Reports of drug use, intoxication and overdoses reveal depth of public health crisis on light rail

Minnesota - Metro Transit light rail trains and platforms have become hotspots for illegal drug use and overdoses, according to a 5 INVESTIGATES review of police reports and videos over an 18-month period.

Advocates and operators say conditions on and around the trains are part of an ongoing public health crisis — a complex problem that leaders have promised to address and could debate again during a public forum on transit safety later this week.

Records show heavy and life-threatening drug use is most common at Union Depot, Lake Street and Franklin platforms, with one officer noting "a day does not go by that there aren't needles and other drug paraphernalia."

Out of more than 100 incident reports involving drug use and intoxication reviewed by 5 INVESTIGATES, nearly 20% required medical assistance for overdoses. But even incidents that don't end in overdoses can pose a threat to safety.

On New Year's Eve in 2019, two officers said they observed a woman and two men appear to be in the process of injecting drugs at the Franklin station platform. One officer started to search the group but became concerned he could injure himself "due to the fact that they appeared to be ready to inject with a needle," he later wrote in his report. The officers' concerns are echoed by transit riders, platform workers and train operators.

"Needles everywhere. I've got pictures of piles of needles on the train," said Honey Darling, a longtime union representative for light rail operators at Metro Transit.

Darling testified in hearings at the State Capitol last year, but she and others say conditions on and around the trains have since gotten worse.

Lawmakers and transit leaders pledged to improve safety in early 2020 when they first launched an effort to add unarmed transit inspectors or ambassadors on trains.

"We need safety for everybody," said Charlie Zelle, executive director of the Metropolitan Council, which oversees Metro Transit.

Since then, Zelle said the agency has added live security cameras on trains and approved millions of dollars in police overtime, but specific legislation to further address safety concerns has yet to move forward.
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