Transit Improvements
Bus
This plan implemented improvements and efficiencies along Routes 9 (west of downtown Minneapolis), 25 (along France Avenue), 604, 649, 675 and near the growing West End in St. Louis Park in August 2017. It simplified Route 9's structure, improves service reliability and effficiency, and provides better connectivity between the West End and downtown Minneapolis.
Rapid Bus projects
The first line in Metro Transit's new rapid bus network opened in June 2016, with faster, more frequent service along Snelling Avenue, Ford Parkway and 46th Street. It features new buses with wider doors, and 20 enhanced stations with real-time signs and ticket machines for off-board fare payment.
The C Line will substantially replace Route 19, operating primarily on Penn Avenue and Olson Memorial Highway between downtown Minneapolis and the Brooklyn Center Transit Center. Construction is underway in 2018. The C Line will open for service in 2019.
The D Line will upgrade and substantially replace Route 5, operating primarily on Chicago and Emerson/Fremont Avenues between Brooklyn Center and Bloomington. Stations and other improvements will be designed in 2018-2019. Construction would begin in 2020 or 2021, pending full project funding.
The B Line will upgrade and substantially replace the western portion of Route 21, serving Lake Street and Marshall Avenue between uptown Minneapolis and the Midway area in St. Paul. Planning for this project will begin in 2018.
The E Line will upgrade and substantially replace parts of Route 6 in the Hennepin Avenue corridor, serving uptown Minneapolis.
Highway Bus Rapid Transit
The METRO Orange Line will use roadway improvements, upgraded transit stations and highway Bus Rapid Transit service to provide a fast, frequent and reliable all-day route on I-35W between Minneapolis and Burnsville.
> Cedar Grove Transit Station
This station on the METRO Red Line was modified and a new passenger platform added in the center of Highway 77, with an enclosed skyway connecting back to the previously constructed station area on Nicols Road.
Dedicated Guideway Bus Rapid Transit
The METRO Gold Line is a planned nine-mile dedicated Bus Rapid Transit line that will connect St. Paul, Maplewood, Landfall, Oakdale and Woodbury generally along I-94. It will be Minnesota's first BRT line that operates primarily within exclusive bus-only lanes.
Improving the experience while you wait for your ride
Metro Transit is working to improve the customer experience at the bus stop.
Four key station areas in downtown St. Paul have been improved with new shelters, signage, public art, security features and bicycle amenities.
Individuals, businesses and community groups can show neighborhood pride by caring for a nearby transit stop.
Rail
The proposed Southwest Transitway will link the southwest metro with downtown Minneapolis, and allowing a one-seat ride from Eden Prairie, Minnetonka, Edina, Hopkins and St. Louis Park to St. Paul.
This light-rail line will extend northwest from Target Field, with 11 new stations in north Minneapolis, Golden Valley, Robbinsdale, Crystal and Brooklyn Park.
Moving forward with technology and green operations
Learn about innovations that improve your trip, such as:
– NexTrip real-time bus departure information– improved information at bus stops, including stop numbers
– “Smart” Park & Ride facilities– communication between buses and traffic signals
– Buses that announce their location
By using hybrid buses and the latest generation of clean fuels, Metro Transit is helping the Twin Cities save more than the price of gas.
Transit works best when it can avoid general traffic congestion. Here's how Metro Transit keeps you moving.
This group helps integrate transit with walkable urban development, creating a mix of housing, retail and employment designed to allow people to live and work with transportation choices.
Studies underway for future development
Metro Transit, working with the City of St. Paul and the Ramsey County Regional Rail Authority, is studying transit improvements in St. Paul's Highland Park neighborhood, specifically including the Ford Site.
Metro Transit, in partnership with Hennepin County and the City of Minneapolis, studied possible transit improvements along West Broadway. Study technical work concluded in early 2016. In February 2017 the study’s Policy Advisory Committee adopted final study recommendations.
Hennepin County, the City of Minneapolis, Metro Transit and MnDOT are proposing transit- and transportation-related improvements near I-35W, Lake Street and the Midtown Greenway, including a transit station and freeway ramp improvements.
The City of Minneapolis is studying potential transit enhancements on Nicollet and Central avenues. The study will determine the benefits, costs and impacts of a variety of transit modes and service types, including streetcar and enhanced bus options.
The Ramsey County Regional Rail Authority and its partners, including Metro Transit, will engage residents and businesses in St. Paul's East Side in a conversation about transit service in that area.
The Rush Line Corridor is an 80-mile travel corridor between St. Paul and Hinckley. A transit study is underway to analyze bus and rail transit alternatives between Forest Lake and Union Depot in St. Paul.
Dakota County Regional Railroad Authority is leading the planning of the Orange Line Extension. The project would extend planned METRO Orange Line BRT service to the Kenrick Avenue Park-and-Ride in Lakeville, adding two or more stations and five miles to the line.
Working with Scott and Hennepin Counties and the Metropolitan Council, MnDOT is evaluating potential future highway BRT service along the Highway 169 corridor between downtown Minneapolis and Shakopee.
Long-range planning
The Metropolitan Council adopted this long-range plan to slow the growth in traffic congestion and improve mobility through construction of transitways.
Metro Transit has developed a 10- to 15-year comprehensive service improvement plan to expand the bus system.
The City's 10-year transportation plan addresses improvements for transit, bicycling and walking in downtown.
This 10-point plan, developed by the Minneapolis Downtown Council, calls for a livable, green, connected, exciting and welcoming downtown with a thriving, growing transit system at its heart.
Metro Transit is beginning a two-year effort to develop our vision for the bus network of 2040. Building on the existing network’s strengths, we’re setting out to identify expanded bus service across a spectrum of transit improvements, including improved local and express routes, new arterial bus rapid transit (BRT) lines and integrated shared mobility options.