Plans to bring bus rapid transit service to the West Seventh Street and Nicollet Avenue corridors are moving forward.
After an evaluation of several potential corridors, the Metropolitan Council in March backed a recommendation to make these corridors home to the future METRO J Line and METRO K Line, respectively. The new lines are expected to open between 2030 and 2035.
Plans for the J Line call for service between the Mall of America and downtown St. Paul, with a stop at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Plans for the K Line call for service between downtown Minneapolis and American Boulevard in Bloomington.
Once open, riders will enjoy faster and more reliable service and enhanced stations with features like heated and lit shelters, real-time displays, security features, and ticket machines. The frequency and span of service will be determined through the planning process but is expected to be generally in line with existing bus rapid transit lines, where trips run up to every 10 minutes.
Planning, community engagement, and partner coordination on the METRO J Line (West Seventh Street) will begin in 2026 and on the METRO K Line (Nicollet) in 2027.
On West Seventh Street, MnDOT is planning to make significant roadway improvements in the corridor starting in 2029. Metro Transit is working closely with MnDOT, the City of Saint Paul, and Ramsey County to align J Line construction with this major roadway project.
Additional study is needed to identify the METRO L Line from a set of three candidate corridors (Franklin/Grand/East 3rd Street, Johnson/Lyndale, and Randolph/East 7th). A recommendation is expected by the end of 2026.
The future J, K, and L lines will join a growing network of bus rapid transit lines. Eight are currently in operation, and planning work is underway on four additional corridors.
The first phase of the METRO G Line, on Rice and Robert streets, and an extension of the METRO Gold Line will be completed in 2027.