METRO B Line Connects Multiple High-Frequency Lines, Expands Access to Opportunity

Metro Transit, Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN, has opened its METRO B Line BRT route, running between downtown St. Paul and bringing faster and more reliable service to one of the region’s busiest transit corridors.

The 13-mile B Line features 33 stations and connects with nine current or under-construction METRO lines, including the METRO Gold Line. Running primarily along Lake Street and Marshall and Selby avenues, more than 100,000 residents live within a 10-minute walk of B Line stations.

“We are excited to open the B Line because it will bring more convenient, reliable transit to the people we serve,” said Metro Transit General Manager Lesley Kandaras. “Along with the other service improvements we are making, launching the B Line is one more way we are advancing our mission to connect people, strengthen communities, and improve lives.”

The B Line is the second of three BRT lines Metro Transit is opening in 2025. It replaces Route 21, the region’s busiest local bus route. The service will operate from 4:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. daily, with trips every 10 to 15 minutes. More than one-third of the corridor has dedicated bus lanes. Combined with wider stop spacing, all-door boarding, and transit signal priority, B Line service is expected to be approximately 20 faster faster than the local service it replaces.

A combination of federal, state, and Metropolitan Council funds was used to purchase a fleet of 60-foot buses, build stations with features like real-time signs and ticket machines, and install bus lanes and bus priority technology. In coordination with these efforts, Hennepin County and the City of Minneapolis put more than $25 million toward improvements aimed at reducing crashes and making Lake Street safer for all users. Ramsey County and the City of Saint Paul put additional funding toward traffic signal improvements and lane restriping on Marshall Avenue to improve safety and transit and signal operations.

Additional service improvements will be made in August and December, when the METRO E Line opens. By the end of the year, the METRO network will grow to more than 120 miles, putting 38 percent of the region’s car-free households, 30 percent of the region’s renter households, and 28 percent of the region’s total jobs within half a mile of a METRO station.