Green rail lines with icons of people in a meeting and person sitting by a tree. Text says: "Connecting Communities"

METRO ORANGE LINE

The METRO Orange Line connects communities

The 17-mile METRO Orange Line began service in 2021 and has since expanded, enriched, and mobilized communities along the transitway. Since 2014, over $4 billion has been invested in development along the transitway bringing residents more places to work, play, live, and shop all connected by one Metro Transit ride.

History of the METRO Orange Line

Construction of the Orange Line began in 2018, but it was planned much earlier, appearing in the Metropolitan Council's 2030 Transportation Policy Plan to replace Route 535 on I-35W. The Metropolitan Council engaged directly with communities at each station, gathering input from transit riders, residents, students, and businesses. This feedback shaped the line's station design, walkability, naming, and bus service. Since launching, the Orange Line has connected people to jobs, homes, businesses, parks, and more.

What is happening on the Orange Line?

We're connecting communities.

The Orange Line has brought more jobs, homes, businesses, and more all accessible with one transit ride. While the Orange Line directly serves Minneapolis, Richfield, Bloomington, and Burnsville, the METRO transit system allows residents to go even further with just one connecting ride. The Orange Line connects with the Green Line, Blue Line, C Line, and D Line in downtown Minneapolis.

Riders can reach St. Paul, Brooklyn Center, and locations like the Mall of America and the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (via the Blue Line.) When operational, the Green Line Extension will further mobilize residents on the Orange Line and allow them to reach St. Louis Park, Edina, Hopkins, Minnetonka, and Eden Prairie with just one connecting trip.

Homes are being built.

In 2022, over 2,000 new residential units were added along the Orange Line. An additional 5,900 new homes are planned along the line.

Housing can be expensive. 14% of housing developed along the line since 2014 was designated as affordable. The Orange Line connects our most economically disadvantaged community members with affordable access to homes, jobs, businesses, parks, and more.

Businesses have the opportunity to grow.

Over $41 million in planned commercial development along the Orange Line will bring more businesses to communities on the line. This creates jobs and gives communities more ways to shop, dine, and lodge – all connected with one short ride on the Orange Line.

Communities invest in amenities and connections where we build transit.
$41 million is planned for schools, churches, and other community spaces and amenities along the Orange Line. That development will connect residents with parks and green spaces, walking and bike paths, public facilities, and more public and institutional development along the Orange Line.

We're creating jobs.

$11 million has been invested in industrial development along the Orange Line since 2014, bringing more job options to communities. A planned $41 million in commercial development will create even more workplaces and jobs, connected with a short Orange Line ride. Additionally, all types of development create jobs to build workplaces, homes, public facilities, and more. A total of $1.3 billion is planned in total development which will create jobs.

The METRO Orange Line is a vital transitway that connects communities with jobs, homes, businesses, parks, and so much more. Since the Orange Line became operational, communities have become mobilized and connected to more places to live, work, shop, and play. Learn more about the METRO Orange Line.

Notes: Information based on data from the 2023 development trends report. 2024 data will be available soon. Market forces will impact when developments open. For more information, view the full development trends report or contact the Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) office at [email protected].