Service Maps

Marion County Transit Plan

The Marion County Transit Plan includes buses coming more often on all routes, less waiting for passengers, longer hours of service, more efficient transfers, and 3 rapid transit lines along high ridership corridors.

Red Line

The Red Line is a proposed 35-mile electric bus rapid transit corridor connecting the cities of Westfield, Carmel, Indianapolis, and Greenwood.

Purple Line

The Purple Line is a proposed 17-mile electric bus rapid transit corridor connecting the Downtown Indianapolis, the near northside of Indy, and the City of Lawrence.

Blue Line

The Blue Line is a proposed 24-mile electric bus rapid transit corridor connecting the Indianapolis International Airport, Downtown Indianapolis, and the Town of Cumberland.

Green Line

The Green Line is a proposed 22-mile rapid transit corridor connecting Downtown Indianapolis and Indy's northeast neighborhoods with the cities of Fishers and Noblesville. (project on hold)

Planning Studies

The Central Indiana Transit Plan is heavily supported by the results of various planning studies.  These range from rapid transit corridor planning to local transit system studies, as well as supplemental white papers.  They are provided here.

The Central Indiana Transit Task Force (CITTF) Summary Report on Transportation Alternatives in Central Indiana – The CITTF was formed by the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP), the Indy Chamber, and the Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF), and was made up of 15 leaders in business and industry. Their task was to take a serious look at the region’s transportation system through the lens of private industry. They considered challenges faced, future system planning, options for financing the system, and potential governance of the future system.

IndyGo Forward Plan (IndyGo.net) — The process to update IndyGo’s Comprehensive Operational Analysis, an in depth study of how the local transit system operates today and what the plans improvements will be made for the future.  IndyGo is Central Indiana’s largest transit operator.

The Marion County Transit Plan (IndyGo.net and IndyConnect.com) — The Marion County Transit Plan begins the process of implementing Indy Connect, the long range transit vision for Central Indiana. Based on years of planning with the support of the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) and Central Indiana Regional Transportation Authority (CIRTA), the Marion County Transit Plan is a detailed investment plan for transit.

In July 2014, a group of Hamilton County representatives was formed into the Hamilton County Transit Forum to explore if the proposed transit funding was sufficient to create a useful network in Hamilton County.  Leadership from Carmel, Westfield, Fishers, and Noblesville all participated, along with local Chambers of Commerce, hospitals, current transit providers, and transit experts. This group met throughout 2015, and are forming preliminary recommendations that will be released for public review and feedback in early 2016.

The Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Strategic Plan focuses on understanding the requirements of the land use and economic development categories of the application for federal transit funds and presents development opportunities that could emerge from the Indy Connect rapid transit studies. This plan is intended to be a framework and “toolkit” for municipalities to select elements of land use policy that are applicable to their community as it relates to the overall investment in transit in Central Indiana. The Plan analyzes regional market dynamics and land use characteristics to assess the potential for transit oriented development along the Red, Blue, Purple, and Green Lines. The Plan also includes recommendations for value capture and strategy implementation for all rapid transit corridors studied thus far.

Alternatives Analysis – A study to determine the recommended route, stations, and vehicle for rapid transit service along a north-south corridor. The recommendations for the Red Line was approved by the Indianapolis Regional Transportation Council on December 12, 2013.

Design & Engineering (IndyGo.net) – The next phase toward developing the Red Line.  This project takes the planning recommendations from the AA and moves them into technical construction design.  This phase also includes reviewing the entire corridor for any environmental concerns and making recommendations for how to avoid or mitigate these concerns.

Alternatives Analysis – A study to determine the recommended route, stations, and vehicle for rapid transit service along an east-west corridor in near-north Indianapolis. The recommendations for the Purple Line were approved by the Indianapolis Regional Transportation Council on February 25, 2015.

Alternatives Analysis – A study to determine the recommended route, stations, and vehicle for rapid transit service along an east-west corridor.  The recommendations for the Blue Line was approved by the Indianapolis Regional Transportation Council on December 12, 2013.

An Alternatives Analysis and Draft Environmental Impact Statement (AA/DEIS) to examine the impact of different rapid transit options within the northeast corridor between Downtown Indianapolis and Noblesville.

The Green Line is a proposed a rapid transit solution for the northeast corridor of Central Indiana, from Downtown Indianapolis to Noblesville, primarily using the Nickel Plate Railroad corridor.

During the environmental study phase of the Green Line, feasibility issues including route and financial sustainability were identified. With technology and source of funding in question, the Federal Transit Administration encouraged the MPO to put the remainder of the environmental study on hold until more specifics on the future of the Green Line could be determined.

At a joint meeting on July 31, 2017 the City of Fishers, City of Noblesville, and Hamilton County Commissioners voted to convert the Nickel Plate line into a recreational trail from 96th Street in Fishers to Pleasant Street in Noblesville.

With the rail corridor now out of play for transit, and technology and funding questions remaining, the MPO has no timeline for resuming Green Line planning.

The Indy Connect Central Indiana Transit Plan includes three bus rapid transit (BRT) routes and enhanced local bus service in Marion County. These enhancements will support economic growth while meeting the expected demand for frequent, reliable, and safe transit service in the region. This document describes the economic impacts of the Plan, which includes the Red Line in Marion County (from county line to county line), the Blue Line, the Purple Line, and the increase in local bus service. It is assumed that the first year of service will be 2022.

Central Indiana is constructing its first rapid transit line, the Red Line. This project provides a unique opportunity to measure land use and investment changes along the corridor, 1) before/as the Red Line is constructed and 2) after it begins operating. The first step is to gather data along the corridor to determine its existing or base condition. Later, after the Red Line is open and established, a second round of data gathering will provide the opportunity to compare the two time periods and determine the impacts of the Red Line.

Visit the MPO’s project website for the Transit Impact Study for more information.