Red Line (IndyGo)

IndyGo Red Line
Northbound IndyGo BYD battery electric bus at Statehouse Station
Overview
SystemIndyGo Rapid
OperatorIndianapolis Public Transportation Corporation
GarageIndyGo Headquarters
1501 W. Washington Street
VehicleBYD K11 (60-foot articulated battery-powered electric transit bus)
StatusOperational
Began serviceSeptember 1, 2019
Route
Route typeBus rapid transit
LocaleIndianapolis, Indiana
Start66th Street & College Avenue station, north of Broad Ripple
ViaJulia M. Carson Transit Center in Downtown Indianapolis
EndUniversity station (Campus Drive & Shelby Street)
Stations28
Service
Ridership1,013,324 (2020)
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The Red Line of IndyGo is a bus rapid transit line serving parts of central, northern, and southern Indianapolis. The first phase of this transit route entered service on September 1, 2019, and was originally free for the first month; the free service was extended to the second and third months due to problems with the fare collection system.[1] The Red Line links Broad Ripple to the University of Indianapolis via Downtown Indianapolis.[2]

History

A Red Line station under construction in Fountain Square in July 2019.

On May 31, 2018, IndyGo began construction of the Red Line, the city's first Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line. The first phase of the system opened on September 1, 2019, after about 15 months of construction and testing. The $96.3 million project included a $75 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration.[3] Two additional BRT lines (Purple Line and Blue Line) are presently planned, along with proposed extensions on both ends of the Red Line.[4] The Red Line has been assigned IndyGo Route #90.

Features of the Red Line include level boarding, dedicated bus lanes, and doors on both sides.

The Red Line serves Marion County with eventual service extensions planned to County Line Road/Madison Avenue at the southern boundary with Johnson County and a still undetermined alignment to the northern boundary with Hamilton County. A Johnson County extension to Smith Valley Road in Greenwood has been approved with early design work funded. A Hamilton County extension to Grand Park in Westfield has been proposed with early design work funded.[5]

At introduction, every second BRT vehicle continued along the then proposed route of the Red Line beyond the completed BRT stations as "Route 90 - Red Line Local." This local line stopped at traditional bus stops to continue service to the northern and southern boundaries of Marion County. Due to traffic issues and low ridership, IndyGo discontinued this service.[6] Since then, northbound service terminates at the 66th/College station and southbound service terminates at the University (Campus/Shelby) station. Dedicated local routes now provide supplementary service with Route 901 traveling as far north as 91st Street and Route 902 traveling as far south as County Line Road.[7]

Due to Red Line buses failing to meet contractually obligated mileage ranges, bus manufacturer BYD paid for them to be retrofitted with inductive charging plates. These plates enable inductive charging of the buses en route to reduce service disruption. One inductive charging station was installed near the 66th/College station, another was planned near Madison Ave/County Line Rd, and a third planned near Ivy Tech Community College – Lawrence Campus.[8]

On the morning of April 24, 2024, a Red Line bus on 38th street caught on fire. All four people got off the bus with only two having slight injures. Police arrested a 45-year old man and preliminarily charged him with two counts of arson. IndyGo estimated the total damages to the bus and station at $2 million.[9][10]

Station listing

There are at present 28 stations on the Red Line, of which 13 are shared with the Purple Line (Route 92).

Station Type Opened Neighborhood(s) Connections Notes
66th Street Curbside (NB only) September 1, 2019 Broad Ripple Route 82 North terminus of Phase 1; wireless vehicle charging site; NB vehicles terminating use protected signal at 66th Street to make U-turn to SB College via Old College Avenue
Broad Ripple Center Island Routes 19, 82 south of Broad Ripple Avenue
Kessler Meridian–Kessler south of Kessler Boulevard East Drive
54th Street at Bungalow Court, north of 54th Street
52nd Street mid-block, between 51st and 52nd streets
46th Street Route 19 south of 46th Street
42nd Street north of 42nd Street
Park Median Station Meridian–Kessler, Mapleton–Fall Creek Routes 2, 4, 38, 92 Purple Line WB converges/EB diverges with the Red Line at College Avenue and 38th Street
Meridian/38th Center Island Mapleton–Fall Creek, Crown Hill Routes 38, 92 south of 38th Street
34th Street Route 92 north of 34th Street
30th/Museum Routes 30, 92 north of 30th Street;
serves the Children's Museum of Indianapolis
Fall Creek/Ivy Tech Route 92 north of Fall Creek Parkway North Drive;
serves Ivy Tech's Downtown Indianapolis Campus
22nd Street Near Northside Route 92 south of 22nd Street
18th Street Route 92 north of 18th Street
IU Health Route 92 south of 18th Street;
serves IU Health Methodist Hospital
14th Street Route 92 north of 14th Street
9th Street Downtown Route 92 south of 9th Street at Arch Street
Vermont Routes 3, 6, 10, 15, 34, 37, 92 north of Vermont Street
Statehouse Routes 8, 24, 92 south of Court Street, north of Washington Street;
serves the Indiana Statehouse
Julia M. Carson Transit Center Transit Center Bay June 26, 2016 Routes 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 13, 15, 16, 19, 21, 24, 25, 26, 28, 31, 34, 37, 38, 56, 92 NB Bay "G"; SB Bay "L", Purple Line Bay "D"
New Jersey Curbside (NB, SB) September 1, 2019 Routes 13, 26, 56 southeast of New Jersey Street
Fletcher Place Route 26 northwest of Merrill Street
Fountain Square Fountain Square Route 26 northwest of Woodlawn Avenue
Pleasant Run Near Southside between Pleasant Run Parkway South Drive and Iowa Street
Raymond Near Southside, Garfield Park Route 13 north of Raymond Street (NB); south of Raymond (SB)
Garfield Park Garfield Park north of Southern Avenue (SB); south of Southern (NB);
serves Garfield Park
Troy Garfield Park, University Heights Route 16 north of Troy Avenue (NB); south of Troy (SB)
University Center Island University Heights Routes 29, 31 South terminus of Phase 1; SB vehicles terminating discharge passengers, then use Shelby, Mills, Madison, and Hanna to return to NB Shelby;
serves the University of Indianapolis

See also

References

  1. ^ "Indygo's Red Line will now be free through the end of November".
  2. ^ "Project Overview:Construction:Red Line Acceleration". IndyGoRed.com. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  3. ^ Briggs, James (May 4, 2018). "Indianapolis Red Line project gets $75 million despite Trump's opposition". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
  4. ^ "Red Line – Detailed Information", IndyGo, retrieved January 6, 2023
  5. ^ Ibid.
  6. ^ Hwang, Kellie. "Why the Red Line extension no longer goes to 96th Street". Indianapolis Star.
  7. ^ "Routes 901, 90, and 902 Map Effective October 9, 2022", IndyGo, retrieved January 6, 2023
  8. ^ "IndyGo Implements Inductive Charging Along the Red Line to Charge Buses En Route", IndyGo, retrieved January 6, 2023
  9. ^ Thomas, Jade (April 24, 2024). "IndyGo bus fire at 38th and Meridian ends in arson arrest". IndyStar. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  10. ^ Gay, David (April 24, 2024). "1 arrested after IndyGo Red Line bus reportedly set on fire at near northside bus station". Fox 59. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
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