Politics & Government
Southwest Light Rail Line: What You Need to Know
Everything you need to know about the proposed light-rail line that would run through St. Louis Park.
Funding
Project cost: $1.25 billion (in 2015 dollars)
- 50 percent from the Federal Transit Administration
- 30 percent from a special five-county metro sales tax dedicated to rail projects
- 10 percent from Hennepin County
- 10 percent from the state
Operating cost: $12 million to $17 million per year
Key organizations
Federal Transit Administration: The organization will not play a direct roll in planning or constructing the light-rail, but it is of central importance because it's expected to fund half the project. On Sept. 2, the administration granted approval for “preliminary engineering,” an important first step toward its agreeing to back the project.
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State of Minnesota: Like the FTA, Minnesota will take a less active role in the construction of the light-rail line. The Minnesota Legislature committed to $5 million in bonding for the project in 2009 and is expected to fund 10 percent of the project’s total cost.
Metropolitan Council: The regional planning organization of the seven-county Twin Cities metropolitan area, the council runs regional bus and light-rail lines and the Northstar commuter rail. The council will take the lead role in the construction and operation of the Southwest light-rail line.
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Hennepin County Regional Rail Authority: An independent political entity for the plan, design and implementation of light-rail transit, the authority was the first agency to advocate and plan the Southwest line. It's currently taking the lead role in overseeing an “environmental impact statement” that will help determine the line’s route.
Cities along the line: The light-rail will connect Minneapolis to Eden Prairie by way of six suburban municipalities—including Minnetonka, Hopkins and St. Louis Park. All of the cities involved have been supportive of the project.
Potential obstacles
Money: While federal dollars are not assured, the FTA’s approval for preliminary engineering means the against only about a dozen projects around the country instead of the 100 or so projects it had been competing against. The state of Minnesota’s contribution is on shakier ground. During the Legislature’s last session, Republicans in both the state House and Senate criticized light rail—notably transportation committee head Rep. Michael Beard (R-Shakopee), who pledged before the session to stop the Southwest light rail line "in its tracks."
Planning: Current project plans , but a freight line already exists there. A solution to relocate the freight lines through St. Louis Park is , which is pushing for freight and light rail to exist together in the Kenilworth Corridor. It is unclear .
When it's running
No. of stations: 17
Length of line (in miles): 16
No. of new trains: 26
No. of rail corridors that will connect to line at the Target Field Station: 3—Hiawatha, Central Corridor and Northstar
Frequency: Trains will run every 7 1/2 minutes during peak times, every 10 minutes during midday and evenings, and every 30 minutes during early morning and late evening.
Ticket costs: Ticket prices have not been decided yet, but they will probably be comparable to fares on the Hiawatha line, which hover around $2.
Usage: An estimated 24,000 to 30,000 rides per day by 2030, comparable to current ridership on the Hiawatha line. The line is expected to in the corridor.
History of the project
- 1988: A Southwest light-rail line first proposed in a report by the Hennepin County Rail Authority.
- July 2003: Hennepin County Rail Authority releases results of its feasibility study—which recommended continued consideration of four Southwest rail lines, including the 3A route from Eden Prairie to downtown Minneapolis.
- 2007: HCRA completes the Alternatives Analysis study, determining that light-rail transit is the best mode of transportation to serve the Southwest area.
- September 2008: HCRA begins drafting an “environmental impact statement” to help determine the line’s route. The statement is expected to be completed before the end of 2011.
- May 26, 2010: The Metropolitan Council approves the project, taking primary responsibility for the Southwest light-rail from the Hennepin County Regional Rail Authority.
- September 2, 2011: The Federal Transit Administration grants approval for preliminary engineering on the project. This approval is a crucial step toward the FTA’s providing the matching funds necessary to finance the line. The preliminary engineering process will take about two years and complete about 30 percent of the project’s design work, including the finalization of plans for station placement and the refinement of estimates of project costs, benefits and impacts.
- Spring 2013 (projected): The Southwest light-rail line enters final design phase.
- 2014 to 2016 (projected): Construction of the line. The project is expected to create 1,000 construction jobs per year for the three years of construction, according to County Commissioner Gail Dorfman’s office.
- 2017 (projected): Line is operational.