free and a big relief? Now that is wonderful and very convenient as you mentioned.
Feb 23, 2008 11:48 AM
Marchel Peterson
Results Realty - Spring, TX
Spring TX Real Estate E-Pro
Teri, that's great that commuters now have that option.  We have park and rides here also and they can be convenient and wonderful now that gas is so high.
Feb 23, 2008 12:18 PM
Joanne Hanson
Coldwell Banker Colorado Rockies Real Estate - Frisco, CO
Summit County, Colorado Realtor
Denver has light rail that is a boon to commuters, as long as you are going where it goes.  Traffic jams and weather don't slow it down.  Anything is an improvement over sitting in traffic and it takes cars off the road and uses less gas!  I am just glad I don't live in an area where it is a problem.  I am sure a lot of people in Mpls will appreciate your post.
Feb 23, 2008 01:41 PM
Obeoman Glade Jones
www.obeo.com - Salt Lake City, UT

 

Terry!

 

I remember whenthe Metrobus was all read, all the time...I would have loved to be able to taken it to Forest Lake-it still is the best deal around int the Twin Towns-parking there has gone through the roof!

 

Steve

Feb 23, 2008 09:56 PM
Teri Eckholm
Boardman Realty - White Bear Lake, MN
REALTOR Serving Mpls/St Paul North & East Metro
Julie--Only the parking is free, the ride costs $2.75 each way. Much less than gas and parking in downtown!
Feb 24, 2008 12:15 AM
Teri Eckholm
Boardman Realty - White Bear Lake, MN
REALTOR Serving Mpls/St Paul North & East Metro
Marchel--The park and ride on 95th in Blaine/Lino has been a very popular option for north metro commuters but this will be wonderful as since the bridge collapse it has been even more popular as the detours have added additional commute time from the north and east.
Feb 24, 2008 12:28 AM
Teri Eckholm
Boardman Realty - White Bear Lake, MN
REALTOR Serving Mpls/St Paul North & East Metro

Joanne--There is light rail in parts of the Twin Cities from the airport to the Mall of America and downtown Mpls. There are expansion plans but it is controversial as the cost is high. The express buses and transit stations are a great alternative. People who use them, love them!

Feb 24, 2008 12:31 AM
Teri Eckholm
Boardman Realty - White Bear Lake, MN
REALTOR Serving Mpls/St Paul North & East Metro
Steve--It is an awesome deal with high gas and parking prices! I grew up in North St Paul and we always rode the bus to downtown St Paul and Minneapolis. It is tough in some of the northern suburbs where this service is limited or non existant. Hopefully the route will run beyond December 2008. And it may if the buses stay full.
Feb 24, 2008 12:32 AM
Rosario Lewis
DDR Realty - Newburgh, NY
GRI, SRES - DDR Realty - Orange County, NY
A well run public transportation system for commuters is a god sent. Here's hoping the express has a long and successful future.
Feb 24, 2008 03:00 AM
Teri Eckholm
Boardman Realty - White Bear Lake, MN
REALTOR Serving Mpls/St Paul North & East Metro
Rosario--I hope it stay around long after December 2008 as it really adds to the Forest Lake community.
Feb 24, 2008 03:13 AM
Gary Woltal
Keller Williams Realty - Flower Mound, TX
Assoc. Broker Realtor SFR Dallas Ft. Worth
Teri, I had written a post about taking into consideration the pain of time and cost with a lengthy commute into work and you've eased my mind with a solution in your backyard.
Mar 25, 2008 03:25 PM