Will the growing light rail be bringing more passengers downtown anytime soon? Well it will definitely be a while before anyone from St. Louis Park, Hopkins, Edina, Minnetonka, or Eden Prairie area climbs aboard a train for their daily commute. Tuesday, the Southwest Transitway project held an open house at the Minneapolis Central Library to share the latest updates on the light rail expansion.
As things stand now, it looks like construction on this, the third line of the metro area light rail system, will begin in 2014, but won't be complete and operational until 2017. The approximately 14-mile line will connect Downtown Minneapolis to Eden Prairie via the Kenilworth corridor and the Opus/Golden Triangle area.
“It’s important to keep our region strong and growing, and having a 21st century transportation system is key to achieving those goals," said Jan Callison, a member of the Southwest Policy Advisory Committee in the most recent newsletter from the project.
The major investment in public transit will definitely make Minneapolis and St. Paul more attractive cities for both businesses and those of us the live and work nearby. These new lines in combination with other plans for public transit expansion will make our region less car-centric in the years to come.
The Southwest LRT line will be a part of a regional approach to increasing transit alternatives for our growing metro area, and will provide an efficient way for people to get to a wide range of destinations. In addition, this LRT line will support growth and development while also maintaining our high quality of life.
Hopefully these plans actually come to fruition. There's lots more information at the Southwest Transitway website.
