Starting this weekend, light rail riders will have fewer cars to pick from on their trains.

Metro Transit says the light rail will be moving to a two-car train system during weekends in an effort to improve the longevity of train cars and reduce maintenance costs.

Chief Operating Officer Brian Funk calls it “right-sizing,” telling 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS with the number of current riders, Metro Transit feels a two-car operation fits well.

“Our ridership still is not at the same levels [it] was before COVID,” Funk said.

“When we accumulate all those additional miles, there’s a lot of expenses that go along with it,” he added about the cars that Metro Transit feels don’t always need to be on the train due to fewer riders.

During a Metropolitan Council meeting this week, Funk shared this plan — receiving support from Met Council members. He also broke down rider data.

While ridership is up this year compared to last year, the Green Line is down 21% in riders compared to 2019 and the Blue Line has 33% fewer riders than 2019.

This is not the first time Metro Transit has tested a two-car train operation — in 2022 it made the move in an effort to address rider safety. And this time around, while it’s not the main focus, Funk says the fewer cars will likely help the agency’s new ‘onboard agent program’ where Metro Transit representatives are on the train checking for tickets and interacting with riders.

“When [the agents] have fewer doors to check, [with] two cars per train they’re able to be a lot more efficient, and hopefully provide that good visibility for our customers that we know people are looking for,” Funk said.

He also added that fewer cars puts them on course to reaching their goal of reaching stops every 10 minutes — a rate that currently sits at 15 minutes. Funk says more frequence service will lead to fewer cars needed per trip.

Metro Transit said it’s prepared to adjust back to three-car trains on busier weekends with large events.