The Metro Purple Line, formerly known as the Rush Line Corridor, is a proposed bus rapid transit service that would run from Union Depot in downtown

Saint Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

to the northeastern suburbs of Saint Paul. Along the corridor's 21 proposed stations there are 106,000 jobs within a 10-minute walk. The project is currently in an environmental analysis phase with further development, engineering, and construction expected to take at least six more years. Service would run 7-days a week with 10-minute

headway Headway is the distance or duration between vehicles in a transit system measured in space or time. The ''minimum headway'' is the shortest such distance or time achievable by a system without a reduction in the speed of vehicles. The precise defi ...

s in peak periods and 15-minute service at most other times. The corridor was named the Rush Line because it was originally planned to end in

Rush City, Minnesota Rush City is a city in Chisago County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 3,079 at the 2010 census. It is fifty-eight miles north of Minneapolis–Saint Paul. History Rush City was platted in 1870, and incorporated in 1874. Geograph ...

. After using the color purple since 2017, the route was officially named the Purple Line and became part of the

Metro Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to: Geography * Metro (city), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urban ...

network on July 14, 2021.

Potential commuter rail

At one point the project was proposed to be commuter rail all the way to

Hinckley, Minnesota Hinckley is a city in Pine County, Minnesota, United States, located at the junction of Interstate 35 and Minnesota State Highway 48. The population was 1,800 at the 2010 census. Hinckley's name in the Ojibwe language is ''Gaa-zhiigwanaabikoka ...

. The corridor studied roughly follows the path of

U.S. Route 61 U.S. Route 61 or U.S. Highway 61 (U.S. 61) is a major United States highway that extends between New Orleans, Louisiana and the city of Wyoming, Minnesota. The highway generally follows the course of the Mississippi River and is designated ...

and

Interstate 35 Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican border ...

. Along with the

Red Rock Corridor The Red Rock Corridor is a proposed bus rapid transit transitway in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul. The route connects the metropolitan area's southeastern suburbs to downtown St. Paul, and through it to downtown Minneapolis. The ...

in the southeast and the Southwest Corridor in the southwest

, it was considered a "Tier Two" commuter rail project with scheduled implementation after 2020. Efforts to improve the corridor are coordinated by the Rush Line Corridor Task Force, formed in 1999 and composed of 22 elected officials from

counties A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

and municipalities along the corridor. Commuter rail costs were expected to be high if implemented, due to the multiple

railroads Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...

operating the tracks, additionally some sections of rail would have to be rebuilt on county-owned abandoned

rights-of-way Right of way is the legal right, established by grant from a landowner or long usage (i.e. by prescription), to pass along a specific route through property belonging to another. A similar ''right of access'' also exists on land held by a gov ...

. Existing rail is a combination of Class I and Class III railroads. Despite a relatively high

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

, projected

ridership In public transportation Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlik ...

was lower than originally anticipated because commuters are split in their final destination, mostly downtown Saint Paul or

downtown Minneapolis The Central Minneapolis community is located in the central part of the city, consisting of 6 smaller official neighborhoods, and includes Downtown Minneapolis and the central business district. It also includes the many old flour mills, the ...

. If commuter rail was built it could have connected with the proposed

Northern Lights Express The ''Northern Lights Express'' (''NLX'') is a planned higher-speed rail service that would run between Minneapolis and Duluth primarily in the U.S. state of Minnesota. A portion of the proposed line would run through neighboring Wisconsin to ser ...

in Hinckley and provide a more direct link between Saint Paul and

Duluth , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...

Alternatives study

Alternatives to commuter rail were presented, including the implementation

bus rapid transit Bus rapid transit (BRT), also called a busway or transitway, is a bus-based public transport system designed to have much more capacity, reliability and other quality features than a conventional bus system. Typically, a BRT system includes ...

throughout the corridor or light rail in the Ramsey County portion, from Union Depot to White Bear Lake. Despite having significantly lower operating costs than commuter rail, light rail would require taking

lane In road transport, a lane is part of a roadway that is designated to be used by a single line of vehicles to control and guide drivers and reduce traffic conflicts. Most public roads ( highways) have at least two lanes, one for traffic in eac ...

s on East Seventh Street in downtown Saint Paul, additionally track right of way would run close to residential structures. The Ramsey and Washington county portions of the corridor are served by local Metro Transit bus routes. In September 2009, the

Metropolitan Council The Metropolitan Council, commonly abbreviated Met Council or Metro Council, is the regional governmental agency and metropolitan planning organization in Minnesota serving the Minneapolis – Saint Paul, Twin Cities seven-county metropolitan are ...

