MINNESOTA TRANSIT SYSTEM COMPLETES LARGE NATURAL GAS PROJECTS

On Friday, the Minnesota Transit System opened the St. Cloud Metro Bus’s new CNG fueling station. The opening of the station coincided with the deployment of 23 CNG New Flyer buses. The project was funded using a $3.35 million clean fuels grant from the U.S. DOT and a $9.1 million grant from the Minnesota DOT. About $8 million was used for station construction and renovation of maintenance facilities, and $11.4 million was used to purchase the new buses. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) attended and spoke at Friday’s event, along with St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis. In addition to the 23 CNG buses, Metro Bus operates six paratransit buses. Metro Bus expects to save an average of $300,000 on fuel each year over the first 10 years. Once systems are in place, Metro Bus plans to make the station accessible to the public.