Broadway Metro Express
{{short description|Bus rapid transit line in Gary, Indiana, U.S.}}
{{Infobox bus line
|number = Broadway Metro Express
|bgcolor =
|titlecolor =
|logo =
|logo_width =
|image = Pg 408 Broadway.jpg
|image_width =
|caption = A view of Broadway in 1915, with former streetcar service
|system =
|status = Operational
|locale = Lake County, Indiana, United States
|start = Adam Benjamin Jr. Metro Center in Gary
|via = Broadway
|end = Lake County Government Center in Crown Point
|stations = 24
|open = February 19, 2018
|routes =
|routetype = Bus rapid transit
|ridership = 214,455 (2018)
|operator = Gary Public Transportation Corporation
|operatorlogo =
|oplogo_width =
|garage =
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The Broadway Metro Express or BMX operated by Gary Public Transportation Corporation is a bus rapid transit line serving the cities of Gary, Merrillville, and Crown Point in Indiana. The route entered service on February 19, 2018, replacing the previous routes 17 and 18.{{cite news|url=https://chi.streetsblog.org/2018/03/15/bus-riders-have-a-new-faster-service-on-broadway-avenue-in-gary|title=Bus Riders Have a New, Faster Service on Broadway Avenue in Gary|newspaper=Streetsblog Chicago|author=Igor Studenkov|date=March 15, 2018|access-date=June 23, 2023}} The Broadway Metro Express connects riders to the South Shore Line, to Downtown Gary and to Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana.
History
BMX service launched on February 19, 2018, through Gary, Merrillville and Crown Point with limited stops, upgraded bus shelters and more frequent service compared to the previous route. This led to it being the first rapid bus service in Indiana. Upon opening, the line ran 11 miles from Gary Metro Center to Methodist Hospitals Southlake Campus in Merrillville, with service every 20 minutes. It included 17 stops, short sections of bus lanes and new connecting feeder lines. South of 53rd Street, traffic signals are equipped with transit signal priority. As of 2022, GPTC was looking to add the feature to the entire corridor.{{cite news|url=https://chi.streetsblog.org/2022/01/19/gary-indiana-considers-a-switch-to-all-electric-buses|title=Gary, Indiana considers a switch to all-electric buses|newspaper=Streetsblog Chicago|date=January 19, 2022|author=Igor Studenkov|access-date=June 23, 2023}} The $9.5 million project was funded by Gary, Merrillville, the Gary Stormwater District, Legacy Foundation and INDOT.{{cite news|url=https://www.nwitimes.com/business/local/gary-bus-service-to-announce-broadway-metro-express-start-date/article_746dd508-d56d-5752-9635-9641849a6991.html|title=Gary bus service to announce Broadway Metro Express start date|newspaper=NWI Times|date=December 10, 2017|author=Andrew Steele|access-date=June 23, 2023}} At the same time as BMX was launched, GPTC introduced the Token Transit app, to pay fares.{{cite news|url=https://www.nwitimes.com/business/local/gary-public-transportation-preparing-february-launch-of-broadway-metro-express/article_36bb40b5-7ff2-59c7-bb07-bdd56f2d3283.html|title=Gary Public Transportation preparing February launch of Broadway Metro Express|newspaper=NWI Times|date=December 14, 2017|author=Andrew Steele|access-date=June 23, 2023}}
Through the end of the year, BMX carried 214,455 passengers, a 33 percent increase over 2017's ridership on the previous conventional service, and over twice the 16.3 percent anticipated ridership increase.{{cite news|url=https://www.nwitimes.com/business/local/gary-bus-service-grew-in-2018/article_ba02e302-8121-5d14-98c7-c4b77de22293.html|title=Gary bus service grew in 2018|newspaper=NWI Times|date=March 18, 2019|author=Andrew Steele|access-date=June 23, 2023}} The route is the second busiest line in Northwest Indiana after the South Shore Line, and serves approximately a quarter of all GPTC riders.{{cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/ct-ptb-gary-electric-buses-st-0203-20220207-6bqomzi6rnb3dnwt4jf2llozyu-story.html|title=Gary gets spark to begin transition to electric buses: four vehicles will join current fleet|newspaper=Chicago Post-Tribune|date=February 7, 2022|author=Carrie Napoleon|access-date=June 23, 2023}}
On September 8, 2020, three new stops were added, including the Lake County
Government Building, the Adam Benjamin Jr. VA Outpatient Clinic, and the Purdue Research Park/Ivy Tech Campus.{{cite web|url=https://www.gptcbus.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Op-Ed_-Gary-Public-Transportation-Corporation-begins-a-new-and-better-schedule-7.pdf|title=GPTC Letter to the Editor|access-date=June 23, 2023}} In Spring 2022, four battery-electric buses joined the GPTC fleet, plying the Broadway Metro Express route. The BMX route was chosen due to it having the highest ridership in the system.{{cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/ct-ptb-gary-electric-buses-st-0203-20220207-6bqomzi6rnb3dnwt4jf2llozyu-story.html|title=Gary gets spark to begin transition to electric buses: four vehicles will join current fleet|newspaper=Chicago Post-Tribune|date=February 7, 2022|author=Carrie Napoleon|access-date=June 23, 2023}}
As of June 2023, service runs every 30 minutes, with plans to increase service to every 20 minutes as ridership grows.{{cite web|url=https://www.gptcbus.com/broadway-metro-express/|title=GPTC Broadway Metro Express|access-date=June 23, 2023}}
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.gptcbus.com/broadway-metro-express/ GPTC Broadway Metro Express home page]
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Category:Transportation in Gary, Indiana
Category:Bus rapid transit in Indiana