Consider the diverse locations, neighborhoods and people that the proposed E Line arterial bus-rapid transit line will serve once it begins operating in 2025.
On its south end, the route will begin at the Southdale Transit Center and head north along France Avenue, over to Uptown and then downtown Minneapolis, into Northeast and the University of Minnesota, and finally on to the Green Line's Westgate Station near Hwy. 280.
The $68 million E Line will be the Twin Cities' fifth arterial bus-rapid transit (BRT) line, largely replacing the busy Route 6 bus line, a workhorse within the Metro Transit system. Construction on the E Line, which is funded with federal, state and local money, will begin next year.
"Route 6 is historically one of our highest-ridership local routes in our system," said Metro Transit's E Line Project Manager Adam Smith in an interview. "It serves a lot of important destinations throughout the corridor, plus growing areas within the region."
The E Line will cater not only to commuters but also to shoppers, students and people seeking medical care (M Health Fairview Southdale Hospital and the U's medical complex), along with theatergoers in Edina and St. Anthony Main, crowds attending the live venues along Hennepin Avenue and sports fans at the U.
The route will touch well-heeled neighborhoods, such as Linden Hills and 50th and France, and fast-growing ZIP codes in southeast Minneapolis and near Prospect Park.
Arterial bus-rapid transit is roughly 20% faster than regular bus service, in part because passengers pay before boarding, and there are two entrances to hop aboard — reducing long queues as people fumble for their fare.
Drivers have signal priority at busy intersections, and the stops are more spread out (every fourth of a mile in the E Line's case) than regular bus routes.