MINNEAPOLIMEDIA NEWS | SOUTHWEST LIGHT RAIL WILL OPEN JUNE 12, 2027, AFTER YEARS OF DELAYS AND COST OVERRUNS

ST. LOUIS PARK, MN (September 28, 2026). The Metropolitan Council has established June 12, 2027, as the opening date for the long-delayed Southwest light-rail line, giving the region its first firm passenger-service date for one of the most expensive public infrastructure projects in Minnesota history.

Metropolitan Council Chair Robin Hutcheson announced the date Saturday during a public event at the Louisiana Avenue Station in St. Louis Park.

Officially known as the METRO Green Line Extension, the 14.5-mile route will include 16 stations between Southwest Station in Eden Prairie and Target Field in downtown Minneapolis. Trains arriving from the western suburbs will continue through Minneapolis and east toward downtown Saint Paul.

Metro Transit estimates that a trip from Eden Prairie to downtown Minneapolis will take approximately 32 minutes. The route will place an estimated 81,000 jobs within reach of the expanded rail network and connect riders with Methodist Hospital, Optum, the Opus employment district and other major destinations.

The project was originally expected to cost approximately $1.25 billion. Its price has since increased to $2.86 billion following construction complications, design changes and delays, including difficult soil conditions surrounding the Kenilworth Tunnel in Minneapolis. The work generated 622 change orders valued at approximately $225 million.

Metro Transit projects the extension will carry about 29,000 weekday passengers and approximately 9.5 million riders annually by 2035. The agency says $9.9 billion in development was completed or permitted along the corridor between 2019 and 2024, with another $4.8 billion planned.

Final systems testing will continue before opening day. Metro Transit is also considering changes to western suburban bus routes, including more frequent connections at nine stations, a new Route 757 between Plymouth and downtown Minneapolis, and possible on-demand service in Minnetonka.

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