Bigger buses and a new route: Metro Transit drivers are getting ready for Gold Line’s debut

On a recent Monday afternoon, Xang Xiong took a new vehicle for a test drive and explored a new route.

It wasn’t just any new vehicle. Driver No. 6303 was piloting the longest and heaviest bus in the Metro Transit fleet and taking it where no bus has gone before. He was on a practice run for the Gold Line, the new rapid bus line that will run from downtown St. Paul to Woodbury starting March 22.

“It’s a new bus and I have to get to know the bus,” Xiong said of the vehicle stretching 60 feet, 10 inches and weighing 40,900 pounds. “I have to know the Gold Line.”

For the past three weeks, Xiong and about 35 other Metro Transit drivers have spent time in class and behind the wheel learning intricacies of the route that will be the first bus line in the Twin Cities to operate exclusively in dedicated red-painted lanes that in transit lingo are called guideways.

“Conquer your fears,” route training instructor Yolanda Sims said to encourage Xiong as he pulled out from the Smith Garage in downtown St. Paul. “Beware of cars on your left and right. This is new for everybody. People will be going the wrong way.”

Gold Line buses will make 183 daily trips between the two cities on weekdays and 127 on weekends, stopping at 16 stations while passing through urban, residential and suburban neighborhoods and business districts.

Drivers such as Xiong have to learn nuisances of the guideway. Signals like those used on the light-rail system are placed right next to traffic lights at intersections to govern when a bus can go and when it must stop. A single vertical line means go, while a horizontal bar means stop.

“Look at the bar signal, not the red, yellow and green lights,” Sims told Xiong as he pulled up to 3rd Street and Mounds Boulevard.

Speed limits vary along the route, ranging from 25 to 35 to 45 mph depending on location. From Hwy. 61 to Kennard Street on St. Paul’s East Side, buses will share the road with the public. Near the 3M campus, motorists cross over the guideway as they enter the Maplewood campus. In other places, the guideway shifts from one side of the street to the other, setting up the potential to mingle with traffic.

“This can be tricky,” Xiong said of a lane shift on 4th Street in Oakdale. “There is a lot of lights. There is lots going on.”

Adding to the learning curve is that the Gold Line will be on a detour in downtown St. Paul for its first two years until the Kellogg Boulevard bridge over Interstate 94 is rebuilt and reopens in 2027.

Sims has the job of making sure drivers like Xiong get comfortable with the bus and the route. She also teaches drivers to stop at the precise spot where the front door of the bus lines up with a tile on the platform that tells riders with visual impairments or other special needs where to board.

Over and over, Sims told Xiong to check his mirrors and scan for traffic as she pointed out each turn on the route.

“Take your time driving for a nice and smooth ride for the customer,” Sims said. “When you can read a book or take nap without a care in the world, that is the sign of a good driver.”

Xiong passed with flying colors and successfully completed training, a requirement to drive Gold Line buses.

“He is Gold Line worthy,” Sims said. “He is certified.”

Xiong, who drove for Metro Transit from the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s and returned to the ranks two years ago, said he is excited for the opportunity.

“I will have to be careful in spots,” Xiong said after his one and only test run. “I love driving the bus. I love meeting the public. It will be great. I am ready.”