Southwest Light Rail Transit 

Background
A proposed 14-mile light rail corridor extending southwest from downtown Minneapolis through Hopkins, St. Louis Park, Minnetonka, and Eden Prairie.

Project Updates, News, and Events
Updates

• On February 13, 2007, the Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority (HCRRA) accepted a recommendation from the Southwest Policy Advisory Committee (PAC) and authorized staff to issue a request for proposals for a draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) for light rail transit in the Southwest Corridor. This action followed a formal public hearing held on January 23, 2007 at an HCRRA meeting where several citizens testified.  http://www.southwesttransitway.org/index.shtml
• In December 2006, the Southwest PAC, consisting of elected officials or their representatives from Hennepin County and the cities of Eden Prairie, Minnetonka, Hopkins, St. Louis Park and Minneapolis, other governmental agencies and area chambers of commerce, had developed recommendations for the next project phase.  After comparing benefits, costs and impacts of several light rail transit (LRT) and bus rapid transit (BRT) alternatives, the Southwest PAC recommended three LRT alternatives for further study. 
• Map of recommended routes: http://www.southwesttransitway.org/images/recroutes.jpg
  

News

• A Hennepin County board has approved pursuing an intensive round of studies for three proposed Southwest light-rail routes. Two of the proposed routes would have the train travel along the Kenilworth Corridor, between Lake of the Isles and Cedar Lake, through the Kenwood and Bryn Mawr neighborhoods. Another possible direction would have the light rail run along the Midtown Greenway to Nicollet Avenue, then into Downtown via a shallow underground tunnel under Eat Street. (February 2007).
  

Events
No events scheduled at this time.

Project Resources
Southwest Transitway website