Metropolitan Council, Hennepin County set Aug. 13 hearing on revised Southwest light-rail plan

A joint hearing of the Metropolitan Council, Hennepin County Board of Commissioners and Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority (HCRRA) will be held Aug. 13 to discuss the revised Minneapolis portion of the Southwest light-rail transit (LRT) plans.

Members of the public will be invited to comment on the plans that were revised as a result of a tentative agreement recently reached between the Metropolitan Council and city of Minneapolis following the May 29 joint hearing between the Metropolitan Council and HCRRA on earlier plans, Metropolitan Council officials said in a press release.

The Southwest LRT line, also known as the Metro Green Line Extension, will operate from downtown Minneapolis through St. Louis Park, Hopkins, Minnetonka and Eden Prairie, passing in close proximity to Edina. The proposed alignment includes 17 new stations and 15.8 miles of double track.

The line will connect major activity centers including downtown Minneapolis, Minneapolis Chain of Lakes, Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park, downtown Hopkins, the Opus business district in Minnetonka, and Eden Prairie Mall and town center. Weekday ridership on the line is projected to reach 29,660 by 2030, council officials said.