Red Line (Minnesota)

METRO Red Line
Overview
System	METRO
Operator	Minnesota Valley Transit Authority
Status	Operational
Began service	June 22, 2013
Route
Locale	(Hennepin County) Bloomington, Minnesota (Dakota County) Eagan, Minnesota Burnsville, Minnesota Apple Valley, Minnesota Rosemount, Minnesota Farmington, Minnesota Lakeville, Minnesota
Stations	5 (7 planned)
Route map Mall of America Minnesota River Cedar Grove Cliff Road future Palomino Hills future 140th Street 147th Street Apple Valley 161st Street future Glacier Way future Lakeville Cedar future 195th Street future 215th Street future This diagram: ← {{{previous_line}}}  {{{system_nav}}}  {{{next_line}}} →

The METRO Red Line, previously known as the Cedar Avenue Bus Rapid Transitway, is a bus line between the Twin Cities suburbs of Bloomington, Minnesota and Apple Valley, Minnesota. The Red Line was built with bus rapid transit elements including dedicated bus lanes along the sides of Minnesota State Highway 77/County Road 23, as well as distinct stations, although it cannot be classified as Bus Rapid Transit in accordance with the BRT Standard. The line is planned to be extended to the suburb of Lakeville, Minnesota, eventually running from Mall of America in Bloomington, the southern terminus of the Blue Line light-rail service, to 215th Street in Lakeville.

After a few construction schedule setbacks, the line officially began operation on June 22, 2013.

While the Red Line is a part of the METRO system, it is operated by the MVTA.

The corridor has seen rapidly increasing traffic volumes over the past 20 years due to explosive growth in Dakota County. Traffic congestion is a commonplace along much of the corridor as far south as County Road 42. The Metropolitan Council, county and local officials promoted the transitway as a means to improve mobility in the corridor.

The Red Line runs from the Mall of America in Bloomington to the Apple Valley Transit Station (and will later serve 215th Street in Lakeville), serving some of the fastest growing areas in the Metropolitan Area and in the State of Minnesota. Traffic volumes on Cedar Avenue currently exceed 100,000 vehicles a day at the Minnesota River bridge every morning, with congestion sometimes extending as far south as County Road 42 in Apple Valley. The cities of Lakeville, Farmington, and Eagan are projected to double in population between the year 2000 and 2025, and the City of Apple Valley will gain half again its current population: 90,000 more residents in the Corridor. Red Line Bus Rapid Transit buses have more futuristic detail.

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Wikipedia