Highway 55 Transit Study
In December 2025, Metro Transit concluded a study of the future of bus service along the Highway 55 corridor in the west metro, including Medina, Plymouth, and Golden Valley. The study included participation from MnDOT, Hennepin County, and west metro city partners.
Overall, the study found that a limited-stop Route 757 would effectively improve transit options and help build overall corridor ridership. More information on the evaluation of the corridor can be found below and on the Committee page.
Route 757 is now being incorporated into the Network Now 2026 Update, proposed for implementation in 2027. The Route 757 option offers a faster, more affordable way to improve bus travel in the corridor right now – while creating a foundation for future improvements. Work will continue with the west metro community to improve infrastructure and encourage supportive development.
You can review and comment on this and other proposed service enhancements for the west metro on the Network Now page.
What did the study look at?
The study compared five possible bus service alternatives:
No build: Today’s bus network plus long-range transit plans for 2050 (without adding new service in this study)
Bus rapid transit from Minneapolis to Medina
Bus rapid transit from Minneapolis to Plymouth
Limited-stop Route 757 (a faster bus option developed as part of the Network Now project but not yet launched)
Bus rapid transit from the University of Minnesota to Medina (added later as a community suggestion, reviewed for ridership and cost only)
How were the options evaluated?
A set of goals, approved by the Policy Advisory Committee, guided the review. Each bus option was measured equally (no single goal was ranked higher than another). Key focus areas included, improving access to important places, consideration of people in the community that would most benefit from transit, and evaluating how the system would perform in terms of ridership and cost.
What did the study find?
Based on the results, the study recommended that:
Alternative 4: Limited-stop Route 757 be launched by 2027 by Metro Transit. Ridership will be monitored, and more service could be added over time.
To help ensure that transit is successful, Metro Transit and corridor partners will collaborate on potential infrastructure improvements, such as:
Better bus shelters and pedestrian crossings incorporated into upcoming Highway 55 road projects by MnDOT and corridor cities
Bus-priority features like signal timing, queue jumps, and shoulders/lanes where delays are high
Sidewalk and trail connections to neighborhoods and destinations
The study also identified that west metro cities should continue planning for transit-supportive development, making it easier for future growth to support high-quality bus service.