METRO Gold Line Extension
Faster transit is coming to the Route 94 corridor
Following the opening of the Gold Line in 2025, the Gold Line Extension Project will provide faster, more reliable, and more attractive bus transit service between downtown Minneapolis and downtown St. Paul. The extension will also provide a one-seat ride from downtown Minneapolis to the east metro cities of east St. Paul, Maplewood, Landfall, Oakdale, and Woodbury, and will allow people to travel more efficiently between some of the region’s top destinations.
The Gold Line Extension will bring new, enhanced stations to Interstate 94 and Snelling Avenue, where riders can connect to the METRO A and B Lines, and will travel primarily on existing I-94 freeway shoulders. In Minneapolis, the Gold Line Extension would use existing bus rapid transit stations on 7th and 8th streets, and bring customers as far as the METRO Green Line Extension’s Royalston Avenue/Farmers Market Station in Minneapolis.
The Gold Line Extension will replace the Route 94 and will provide frequent, all-day service in both directions, including weekend service.
Project Fact Sheet
Gold Line Extension Fact Sheet
Project Schedule
- 2025: community engagement
- 2025-2026: engineering
- 2026: construction
- 2027 anticipated to open
MnDOT’s Rethinking I-94 Project
Metro Transit has participated in MnDOT’s engagement effort for the Rethinking I-94 Project and heard themes from the public about the desire for faster travel times, more reliable service, and more frequent transit service within the corridor. Based on the outcome of MnDOT’s project, future adjustments can be made to the Gold Line Extension – the extension does not predetermine outcomes of that project. But offering additional transit service now is more beneficial to area residents than waiting for the full duration of Rethinking I-94 MnDOT’s project.