Expanded service coming to several of the region’s busiest bus routes on March 14

More trips will be offered on Route 94 connecting Minneapolis, St. Paul

Efforts to make transit more convenient and reliable will continue in March as trips are added to several of the region's busiest bus routes. Notable service improvements taking effect on Saturday, March 14, include:

• Providing trips every 15 minutes during peak periods on Route 94, which runs between downtown Minneapolis and downtown St. Paul.
• Expanding Saturday service on Route 17, which serves Hopkins, St. Louis Park, and Minneapolis.
• Expanding service every day on Route 22, which serves Brooklyn Center and connects to several METRO Blue Line stations.
• Introducing new midday service on Route 270, operating between Maplewood and downtown Minneapolis.

After the changes take effect, Metro Transit will be more than 40% of the way toward meeting the growth outlined in Network Now. Fully implementing Network Now improvements will expand transit service by 40% compared to 2023 levels.

"These service improvements will make transit more convenient and reliable, which in turn makes it a more useful and attractive transportation option for people all across our region," Metro Transit General Manager Lesley Kandaras said.

To account for road construction, schedules and travel times will also be adjusted on 23 bus routes on March 14. Riders are encouraged to review updated schedules online and to contact Metro Transit for trip planning assistance.

Workforce growth enables transit improvements

Ongoing service improvements are powered by a growing number of transit workers.

After netting 113 new bus and train operators in 2025, Metro Transit is now home to than 1,500 operators. The agency also added dozens of maintenance employees last year.

Metro Transit is continuously recruiting operators, maintenance personnel, police officers and more to help operate and care for the regional transit network. Paid training and hiring bonuses are available for many positions.

Future improvements coming to METRO network

In addition to improving local and express bus service, Metro Transit continues to advance plans to expand the METRO network in the coming years. METRO lines are bus rapid transit and light rail lines that provide frequent, all-day service.

To expand the regional METRO network, Metro Transit is:

• Testing systems on the METRO Green Line Extension, which will open in 2027.
• Advancing plans for the METRO Gold Line Extension and four additional bus rapid transit lines - the METRO F, G, H and Bronze lines.
• Bringing forward a recommendation to build the future METRO J Line on West Seventh Street and the future METRO K Line on Nicollet Avenue. The Metropolitan Council is scheduled to act on the recommendation in March.

Contact: Drew Kerr, [email protected], 651-387-3928