Twin Cities' Metropolitan Council to hold hearings on proposed light-rail facility locations

The Metropolitan Council will host three open houses this month to solicit public opinion on potential Minneapolis-area locations for the Southwest Light-Rail Transit (LRT) project's operations and maintenance facility. The hearings will be held May 13, 15 and 22.

The facility, which will house 180 permanent operations and maintenance workers, will be used to clean and sort light-rail vehicles, and perform light maintenance, Metropolitan Council officials said in a press release.

In February, council officials presented a list 18 potential sites for the facility in response to recommendations received on the four sites considered in the draft environmental impact statement. The site list was narrowed after receiving opinions about the 18 sites from the project's committees, Hennepin County and the affected cities' officials.

The Southwest LRT line, also known as the Green Line Extension, will run from downtown Minneapolis through the southwestern suburbs of St. Louis Park, Hopkins, Minnetonka and Eden Prairie. The line will include 17 new stations and about 15.8 miles of double track.