Welders at Night, Southwest LRT Green Line Extension Construction

The Southwest LRT Green Line extension is a light-rail project adding roughly 14.5 miles of track between Minneapolis and Eden Prairie, with new stations planned through St. Louis Park, Hopkins, Minnetonka, and Eden Prairie. Metro Transit and the Metropolitan Council are overseeing the build, which has faced repeated delays and cost overruns since construction began in 2018. Night and weekend shifts are common on the line, since crews often need to weld and place rail sections along active freight corridors and street rights-of-way without disrupting daytime traffic. Once complete, the extension will connect to the existing Green Line, giving Eden Prairie and Hopkins a direct rail link into downtown Minneapolis.

Photo taken in November 2023.