awarded $3.4 million to extend the existing

park and ride A park and ride, also known as incentive parking or a commuter lot, is a parking lot with public transport connections that allows commuters and other people heading to city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, rail system ...

facilities at Maplewood Mall. In September 2010, a commuter bus service is expected to begin service in the corridor. Originating from

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

and Forest Lake, the route is planning a stop in White Bear Township en route to multiple stops in downtown Saint Paul before terminating at Union Depot. Ridership is expected at 200 persons a day. The Rush Line Task Force and the Metropolitan Council are looking for access to county and federal funds to cover capital costs. A preliminary study was released in September 2015 by the Rush Line Task Force narrowing down the options to 4 types of vehicles and routes that will be considered for the project. The options include: * Dedicated bus rapid transit from the Union Depot to downtown Forest Lake * Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) train between the Union Depot to White Bear Lake * Light Rail Transit (LRT) train between the Union Depot to White Bear Lake * Arterial Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) between St Paul and White Bear Lake A second phase of the study will be completed during Winter 2015 and Spring 2016 timeframe, according to page 5 of the Tier 1 Evaluation Results report.

Pre-Project Development and Environmental Analysis Phase

Ramsey County approved the Locally Preferred Alternative in September 2017. The bus rapid transit project will travel the 14-miles from

Saint Paul Union Depot Saint Paul Union Depot is a historic railroad station and intermodal transit hub in the Lowertown neighborhood of the city of Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. It serves light rail, intercity rail, intercity bus, and local bus services. I ...

to downtown White Bear Lake on 85-90% dedicated guideway. The project initially had 20 stations but at the public's request an additional station was added. The project's final station location in downtown White Bear Lake has generated controversy. The project would cost between $420-470 million and could open as soon as 2026. The project's

Environmental Assessment Environmental Impact assessment (EIA) is the assessment of the environmental consequences of a plan, policy, program, or actual projects prior to the decision to move forward with the proposed action. In this context, the term "environmental imp ...

was released in May 2021 for public comment. An end-to-end running time of roughly 45 minutes was projected. An estimated 7,400 rides were projected by 2040 with 54% of those rides being for work commutes. 70% of the 15-mile route would be on guideway dedicated to transit. The project needs to undergo further project development, final engineering, and construction before service begins in 2026. While the project is currently being developed by Ramsey County, following completion of the Environmental Assessment the project development is handed off to the

for completion and operation. The project has completed the planning process and is now in the development phase with an engineering firm hired as a consultant.

Potential alignment change

In March 2022, the White Bear Lake City Council with support from the mayor passed a resolution requesting that the route not enter their city. Unlike light rail projects, bus rapid transit projects in Minnesota do not require municipal consent to be constructed. White Bear Lake approved resolutions in support of the project as recently as 2020, but a recently election which elected several opponents of the project changed the level of support within White Bear Lake city government. In response, Metro Transit and Ramsey County are developing alternatives which may entail truncating the route at Maplewood Mall or County Road E, and offering a "Purple Line Connector" bus route from the new terminus of the Purple Line to White Bear Lake. The Purple Line Connector would have reduced frequency of buses but the same span of service as the Purple Line. A connector route would have minimal infrastructure improvements but still respond to the project's goals of connecting the northeast metropolitan area with the METRO system. The Purple Line BRT Corridor Management Committee unanimously rejected the locally preferred alternative to downtown White Bear Lake in June 2022. The route will still travel to Maplewood Mall, but the end point was still to be determined and could be

Century College Century College is a two-year community college and technical college in White Bear Lake, Minnesota. It is a member of the Minnesota State system. It was founded in 1967 as Lakewood State Junior College and in 1996 merged with Northeast Metro ...

, the TCO Sports Garden, or the I-35E & County Road E park-and-ride lot. Based on a new terminus and revised population projections and models, the project no longer met the threshold for federal funding and requires revision to unlock federal funds as part of the Capital Investment Grants program. The city of Maplewood withdrew support from the project in October 2022 amid concerns of the use eminent domain in the project and the future of the transit ridership in a post-COVID-19 era of increased work from home and decreased ridership. The city called for a longer timeline in studying transit options in the corridor. A new alignment had been expected in early 2023.

References

External links

Official websiteMinnesota Public Radio proposed route map
{{Twin Cities Transit Proposed bus rapid transit in the United States Proposed public transportation in Minnesota Bus rapid transit in Minnesota Transportation in Minneapolis–Saint Paul Transportation in Ramsey County, Minnesota Transportation in Saint Paul, Minnesota Metro Transit (Minnesota)