Metro Transit says ridership is on the upswing, service expansion planned

Metro Transit saw its busiest month of the year in August as the transit agency provided more than 4.2 million rides on its buses, light-rail trains and commuter rail lines.

And more passengers than ever hopped on the Metro Orange line during August, logging 51,200 trips taken on the rapid bus line that runs between downtown Minneapolis and Burnsville, largely along Interstate 35W.

Ridership numbers systemwide for the year are up 8.5% to 31.5 million rides for the first eight months of the year compared with the same time period a year ago, transit officials said Friday.

Metro Transit's rapid bus lines — the A-Line, C-Line and D-Line — saw large growth with a 19% ridership increase from January through August compared with 2023 figures. Overall, bus rides were up 9% to 21.3 million, the agency said.

Train rides were up sharply, too, with 10.2 million rides taken on the Green and Blue lines through Aug. 31. The Northstar commuter line doubled its passenger load from a year ago to more than 86,000, this year Metro Transit said.

The upswing in ridership comes as Metro Transit has ambitious plans to expand service by 35% within three years. The Met Council, which operates Metro Transit, on Wednesday kicked off a public comment period to gather feedback about an initiative called Network Now.

"Across our region, transit plays a critical role in connecting people, strengthening communities and improving lives," General Manager Lesley Kandaras said. "We are actively seeking feedback on this draft plan to ensure it will serve as a valuable roadmap as we strive to make our services more attractive and widely available."

Specifically, Network Now calls for beefing up service on 65 routes, with 15 of those routes having buses running at least every 15 minutes. Light-rail trains would run every 10 minutes instead of every 12 minutes, and some express buses corridors could see all-day service.

Through Network Now, the agency plans to introduce 20 new routes in areas that currently do not have service, and bring on-demand service to six additional suburbs. Metro Transit is expanding its microtransit service to Roseville and Woodbury this year to provide better connections to regular-route transit.

In Woodbury, that means helping transit users access the new Gold Line, a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line that will run along Interstate 94 between downtown St. Paul and Maplewood, Oakdale, Landfall and Woodbury, starting in 2025.

By 2027, Metro Transit plans to have four new rapid bus lines in service and open the Green Line Extension, the light-rail line running from downtown Minneapolis to Eden Prairie that is also known as Southwest LRT.

"We are making a significant investment in our transportation network, so it's essential that we listen and respond to riders, local partners and community members across the region as we plan for the future," Met Council Transportation Committee Chair Deb Barber said.

Feedback and input on the plan can be submitted online through Nov. 15. The agency also will hold a series of in-person public information sessions during October. They include 5:30 p.m. Oct. 1 at the Hopkins Pavilion, 11000 Excelsior Boulevard, and 11 a.m. Oct. 8 at Central Library, 300 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis.

Online meetings will take place at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 7 and Nov. 7.