The 18.5-mile (29.8 km) route primarily operates on Fremont and Chicago Avenues from Brooklyn Center through Minneapolis to the Mall of America in Bloomington.

[4] As part of BRT service, the D Line features "train-like amenities" including improved station facilities, off-board fare payment, modern vehicles, fewer stops, and higher frequency.

The Metropolitan Council, the metropolitan planning organization for the Twin Cities, completed a 2030 Transit Master Study for the region in 2008 which identified arterial bus network corridors and encouraged further study of arterial bus rapid transit projects.

The study identified some corridors that the potential for high ridership but lacked the necessary space for dedicated running way for transit.

Corridors were evaluated on capital and operating costs, potential ridership, and travel time savings.

The D Line became the third project to enter planning stages and in 2017 hosted open houses where Metro Transit estimated construction could start by 2020 if funding was secured.

[12][15][16][page needed] Governor Mark Dayton included $50 million for the D Line in his bonding bill request in 2018.

[18][19] In October 2020, the project received full funding from the Minnesota Legislature with an anticipated opening date of late 2022.

[24][25][26] Testing of transit signal priority and training for bus drivers operating the route were ongoing by early November 2022.

Service will be retained to maintain travel options for those with limited mobility and to better understand ridership changes as Metro Transit expects most current riders of Route 5 to shift to the D Line.

[4] Plans include a station for the intersection of East 38th Street and Chicago Avenue, which is the site of the murder of George Floyd.

Metro Transit will remain engaged with the community and the City of Minneapolis regarding the intersection's design in the future and the station will be constructed at a later time.

With over 120 northbound and southbound trips daily on Route 5, 23 buses were required to serve the line during peak periods.

Customers pay for their fares offboard buses using Go-to card readers or ticket vending machines at stations.