The E Line Threads the Lakes to the University

The METRO E Line, which opened Dec. 6, 2025, connects three of the city's biggest destinations in one route. From stations near Lake of the Isles and Uptown, it runs on Hennepin Avenue into downtown Minneapolis and past First Avenue, then continues on University Avenue to the University of Minnesota. A rider near the lakes can reach campus without changing buses.

The route's geography is unusually broad. Along its 13.3 miles, the E Line runs from the Southdale Center Transit Center in Edina through Linden Hills, Uptown, the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, downtown, Dinkytown and the University to the Westgate station in St. Paul. It replaced Route 6, the city's busiest bus route at about 9,000 weekday trips, and runs every 10 minutes on weekday daytimes, with service from 4:30 a.m. to about 12:30 a.m. In February 2026, its first full winter month, the line averaged 6,237 weekday trips, according to Metro Transit ).

The line carries the "train-like" features of bus rapid transit: signal priority, dedicated bus lanes, all-door boarding on 60-foot buses, and heated, lighted shelters with off-board fare payment. The state fully funded the $60 million project in 2021. That combination makes the route a transit spine for the western half of the city, where a class at the University, a job near the lakes, a show downtown and dinner in Uptown are all reachable on the same all-day route, in both directions.

For Lowry Hill and East Isles, sitting along that spine is an asset. The neighborhoods gain frequent, all-day access to those destinations from stations within walking distance of the lakes, and the case for driving every trip weakens when the lakes, downtown and the University are a single transfer-free ride apart.