Transit Improvements

Blue and yellow bus with red trim at a but stop with passengers boarding.

Bus

Metro Transit continues to expand its offerings of fast, frequent bus rapid transit (BRT) lines, including the METRO Orange Line, which travels along I-35W between downtown Minneapolis and Burnsville, and the METRO D Line (currently Route 5) is opening in late 2022. Planning continues on the proposed  METRO B Line (currently Route 21), METRO E Line (currently Route 6), METRO Gold Line, the state’s first BRT line to operate partially on its own roadway between downtown St. Paul and Woodbury, and the METRO Purple Line, which will connect communities between downtown St. Paul and northeast suburbs. 

Metro Transit also is always looking for ways to improve its transit service, which includes making routes faster and more reliable, through its Speed & Reliability Program and Better Bus Route projects.  

White bus with blue and yellow accents.

Network Next

Network Next is a 20-year plan for expanding and improving the bus network. Transit improvements under consideration include improved local and express routes, integrated shared mobility options, and new bus rapid transit (BRT) lines. Learn more about the plans and how to get involved.

Block of granite carved into the form of a Great Northern locomotive drive wheel.

Facilities

Learn more about Metro Transit’s work to beautify its facilities through Public Art, improve the customer experience through its Better Bus Stops program, expand its capacity by building a new Minneapolis Bus Garage, and improve existing transit facilities like the Brooklyn Center Transit Center. You can get involved in your neighborhood and Adopt-A-Stop.

White, blue and yellow light rail car at Government Plaza.

Light Rail

Work is already under way on construction of the METRO Green Line Extension (also known as the Southwest Light Rail Project) between downtown Minneapolis and Eden Prairie. Planners are also working on the proposed METRO Blue Line Extension (Bottineau Transitway) between downtown Minneapolis and northwest communities.

Thumbnail map of future METRO lines.

Long-term plans

Metro Transit is looking to the future while it serves the Twin Cities region today. See the long-range planning work done in our Central Corridor Transit Study, Downtown St. Paul Study, Annual Service Equity Report, Highland Park Transit Service Study, Service Improvement Plan, and the Metropolitan Council’s Transportation Policy Plan, a document that guides regional transportation planning through 2040.

Other initiatives

Mobility Hubs Better Bus Route – Route 3 Better Bus Route – Route 63