No one likes waiting, especially when they’re trying to get from one place to another. That’s why we’re continuously monitoring and responding to issues that arise throughout the service day and focusing on a number of strategies that can help keep our buses on trains more consistently on schedule.
On the METRO Green Line and METRO Blue Line, this includes:
We have more work to do, but our data tells us we’re moving in the right direction: In the week ending October 4:
The recent improvements in large part reflect work throughout 2025 to address a record number of rail defects (22) that led trains to travel at reduced speeds. Over the past several months, crews replaced track sections with these defects. (Why do tracks crack? Good question!)
Read on to learn more about why light rail service gets delayed, and how we’re working to improve our performance.
What causes trains to be delayed?
A primary cause of delays is passenger behavior, especially door holding.
Holding a door open, even for a few seconds, can prevent a train from leaving the station and getting through an intersection, which in turn interferes with its ability to avoid stopping at intersections further down the line.
Combined, we estimate door holding and other passenger behaviors like emergency door pulling and trespassing add up to around 80 hours of delay time every week, or more than half of all delay hours.
Other causes of delays include waiting for track spacing (when a late train keeps the one behind it from being able to advance) and equipment malfunctions.
What are we doing to improve performance?
In coordination with local partners, traffic and train signal equipment along University Avenue and on the East Bank is being replaced and improved. Updating this equipment can improve travel times by up to a minute for the slowest trips.
On The Blue Line, our multi-year Renew the Blue improvement project is bringing new track, signals, and ways to move trains, all pointing toward more reliable service.
To address door holding and other passenger-related delays, we continue to grow our team of Transit Rider Investment Program Agents who help educate riders.
Why do trains ever have to stop at intersections?
At most intersections outside downtown Minneapolis, light rail vehicles preempt signals, similar to emergency vehicles, and rarely have to stop. Other major intersections use what’s known as Transit Signal Priority, or TSP, that allows trains to request green lights be held longer.
Green lights cannot be held indefinitely, however, which is why it’s important to address behaviors like door holding that keep trains from being able to advance.
Will travel times ever improve?
End to end, Green Line trips are scheduled to take 49 minutes; Blue Line trips are scheduled to take about 41 minutes.
While improvement in median travel times is welcome, our primary objective is not to cut minutes off the clock but to ensure trains are arriving at consistent intervals and according to schedule. (Looking to get between our downtowns in a hurry? Meet Route 94.)
What else are you doing to improve transit speed and reliability?
To improve transit speed and reliability in our bus network, we’ve dedicated a team to expanding the use of bus lanes and other strategies to focus on improvements in corridors where delays are most pronounced.
Bus lanes, transit signal priority, bus stop spacing, and route simplification are among the tools we’re using. The expansion of our bus rapid transit network, where transit enjoys these advantages along with pre-paid fares and all-door boarding, is also ongoing.
Learn more about all our ongoing work to provide service that is faster and more reliable at metrotransit.org/speed-reliability.