A new challenge for Metro Transit: Beyoncé

Oh, no. Not again.

Pop icon Beyoncé will bring her Renaissance World Tour to Huntington Bank Stadium at the University of Minnesota next Thursday, and Metro Transit is once again trying to figure out how to accommodate a throng of fans on its light rail system.

Metro Transit spokesman Drew Kerr said the agency plans to provide extra light rail service for Beyoncé's show "as we do whenever there are large events here or at other stadiums." Kerr said he's confident light rail operators will choose to work overtime to supplement service for the Queen Bey revelers.

The number of additional trains and the extent of extra service won't be known until closer to the concert date.

The issue follows a similar situation last month over two sold-out Taylor Swift concerts at U.S. Bank Stadium and Twin Cities Pride festivities in downtown Minneapolis the same weekend — an economic juggernaut that was compared to Super Bowl and Final Four events over the past half-decade.

Initially, Metro Transit said it could not commit to additional late-night light rail service to ferry Swifties home, due to a longstanding shortage of train operators.

The ensuing outcry among fans and others on social media, on editorial pages and by elected officials, including Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, resulted in Metro Transit extending service to accommodate many of the nearly 130,000 ticket holders who flocked to the shows.

While it all worked out in the end, the uproar raised questions about Metro Transit service post-COVID, as the agency tries to regain ridership decimated by the pandemic.

One of the biggest challenges for Metro Transit and other public transportation agencies nationwide has been attracting employees to drive buses and operate trains.

But from a transit perspective, there are important differences between the Beyoncé' concert and the Taylor Swift weekend.

While Huntington Bank Stadium has a concert capacity of about 40,000, as of Thursday, Beyonce's solo show was not sold out. Still, it is expected to be "near capacity," said Travis Cameron, the U's assistant athletic director, chief revenue officer of Athletics.

On her tour, Beyoncé's concerts have let out between 11 p.m. and 11:20 p.m. in other cities. But the U of M honors an 11 p.m. noise curfew, so that's when officials expect the concert to end. That gives concertgoers taking light rail a bit of wiggle room.

Of the metro's two light rail lines, only the Green Line directly serves the U of M venue, with a stop at Stadium Village. U.S. Bank Stadium, where Taylor Swift performed, is served by both the Green and Blue lines.

According to Metro Transit's schedule, fans could board the final eastbound train at Stadium Village to Union Depot in downtown St. Paul at 11:38 p.m., or the last westbound train to Minneapolis at 11:46 p.m.

But the final southbound Blue Line train leaves U.S. Bank Stadium at 11:27 p.m., according to Metro Transit's schedule. So fans who transfer to the Blue Line there en route to south Minneapolis or the Mall of America could be out of luck — unless Metro Transit extends service.

In addition to the Green Line, Kerr advised that concertgoers can get to and from Huntington Bank Stadium on bus routes 2, 3 and 6.

Minnesota Valley Transit Authority has service for Beyoncé concertgoers from Apple Valley and Shakopee, although it must be booked in advance. Likewise, SouthWest Transit offers service to the concert from Chaska, Chanhassen and Eden Prairie.

Currently, Metro Transit has 85 full-time light rail operators, about 10 fewer than needed. But Kerr said the agency is moving "in the right direction on operator hiring, which will help us expand scheduled and special event service."

More than 200 bus drivers have been hired so far this year, permitting service to expand in June and then next month, Kerr said. And about two dozen people are on track to become train operators by the end of the year, he added. At that point, Metro Transit will evaluate light rail schedules as new employees complete their training.

Metro Transit "has a long history of successfully providing extra post-event service," Kerr said. "It has been a longstanding practice and something we are committed to continuing.

"As the recent Taylor Swift concerts demonstrated, our operators and support staff recognize the importance of serving large events where transit is key to safe and efficient operations," he said.

Star Tribune Music Critic Jon Bream contributed to this story.