Metro Transit’s extended light rail service brings thousands of Swifties home

Metro Transit’s extended light rail service went very well after one night of Eras’ tour of Minneapolis.

About 60,000 Swifties attended the first night of Swift’s sold-out shows at US Bank Stadium, which featured 44 songs spanning 17 years of her music.

Thousands rushed to the train station hoping to get home after the three-and-a-half-hour party ended just before 11:30 p.m., with trains expected to depart after midnight.

At around 9:30 pm, metro staff began preparing tracks onto the train for an orderly exit, separating passengers into separate green and blue queues. Riders had the option of purchasing light rail tickets at various ticket kiosks, or through a QR code posted outside the US Bank Stadium station.

While the lines stacked, they moved quickly with trains heading toward the University of Minnesota and the Mall of America arriving frequently. There were no empty spaces in the train cars either. Fans were pressed against the doors and windows to avoid waiting for the next train.

In the selected flight share waiting area, lines seemed to move at a slower speed.

“Oppers would have been impossible,” said Kathy Hanna, who came to Minneapolis from Altoona, Iowa, for the show. Hannah, 43, was happy to see the light rail service expanded, because her only alternative is parking downtown.

Metro Transit quietly announced earlier this week that extended light rail service will be available after Swift’s concerts, including the Blue Line that made northbound trips after midnight.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has requested that Metro Transit add after-hours service to both days of the ceremony, spokesman Allie Peterson said last week. The agency cited a staffing shortage and said it was offering extra pay to attract drivers.

Metro Transit, which is run by the Metropolitan Council, has 85 train operators and 10 fewer than ideal staffing levels, according to written agreement.

Swift performs her second sold-out show tonight, opening the doors to US Bank Stadium at 4:30.

The IRAs round is Swift’s sixth round as a major lead and has the potential to generate $4.6 billion in consumer spending in the United States. Swift also declared iInternational flight times starting in August and ending in August 2024.