METRO B Line opens June 14, connecting several lines

Connecting multiple high-frequency lines with frequent all-day bus service between downtown St. Paul and the Uptown area of Minneapolis, the METRO B Line opens on Saturday, June 14.

Community events will happen from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Lake Street and Chicago Avenue in Minneapolis and Union Depot East Plaza in St. Paul. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will occur at the depot. Free rides will be offered on the B Line on opening day, courtesy of Midtown Global Market.

The 13-mile B Line is the second of three Metro Transit bus rapid transit lines that will open in 2025, following the Gold Line’s opening March 22 in the east metro and six months before the E Line begins service Dec. 6 between the University of Minnesota and Edina. The B Line is the region’s seventh BRT line. By 2035, Metro Transit will have at least 15 BRT lines.

Connecting to nine current and future BRT and LRT lines, the B Line will offer faster service to and from such top destinations as St. Paul Central and Minneapolis South high schools, St. Paul College, Concordia University, Midtown Global Market, Mercado Central, and easy transfers to and from the Blue, Green, Orange, Gold, A, and D lines.

Where the B Line operates, service adjustments

Serving 33 stations, some of which are shared with the Gold Line, the B Line operates on Marshall and Selby avenues and Lake Street, replacing Route 21, Metro Transit’s busiest local bus route. It starts with a strong foundation of more than 7,000 average weekday existing Route 21 customers through this March. The B Line will make end-to-end trips about 20% faster by stopping less often, stopping at fewer red lights, operating in bus-only lanes in some locations, and allowing customers to board faster through any of its three doors and to pay before boarding.

Opening a new line usually means service adjustments. On Saturday, June 14, Route 21 between Lake/France and downtown St. Paul will be discontinued and replaced by the B Line. Many Route 21 local bus stops not served by the B Line will be served by these routes:

• Route 70 restructured as the new Route 72, providing local service between downtown St. Paul and Midway Shopping Center along Selby Avenue every 30 minutes all days of the week.
• Restored Route 27 operating between Uptown Transit Station along Lake Street, 26th and 28th streets, ending at Lake Street & Minnehaha Avenue every 60 minutes all days of the week.
• New Route 38 combines routes 23 and 612 and will be improved to every 30 minutes all days of the week, serving Lake Street bus stops between Lyndale and France avenues.
• The A Line will provide connections to the Midway area of St. Paul, with increased weekend frequency beginning June 14.

Why this corridor needed BRT

Historically, buses carry about 20% of people traveling on Lake Street but make up less than 2% of vehicle traffic. Lake Street also has been one of the slowest transit corridors in the region. During rush hours, buses moved at an average speed of 8 mph. Frequent stops, lines of customers waiting to board, and red lights meant that buses were moving less than half the time.

More than half of Route 21 customers identify as Black, Indigenous or people of color. More than 100,000 people live within a 10-minute walk or roll of the B Line. Of these, more than 40% are BIPOC.

Lake Street improvements

The project involved designating key segments of bus-only lanes with red paint that will make the B Line a fast, reliable transportation option. Transit signal priority will help keep buses moving through intersections.

Hennepin County and the City of Minneapolis funded over $25 million in associated Lake Street improvements designed in close collaboration and built by the project.

Construction of the B Line provided an opportunity to rethink and improve how Lake Street, the highest crash corridor in Minneapolis, is used by all. Hennepin County designed changes in collaboration with the City of Minneapolis and Metro Transit to enhance safety for people walking and rolling, improve transit times and reliability, and reduce crashes. Lake Street improvements included:

• A four-to-three lane conversion with new left-turn lanes to reduce severe crashes and make it easier for people walking and rolling to cross Lake Street.
• Red bus-only lanes in one or both directions to improve transit speed and reliability.
• Accessible pedestrian ramp improvements at dozens of intersections.
• Minimal changes to on-street parking with many areas keeping all on-street parking spaces.

Ramsey County and the City of St. Paul also funded about $1 million of traffic signal improvements and lane restriping on Marshall Avenue to improve safety and transit and signal operations.

With the E Line opening Dec. 6, these new lines will grow the region’s METRO network to more than 120 miles, putting 38% of the region’s car-free households, 30% of the region’s renter households, and 28% of the region’s total jobs within a half-mile of a METRO station.

Learn more at: metrotransit.org/Metro-B-Line