Plans to bring the kind of fast, frequent service that has been so successful on the A Line to three additional corridors advanced within the past week. Here is a summary of the latest advances:
C Line
Crews recently began assembling the first C Line shelters in downtown Minneapolis, including the above shelter at the corner of Fourth Avenue South and South Seventh Street, near Government Center.
Around 20 new shelters with real time signs, on-demand heat, light and ticket vending machines are being built along the C Line corridor, which runs largely along Penn Avenue. The C Line will largely replace Route 19 service beginning next spring. The new shelters will remain out of service for several months while crews continue to install wiring and equipment.
Learn more about the C Line
D Line
Plans to make Metro Transit’s busiest bus route up to 25 percent faster moved forward as the Metropolitan Council approved plans for 40 enhanced stations along an 18-mile corridor now served by Route 5.
Engineering will begin later this year and continue through the end of 2019. Construction is scheduled to begin as early as 2020, pending full funding. The D Line corridor is expected to see more than 23,500 average weekday rides by 2030. Route 5 is the region’s busiest bus route, with more than 15,000 average weekday rides.
Learn more about the D Line
E Line
The Minneapolis City Council last week approved plans for a stretch of Hennepin Avenue that position the corridor for future rapid bus service.
Plans call for the construction of eight enhanced bus stops between Washington Avenue South and 12th Street. The city also plans to add one-way, protected bikeways in both directions, and to route the bike lanes behind the new stations to avoid conflicts at boarding areas.
The new shelters will be served by routes 4, 6, 7, 12 and 61 and are designed to eventually become a part of the E Line, which will largely replace Route 6.
The changes are part of a larger reconstruction of Hennepin Avenue. Utility work is expected to begin in 2019 and heavier construction is expected to begin in 2020.
Learn more about the E Line
A previous study that identified a dozen rapid bus corridors will be re-valuated in 2019 to determine next steps for other future lines. Learn more at metrotransit.org/rapidbus