Community Voices
Don’t put another train on the kids’ credit card
Let’s spend money on projects that relieve congestion where development has already happened, rather than borrowing for a speculative “build it and they will come” scheme.
Southwest Light Rail
Politics & Policy
Could Southwest Light Rail decide who controls the Minnesota Legislature?
Funding for the massive project — and its role in an ongoing debate over transportation — is emerging as a top GOP talking point in legislative campaigns.
Politics & Policy
Met Council secures final $145M for Southwest light rail — but the political cost may be much higher
There are now legal commitments to pay for the local share of the $1.858 billion project. But in keeping with so much of the process surrounding the planning of Southwest LRT, it wasn’t easy.
Community Voices
Southwest LRT will help ease the mismatch between urban job seekers and metro jobs
Connecting workers in need of jobs with employers in need of well-matched workers should be a driving force in transportation policy.
Politics & Policy
Political fights over light rail projects in Minnesota are nothing new
Deal-making helped launch Minnesota’s first LRT line in the 1990s.
D.C. Dispatches
With 2016 budget, feds remain committed to funding Southwest LRT — now it’s up to the Legislature
In spite of cuts made to the project in the past year, the rail line remains a top funding priority for the federal government.
Politics & Policy
Comments on Southwest LRT’s latest environmental impact statement reveal lingering concerns about safety
The concerns were revealed in many of the 200 responses submitted to the Met Council as part of the project’s supplemental draft EIS.
Politics & Policy
Met Council approves revamped Southwest LRT funding plan
Approved Wednesday was a somewhat reduced project, with 15 stations and a final budget of $1.744 billion.
Politics & Policy
Hennepin County’s Southwest LRT funding plan will mean less money for environmental cleanup
The plan calls for $5 million to be shifted from the county’s Environmental Response Fund to cover part of its share of the light rail extension project.
Politics & Policy
Transportation bill provision sends Met Council scrambling to fund Southwest LRT planning
Through the omnibus transportation bill, state lawmakers pulled almost $30 million in funding from the project.