INDIANAPOLIS — After 15 months of construction, IndyGo is preparing to mark a major milestone when it launches the Red Line and begins new local service on Sunday, Sept. 1. Professional coach operators conducted final practice runs on the entire 13-mile Red Line route to ensure they are prepared for any and all situations, and that the bus rapid transit vehicles are ready for passengers on Sept. 1.
Riders may begin riding the new service for free starting at 7 a.m. For the first week of service, volunteers will be located at stations along the Red Line as a resource to riders. Red Line is free to ride from September 1 to September 30.
The public is invited to join IndyGo at the Indiana State House east lawn for a Grand Opening Celebration with live music, and coffee donated by Tinker Coffee and donuts on Tuesday, Sept. 3 from 7:30-9:00 a.m. Remarks from elected officials, community leaders, local transit leaders, and new IndyGo CEO Inez Evans will begin at 8:00 a.m.
In addition, Food Truck Friday will be extended in honor of the Red Line opening week. Visit the north side of Market St between Illinois and Capitol Ave. on Friday, Sept. 6 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
In partnership with Square Cat Vinyl and the Arts Council of Indianapolis, IndyGo will host live music at Red Line stations along the route with 20 local musical acts featuring different genres of original music. A complete schedule of performances, including showtimes and station locations, can be found at https://www.indygo.net/music-in-transit/.
Riders are encouraged to check out businesses along the Red Line and to sweeten the pot, IndyGo is highlighting restaurants, stores and other stops that are featuring Red Line-themed items and/or discounts on the Choose Your Adventure list on IndyGo.net.
Businesses on the Red Line are encouraged to come up with a special, a limited-time item, a small discount or another perk that IndyGo will promote on the map. Already, Garfield Park Brewery, Gomez BBQ and select restaurants in Indianapolis City Market have created specials to celebrate the Red Line. Businesses are invited to add their features by completing the form here.
For the safety of drivers, IndyGo encourages drivers to watch the rules of the road videos highlighting the new road configurations on www.indygo.net/red-line/.
