Metro C Line (Minnesota)
| Company type | Bus rapid transit route |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Founded | June 8, 2019 |
| Headquarters | Minneapolis , United States |
Area served | Brooklyn Center, Minnesota; Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| Products | Bus rapid transit service |
| Owner | Metro Transit |
| Website | www |
The Metro C Line operates as a bus rapid transit route connecting Brooklyn Center, Minnesota and Minneapolis, Minnesota, managed by Metro Transit. It is part of the Metro system, which includes light rail and BRT services across the region. The line runs from the Brooklyn Center Transit Center, following Penn Avenue and Olson Memorial Highway, terminating in downtown Minneapolis. This corridor closely follows the former Route 19 path and is anticipated to increase ridership from 7,000 to 9,000 passengers by the year 2030. Plans for future modifications include rerouting a segment southward along Glenwood Avenue.
Modeled after the Metro A Line, the C Line operates with fewer stops and upgraded stations that provide "train-like" features such as off-board fare payment systems. It also marked the introduction of the Twin Cities’ initial battery electric buses, manufactured by New Flyer. Construction commenced in March 2018, with passenger service launching on June 8, 2019. Within just five months, the C Line achieved over one million boardings. Weekday ridership climbed by 30% relative to pre-construction figures for Route 19, while weekend use increased by 25% on Saturdays and 40% on Sundays.
Route
The C Line’s northern endpoint is located at Brooklyn Center Transit Center in the suburb of Brooklyn Center. This facility offers amenities including an indoor waiting area, restrooms, bicycle racks, ticket vending machines, and Go-To card readers to facilitate off-board fare collection. Additionally, it is equipped with rapid charging stations for New Flyer battery electric buses; however, as of October 2019, these electric vehicles were temporarily withdrawn due to charging complications at their maintenance garage. From this terminal, the C Line heads south along Xerxes Avenue with a stop near 56th Avenue adjacent to the former site of Brookdale Mall. Continuing south on Brooklyn Boulevard, there is a station at 51st Avenue before crossing into Minneapolis where Brooklyn Boulevard transitions into Osseo Road. An infill station at 47th Avenue is scheduled for construction between 2023 and 2025. The route then proceeds southbound on Penn Avenue, diverging from the under-construction Metro D Line, stopping at 43rd Avenue. Serving North Minneapolis along Penn Avenue, stations are spaced approximately every . Upon reaching Olson Memorial Highway, the C Line turns eastward toward downtown Minneapolis with four stops along this corridor.
Entering downtown via 7th Street—part of a one-way pair with 8th Street southbound and 7th Street northbound—the C Line offers three southbound BRT stations currently operational at Ramp A/7th Street Transit Center, 8th Street at Nicollet Mall, and near 3rd/4th Avenues. Additional stations located at 8th Street with Hennepin and Park Avenues are set to fully open in the future; presently buses stop there upon request. After completing service at Park Avenue, buses lay over near 11th Avenue before beginning their northbound journey.
Heading north out of downtown, the C Line starts at Park Avenue Station underneath Hennepin County Medical Center and continues along 7th Street with stops at 3rd/4th Avenues, Nicollet Mall, and Hennepin Avenue. These Metro Transit BRT stations are equipped with off-board fare payment options, real-time arrival displays, and near-level boarding platforms. After departing downtown Minneapolis, the route retraces its path back north to Brooklyn Center Transit Center.
6th Street operations
When the C Line began service, 8th Street in downtown Minneapolis was undergoing reconstruction, prompting southbound buses to be rerouted via Glenwood Avenue to 6th Street. Temporary stops were established at Hennepin Avenue, Nicollet Mall, 3rd Avenue, and Park Avenue. These provisional stops did not feature real-time arrival displays or fare payment systems; passengers boarding the C Line needed a valid transfer. In July 2019, an additional temporary southbound stop was introduced at 7th Street along Glenwood Avenue near the Ramp A/7th Street Transit Center.
On December 7, 2019, buses returned to their permanent route along 8th Street.
Phase II Glenwood Avenue alignment
The Bottineau LRT Extension of the METRO Blue Line was designed to run along Olson Memorial Highway between downtown Minneapolis and Penn Avenue. As part of Phase II, the C Line would be rerouted from Olson Memorial Highway to Glenwood Avenue approximately one-quarter mile to the south. This adjustment aimed to distribute transit services more evenly across corridors while maintaining comparable travel times. Four new stations were proposed on Glenwood Avenue at Morgan, Lyndale, Royalston, and between Cedar Lake Road and Dupont Avenues. Additionally, the station at Penn Avenue would be relocated southward from its temporary site on Olson Memorial Highway.
Temporary stations on Olson Memorial Highway at Penn, Humboldt, and Bryant featured standard shelters and concrete boarding pads accommodating full-length buses but lacked near-level boarding platforms and distinctive pylon signage. These stops included off-board fare vending machines and Go-To card readers equipped with real-time information displays.
