🚍 Lake Street's new "rapid" bus line opens Saturday
The long-awaited route offers faster and more frequent service from Uptown to Downtown St. Paul.
The long-awaited B Line bus system opens Saturday, marking the neighborhood's most significant new transit project since the arrival of light rail two decades ago.
The "bus rapid transit" (BRT) line will replace the popular 21 route that runs from Uptown to downtown St. Paul, including four stations in the neighborhood, promising faster and more frequent service — albeit at fewer stops and at the expense of a travel lane. Rides are free on opening day.
Background
In the beginning, there was the Selby-Lake streetcar line.
When it opened in 1905 along a muddy and rutted stretch of road, the new streetcar route brought Lake Street into the fold of the city, connecting the sparsely populated prairies that would become Longfellow to the Twin Cities' burgeoning transportation network and spurring a 20-year surge of development. (It also brought people to the local amusement park.) The streetcar was retired in 1953 and replaced by the "Selby-Lake Bus," eventually rechristened as the "21."
It became the city's busiest local bus line, memorialized by the 1984 off-Broadway play "21A," which local writer Kevin Kling set entirely on the bus while playing all eight characters himself. (According to the New York Times, it portrayed life on the bus as "sort of an urban Lake Wobegon, only a lot crazier.")
Besides being the busiest — or perhaps because of it — the 21 is also the system's slowest route, crawling along at a pace that many can out-jog. In the 2010s, Metro Transit began looking to upgrade some of its most popular routes into BRT formats, a concept that has been around since the 1970s but has gained popularity in the new millennium.
The premise of BRT is, basically: People prefer trains over buses, but buses are cheaper to build and more flexible to operate, so how can buses mimic the things people like about trains? BRT lines have souped-up shelters; bigger and nicer buses; dedicated lanes; and faster boarding. They also run frequently enough that a rider shouldn't need to check a timetable before heading to the bus.
The A Line became Metro Transit's first rapid transit route in 2016, running through the south end of the neighborhood along 46th Street en route to Highland Park and eventually Rosedale Mall. The agency has invested heavily in the strategy since then: There will be eight active BRT lines by the end of this year, with another seven more planned over the next decade.
Construction on the $74 million B Line project took place in 2023 and 2024. The work was timed with a number of other changes to Lake Street that included repaving, reconfiguring lanes, upgrading sidewalks and stoplights, and retooling the Hiawatha-Lake interchange.
The B Line
Route: The B Line travels the same general route as the 21, and the Selby-Lake car before it, a 13-mile stretch from France Avenue west of Uptown to St. Paul's Union Depot. It includes 33 stations, including four in the neighborhood: At Minnehaha, 31st, 36th, and 44th.
Though Metro Transit originally indicated it would keep the 21 route at a reduced frequency, they're now retiring the route altogether. They've added or restored a handful of brief routes to serve sections of the former 21 route.
Dedicated lane: There is a bus-only lane going west for most of the route. Route designers said they only had enough space for one dedicated lane, and their modeling found that there would be more time savings if it were the westbound lane. To make room for the lane, Lake Street was reduced from two lanes in each direction down to one, with a turn lane in the middle. Buses will also receive preferential treatment from stoplights.
Schedule: The buses will run continuously from 4 a.m. to 2 a.m. each day, ending slightly earlier on Sunday and holidays — about 200 trips per day in each direction. For most of that time the buses will run every 10 or 12 minutes, with slower service in the early morning and late night.
From the 36th Avenue stop, it'll now take about 24 minutes to get to Lake and Lagoon in Uptown, six minutes faster than on the 21. Getting to Rice Park in downtown St. Paul will take 29 minutes, about seven minutes faster than on the 21.
Stations: The stations feature most of the hallmarks of BRT, including:
- Heat and lighting
- Screen with real-time bus schedules
- Trash and recycling
- Security camera and emergency contact box
- Slightly elevated platform
- Extra seating
- Bike racks
- Trees
Off-bus payment: Like the light rail, riders pay at kiosks ahead of time rather than as they board, allowing people to enter at any door and making for quicker stops. Roving transit police and staff will periodically check fares.
Buses: The brand-new buses are 60 feet long with three doors, laid out similar to a light rail car. While Metro Transit uses a handful of electric BRT buses on other routes, the B Line buses are diesel.
The system is not without trade-offs. Spacing stations further apart makes for faster travel, but means longer walks to actually reach the stop, especially challenging for the many transit riders with mobility limits. Pre-pay boarding means faster stops but more difficulty enforcing fares. Though most parking along the route was retained, some prime spots were lost to station areas, like at 36th Avenue. And officials say removing a lane of traffic for the dedicated bus lane will speed up service and reduce collisions on the city's most crash-heavy road, but motorists have bemoaned the increased congestion throughout the corridor, especially during the construction on I-94.
Ride the line
Metro Transit has a series of events planned to commemorate the opening.
Free rides: Rides will be free all day Saturday.
Retirement party: On Friday, they're hosting a "retirement" party for the 21 bus, featuring 21A playwright Kevin Kling. 3 p.m., Nicollet Garage, 31st and Nicollet
Opening day parties: There will be concurrent opening day celebrations in Minneapolis and St. Paul featuring family-friendly activities. 11-2 at Lake and Chicago in Minneapolis and Union Depot in St. Paul.
Lake Street Lift spotlight: DIVAS for Social Justice
Join the DIVAS for Social Justice makerspace at the Historic Coliseum building on June 19 from noon-4 for the Juneteenth Maker Event, a day filled with creativity, community, and celebration. You can create various crafts, art, through tech! Whether you're a seasoned artist or just looking to try something new, there will be activities for everyone to enjoy. Come together to honor Juneteenth, support small businesses, and connect with fellow creatives. We can't wait to see you there!
Ad series featuring Lake Street businesses presented by Lake Street Lift