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Southwest LRT

Southwest LRT
Overview
StatusUnder construction[1]
LocaleHennepin County, Minnesota
Termini
Stations16 planned
Websitemetrocouncil.org/Transportation/Projects/Light-Rail-Projects/METRO-Green-Line-Extension.aspx Edit this at Wikidata
Service
TypeLight rail
SystemMetro Transit
Operator(s)Metro Transit
Daily ridership34,000 (projection)
History
Planned opening2027 (estimated)[2][3]
Technical
Line length14.5 miles (23.3 km)
CharacterSurface
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
ElectrificationOverhead lines
Route map

Legend
Blue Line and Green Line lines
 Target Field
Northstar line
Bottineau LRT line
 North 7th Street
Royalston Avenue/Farmers Market
Glenwood Avenue
I-94.svg I-94
 Bassett Creek Valley
I-394.svg I-394
Bryn Mawr
West 21st Street
Cedar LakeGrand Rounds National Scenic Byway
 Kenilworth Channel
Tunnel under Kenilworth Trail
West Lake Street
Midtown Greenway
 Beltline Boulevard
ParkingCedar Lake Trail
 MN-100 wide.svg MN 100
Wooddale Avenue
Cedar Lake Trail
 Freight rail underpass
Louisiana Avenue
ParkingCedar Lake Trail
 Louisiana Avenue
Minnehaha Creek
Blake Road
Cedar Lake Trail
 Excelsior Boulevard
US 169.svg US 169
Downtown Hopkins
Cedar Lake Trail
 Shady Oak Road
ParkingSouthwest LRT Trail
 Maintenance Yard
Opus
Parking
 MN-62.svg MN 62
City West
Parking
 US 212.svg US 212
Golden Triangle
Parking
 Nine Mile Creek
Flying Cloud Drive
I-494.svgMN-5.svg I-494 / MN 5
Eden Prairie Town Center
Prairie Center Drive
Southwest
ParkingSouthwest Transit
all stations
accessible
This diagram:

The Southwest LRT (Metro Green Line Extension) is an under–construction 14.5-mile (23.3 km) light rail transit corridor in Hennepin County, Minnesota, with service between Minneapolis and Eden Prairie. The estimated one-way travel time from Southwest Station in Eden Prairie to Target Field Station in Minneapolis is 32 minutes.[4] The Southwest LRT will extend through St. Louis Park, Hopkins and Minnetonka along the route. Major locations on the line will include Bde Maka Ska, Cedar Lake, the Walker Art Center, the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden and Target Field in downtown Minneapolis.

Hennepin County selected the alignment of the route and worked with the Metropolitan Council on environmental impact statements for the project. The Metropolitan Council is managing construction of the route.[5][6] On November 15, 2018, the council accepted an $800 million construction bid by Lunda Construction and C.S. McCrossan, with early construction starting in December 2018.[7] The project has had numerous construction delays, especially at the site of a tunnel near the Kenilworth Trail corridor.

The delays have increased the cost of the project from an estimated $1.3 billion in 2013 to $2.86 billion in 2024 and pushed back the expected opening date first from 2018 to 2023, then to 2027, resulting in criticism of the Metropolitan Council and Hennepin County for mismanagement.[2][8][9][10][11] The Southwest LRT is the most expensive public works project in Minnesota history.[12]

  1. ^ "Federal, state and local officials break ground on Southwest LRT". Metropolitan Council. November 30, 2018. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
  2. ^ a b Moore, Janet (January 26, 2022). "Southwest LRT now expected to cost up to $2.75B, open in 2027". Star Tribune. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
  3. ^ "Federal Transit Administration Propels Southwest LRT Project Forward With Approval To Enter Engineering". Metropolitan Council. December 21, 2016. Archived from the original on February 14, 2017. Retrieved February 13, 2017.
  4. ^ "Travel Demand Methodology & Forecast". Metropolitan Council. February 2016. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
  5. ^ "Light Rail and Commuter Transit - Minnesota Issues Resources Guides". www.lrl.mn.gov. Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. October 2020. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
  6. ^ Platt, Adam (February 4, 2022). "Difficult questions remain about how the Southwest light rail project will be completed". MinnPost. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
  7. ^ Moylan, Martin (November 15, 2018). "Met Council approves Lunda/McCrossan's $800M bid for light rail project". MPR News. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  8. ^ "Met Council wasn't transparent about Southwest light rail cost overruns, delays, legislative auditor says". Star Tribune. March 15, 2023.
  9. ^ Brimeyer, Jim; Sanger, Sue (May 15, 2023). "Counterpoint: Wrong route was the root of rail line woes". The Star Tribune. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  10. ^ Nelson, Tim (May 16, 2018). "Building costs push Southwest light rail price tag above $2 billion". Retrieved July 27, 2024.
  11. ^ Kolls, Jay (January 8, 2024). "Met Council puts revised budget for Southwest Light Rail at $2.86 billion". Retrieved July 27, 2024.
  12. ^ Moore, Janet. "New underground 'impediment' discovered during Southwest LRT construction". Star Tribune. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
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