Plans for this alignment were stalled due to unresolved negotiations with BNSF Railway, casting uncertainty over the Bottineau Blue Line Extension's final route. In August 2020, the Metropolitan Council announced efforts to explore an alternative corridor to Brooklyn Park. Metro Transit continues advancing Phase II planning with a target completion ahead of the original 2024 light rail launch date. Coordination is ongoing for stations at Penn, Lyndale, and Royalston alongside related public infrastructure projects.
In 2021, the Minnesota Legislature dedicated $250,000 toward evaluating transit enhancements between Medina and downtown Minneapolis, including potential bus rapid transit solutions. Originally studied in 2015, this corridor follows the C Line’s Olson Memorial Highway alignment as it departs downtown, supporting balanced transit coverage across multiple corridors.
Service
| Type | Span of service | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Early Weekdays | 5:00 a.m. – 6:30 a.m. | Every 15–30 minutes |
| Weekdays | 6:30 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. | Every 10 minutes |
| Late Weekdays | 7:00 p.m. – 1:00 a.m. | Every 15–30 minutes |
| Saturday | 5:30 a.m. – 1:30 a.m. | Every 10–30 minutes |
| Sunday | 5:30 a.m. – 1:30 a.m. | Every 10–30 minutes |
During daytime hours on both weekdays and weekends, the C Line operates with a frequency of ten minutes. Service intervals extend up to thirty minutes during early morning and late evening periods. Prior to the C Line's introduction, Route 19 provided half-hourly bus service along this corridor, including select peak-hour trips that were redirected to cover areas previously served by Route 19’s terminal branches. Due to a shortage of drivers, Route 19 was suspended in December 2021 and formally discontinued in March 2025. Within five months following the C Line’s October 2019 debut, combined weekday ridership for both Route 19 and the C Line reached roughly 8,300 passengers—an increase from Route 19’s prior average of about 7,000—indicating a 30% rise in weekday riders. Weekend ridership also grew significantly by approximately 25% on Saturdays and 40% on Sundays.
Station Features
Metro Transit's bus rapid transit (BRT) stops are designed using a unique "kit-of-parts" concept to ensure consistent recognition throughout the network. The stations come in three sizes—small, medium, and large—determined by daily passenger volumes and the surrounding environment. Facilities at these stations include illuminated canopies, on-demand heating systems, surveillance cameras, emergency call boxes, seating areas, and bicycle racks. Boarding zones are distinguished from adjacent sidewalks by darker concrete surfaces. To minimize bus stop time, fare payment is handled off-board via ticket vending machines and Go-To card readers positioned on the platforms. Each station is equipped with a pylon displaying real-time bus arrival data and features illuminated signage that flashes when a bus is approaching within one minute. Elevated curbs with tactile warning strips enable near-level boarding to expedite passenger access.
Temporary stations such as Penn, Humboldt, and Bryant along Olson Memorial Highway utilize standard Metro Transit shelters but still offer real-time arrival information and off-board fare payment options. The upcoming Blue Line extension along Olson Memorial Highway will reroute the C Line southward to Glenwood Avenue, where permanent stations will be constructed. Initially, five southbound stops located on 6th Street in downtown served only as drop-off points without amenities due to their temporary designation until the route was permanently relocated to 8th Street.
Station Directory
| Station | Neighborhood(s) | City | In Service Since | Connections | Fall 2019 Average Weekday C Line Boardings | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brooklyn Center Transit Center | Centennial | Brooklyn Center |
|
Routes 5, 19, 22, 717, 721, 722, 723, 724, 761, 762, 801 | 334 | ||||
| Xerxes & 56th Avenue | Routes 5, 19, 22, 717, 721, 724, 761 | 256 | |||||||
| Brooklyn & 51st Avenue | Happy Hollow | Routes 5, 19, 22, 32, 721, 724, 761 | 76 | ||||||
| Osseo & 47th Avenue | Victory | Minneapolis | December 7, 2024 | Route 19 | |||||
| Penn & 43rd Avenue |
|
Route 19 | 221 | ||||||
| Penn & Dowling | Cleveland, Folwell, Victory, Webber-Camden | Route 19 | 179 | ||||||
| Penn & 36th Avenue | Cleveland, Folwell | Route 19 | 310 | ||||||
| Penn & Lowry | Cleveland, Folwell, Jordan | Routes 19, 32 | 549 | ||||||
| Penn & 29th Avenue | Jordan | Routes 19, 32 | 188 | ||||||
| Penn & West Broadway | Jordan, Willard-Hay | Routes 14, 19 | 402 | ||||||
| Penn & Golden Valley | Willard-Hay | Routes 14, 19, 30 | 408 | ||||||
| Penn & Plymouth | "Near-North", Willard-Hay | Routes 7, 19, 32 | 376 | ||||||
| Olson & Penn | "Harrison", Near-North, Willard-Hay | Routes 19, 755 | 279 | ||||||
| Olson & Humboldt | "Harrison", Near-North | Route 19 | 197 | ||||||
| Olson & Bryant | "Sumner-Glenwood" | Route 19 | 209 | ||||||
| Royalston Avenue/Farmers Market and 7th Street & Olson/5th Avenue station | North Loop | Routes 5,19 ,22 ,755 | 292 | ||||||
