New Bus Rapid Transit Route Breaks Ground in the Twin Cities

“Metro Transit held a ceremonial groundbreaking on Monday for the B Line, a bus rapid transit route that will soon link Uptown in Minneapolis to the Union Depot transit hub in downtown St. Paul,” reports Frederick Melo for the Pioneer Press.

The new B Line is the latest addition to the Twin Cities’ growing bus rapid transit (BRT) system, part of an ongoing effort to make the Twin Cities the “BRT capital” of the United States. The C Line BRT route opened in 2019 and the A Line in 2016. Metro Transit is operating five BRT lines in all, with plans for expansions of six lines, including the B Line, according to the Metro Transit website.

As for the B Line, “Service, which will largely replace the Route 21 corridor, the state’s busiest local bus route, is scheduled to roll out in late 2024,” writes Melo. “The goal is to improve travel times on the 11-mile corridor by up to 20% through bus-only lanes, transit signal priority, all-door boarding and advance or off-board fare payments.”