MN: Green Line light-rail extension reaches major milestone

The final sections of track have been laid on the Green Line Extension, otherwise known as Southwest LRT, and the project is now 85% complete.

Crews installed the final pieces of track in late September at the West Lake Street Station, seven years after construction began on the line running 14.5 miles from Target Field in downtown Minneapolis to Southwest Station in Eden Prairie.

In all, 58 miles of steel rail have been put down along the line that includes 16 stations, in Minneapolis, St. Louis Park, Hopkins, Minnetonka and Eden Prairie.

With that milestone reached, Metro Transit will soon begin testing, so expect to see light rail vehicles moving slowly on the segment between Eden Prairie and St. Louis Park, said spokesman Drew Kerr.

Testing on the segment passing through Minneapolis will begin in 2026.

Metro Transit plans to make more than 4,000 runs over the next two years to ensure all electrical and mechanical components are working before opening day.

“We are excited for this next phase of testing, which is an important milestone as we work toward the Green Line Extension’s 2027 opening,” Metro Transit General Manager Lesley Kandaras said. “At the same time, it is important that we raise awareness that trains are moving in areas that have not previously been served by light rail. The safety of everyone, including pedestrians, cyclists and motorists, is paramount, and we ask that people practice safe behaviors as this testing gets underway.”

To that end, Metro Transit will begin a safety campaign along the corridor. Messages to alert residents, businesses, motorists and those who bike, walk or roll near where trains will run will be delivered through in-person outreach, direct mailings, digital advertising and two fully-wrapped light-rail cars, Kerr said.

As part of the messaging, those who want to watch as trains operate will be told where they can safely view them, Kerr said.

In recent weeks, Cedar Lake Parkway and the access to Burnham Road reopened to traffic. Officials say they hope to reopen the Kenilworth Trail later this year.

The Southwest LRT has encountered several construction problems that have increased costs and caused delays. At just under $3 billion, the line is the costliest public works project in state history. But that could be upstaged by the Blue Line Extension from downtown Minneapolis to Brooklyn Park. Cost estimates for the 13-mile line are between $2.9 billion and $3.2 billion.

Planning for the Blue Line is well underway, but bills have been introduced at the Legislature to halt construction of new light-rail lines. The Legislature this year also required the Met Council to conduct a study comparing the benefits of light rail with a bus rapid transit line along the corridor.

The study calls for comparing ridership, impacts of the transit system, project risks and other relevant costs and benefits. The analysis is due by next June.

Plans for Riverview Corridor streetcar on W. 7th Street in St. Paul appear dead. Ramsey County this summer reallocated money it had set aside for line, which would have run from downtown St. Paul to the Mall of America and Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

Talks with MnDOT, the city of St. Paul and Metro Transit are underway to perhaps bring a bus rapid transit line to the corridor. It’s part of the “New West 7th Corridor,” which aims to improve conditions on W. 7th and enhance transit service and multimodal connections along the corridor.

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