| Ramp A/7th Street Transit Center (southbound only) | Downtown West |
|
Many downtown routes | 26 | |||||
| 7th Street & Hennepin | 8th Street & Hennepin |
|
Many downtown routes | 546 | |||||
| 7th-8th Street & Nicollet station (7th Street & Nicollet /8th Street & Nicollet) | Many downtown routes / Nicollet Mall | 1,127 | |||||||
| 7th Street &3rd/4th Avenue /8th Street &3rd/4th Avenue | Many downtown routes | 322 | |||||||
| 7th Street & Park /8th Street & Park | Elliot Park |
|
Many downtown routes | 502 | |||||
Fleet
The C Line utilizes a fleet of fourteen 60-foot articulated buses, comprising six diesel-powered XD60 units and eight battery electric XE60 vehicles, marking Minnesota's introduction to electric articulated buses. These buses are produced by New Flyer Industries in Saint Cloud, Minnesota, designed with three doors and expanded aisle widths to accelerate passenger boarding. Features across the fleet include transit signal priority systems, Quantum wheelchair securement, complimentary WiFi, and USB charging ports. Communities along the route contributed names for each bus. The electric models offer a driving range between 120 and 140 miles, though this range diminishes by approximately 40% during winter temperatures; diesel heaters are installed to provide supplemental warmth.
The electric buses have encountered operational difficulties related to charging infrastructure and mechanical reliability. Within the initial 631 days of service through February 2021, full availability of both buses and chargers was achieved on only ten occasions. Malfunctions in charging equipment necessitated the temporary withdrawal of all eight electric buses in July and October of 2019. To sustain service levels, three Gillig BRTPlus buses originally procured for the A Line were temporarily assigned to the C Line from July 2019 until January 2020. Furthermore, five New Flyer XD60 diesel buses were modified by removing fareboxes and repainted with METRO branding to allow flexible deployment across both lines. Electric buses resumed operation in late October 2019 but were again taken out of service from March through December 2021.
Because of extended mid-route charging intervals coupled with a shortage of bus operators, electric buses are deployed sparingly—typically only three units operate simultaneously for up to eight hours daily, compared to other buses that can run as long as twenty hours per day.
History
The Metropolitan Council, serving as the regional planning authority for the Twin Cities, completed a 2030 Transit Master Study in 2008 that identified arterial bus corridors with substantial ridership potential but limited capacity for dedicated transit lanes. The Council set an objective to double transit ridership by 2030, positioning arterial bus rapid transit (BRT) as a central element of this strategy. Between 2011 and 2012, Metro Transit evaluated eleven corridors for BRT feasibility; these corridors collectively served approximately 90,000 weekday riders—nearly half of all urban route passengers—with anticipated ridership growth of 20–30% following BRT implementation. The corridors were assessed based on factors including cost-effectiveness, potential ridership gains, and travel time improvements, aiming to inaugurate the first BRT line by 2014.
Initially, the Penn Avenue corridor was excluded from consideration due to plans for the Bottineau LRT, which encountered challenges related to right-of-way acquisition and eminent domain. When the selected LRT alignment bypassed Penn Avenue and north Minneapolis, city officials endorsed two new BRT projects connecting downtown Minneapolis through north Minneapolis to the Brooklyn Center Transit Center.
A 2013 update incorporated the Penn Avenue corridor and extended the Chicago Avenue corridor into what became known as the Chicago-Fremont corridor. The Snelling Avenue corridor was the first arterial BRT route realized with the launch of the A Line in 2016. After delaying implementation of the B Line for additional analysis, Metro Transit prioritized development of the Penn Avenue and Chicago-Fremont corridors as the C Line and D Line, respectively. The C Line was designated as the second arterial BRT project in 2014 with construction initially slated for 2016. Despite Route 19’s daily ridership reaching 7,000 passengers and buses constituting 26% of people traveling along Penn Avenue, amenities such as shelters and seating were limited prior to upgrades.
On June 28, 2021, an infill station at Osseo & 47th Avenue was announced within Hennepin County’s Osseo Road reconstruction project; this station will serve both the C Line and D Line. Plans for stations at Victory Memorial Parkway were abandoned due to low projected ridership, physical constraints at the site, and opposition from the Minneapolis Park Board—resulting in an extended distance between existing stops. Input gathered during planning for both lines supported adding this infill station, with construction scheduled to coincide with road improvements beginning in 2023. A revision to this station plan was anticipated later in that year.
References