Southwest LRT Community Works
   ... beyond the rails

Imagine a trip on a quick and efficient light rail train running diagonally out from downtown Minneapolis through SW metro area suburbs. With 17 stations along the way, stopping at key destinations in Minneapolis, St. Louis Park, Hopkins, Minnetonka and Eden Prairie, this proposed line will have 30,000 riders per day, and be connected to major rail and bus lines, including Hiawatha LRT, Central Corridor LRT (Green Line), and Northstar Commuter Rail. 

In addition to adding another great way to beat congestion, the Southwest LRT line will help grow the economy, add jobs, and create opportunities for quality housing and walkable neighborhoods. Hennepin County and partner cities are working together with the Metropolitan Council and others to catalyze actions that will turn new opportunities into realities. This effort is called the Southwest LRT Community Works program, and this website is dedicated to sharing information about this program.

Hennepin County and its partners are hosting open houses in April and May to engage the public in planning work around proposed light rail transit (LRT) stations for the Southwest LRT Lines. Open Houses will focus on stations proposed for each of the following cities:

•             St. Louis Park Stations    
  Held on April 18 at the St. Louis Park Recreation Center – see concept maps that were presented at the open house here:

  Beltline              Wooddale            Louisiana

•         Hopkins and Minnetonka Stations             
  Held on April 23 at the Hopkins Center for the Arts – see concept maps that were presented at the open house here:

  Blake       Hopkins       Shady Oak       Opus

• Minneapolis Stations
  Held on May 2 at the Bryn Mawr Elementary School - see concept maps that were presented at the open house here:
  Royalston   Van White     Penn    21^st Street    West Lake

• Eden Prairie Stations
  5:00 - 7:00 PM, Monday, May 13th at Eden Prairie City Hall, 8080 Mitchell Road, Eden Prairie. Event flyer

Hennepin County is the lead agency for the Southwest LRT Community Works program working in collaboration with partner cities, the Metropolitan Council, the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District, SouthWest Transit, the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board, and the Urban Land Institute- MN under the guidance of the Southwest LRT Community Works Steering Committee.   The adopted vision for the corridor is to connect people to jobs, housing, shopping and fun. 

Metro Transit is the lead agency for the design and construction of the Southwest LRT line working with Hennepin County and the Cities along the corridor. Metro Transit will also be responsible for operating this line as part of the region's transit system when it becomes operational in 2018. Design and construction information about the LRT line can be found www.swlrt.org.

Southwest Transitway Draft Environmental Impact Statement

January 1, 2013

On January 1, 2013, the Responsible Governmental Unit (RGU) responsibilities for the Southwest Transitway project were officially transitioned to the Metropolitan Council.  The environmental documents related to the Southwest Transitway project are available on the Metropolitan Council's website.