Green Line Extension Opening Date Set: Plan for June 12, 2027

The Southwest light rail line, the Metro Transit Green Line Extension linking Eden Prairie with downtown Minneapolis, will open on Saturday 12 June 2027, Metropolitan Council Chair Robin Hutcheson announced on Saturday 26 September 2026, the Star Tribune reports. The 14.5 mile line will have 16 stations from Southwest Station in Eden Prairie to Target Field, with an estimated trip time of 32 minutes.

The opening date ends years of uncertainty for a project first set to open in 2018. Trains arriving from Eden Prairie will continue through downtown Minneapolis past Target Field and U.S. Bank Stadium and east to downtown St. Paul, giving visitors staying in the southwest suburbs a one seat ride to the Twin Cities’ two downtowns.

Green Line Extension Route and Stations

The line passes through five cities: Minneapolis, St. Louis Park, Hopkins, Minnetonka and Eden Prairie. MPR News reports that Metro Transit staff announced the date at the new St. Louis Park stop on Louisiana Avenue, one of the 16 stations between Target Field and Eden Prairie.

Hutcheson said riders will reach 81,000 jobs and destinations such as Methodist Hospital, the Opus campus, Optum and Dunwoody College. Hennepin County Board chair Irene Fernando said a third of all jobs in the region will be reachable from the corridor with no more than one transfer to another high frequency line. In Hopkins, the city has revamped the road linking a station with its downtown to make it friendlier for pedestrians. “The city of Hopkins was named after a train stop,” said Mayor Patrick Hanlon.

Bus Changes Proposed Around the Line

Metro Transit is proposing to revise several local bus routes in the western suburbs so riders can connect with the trains. The plan calls for routes to be realigned or run more often to connect at nine of the 16 stations, a new Route 757 running from Plymouth to downtown Minneapolis along Highway 55, and possible on demand service in Minnetonka, the Star Tribune reports. The agency is taking public feedback on the proposal through 4 October 2026.

Years of Delays and a $2.86 Billion Price Tag

The Southwest line first won approval nearly 15 years ago and took almost seven years to build, with about 5,700 workers. Originally estimated at $1.25 billion, its cost grew to $2.86 billion, making it one of the most expensive public works projects in Minnesota history, according to the Star Tribune; MPR News puts the projected cost at nearly $3 billion.

Problems included the Kenilworth Tunnel between Cedar Lake and Lake of the Isles, where soil movement concerns led to a 500 foot secant wall, and 622 change orders worth $225 million.

Ridership on the new segment is projected at 29,000 a day on weekdays and 9.5 million a year by 2035, according to the Federal Transit Administration. The Met Council says more than $3 billion in housing and commercial development has been built or permitted along the corridor.

Planning a Twin Cities Visit in Summer 2027

Once the line opens, visitors staying in Eden Prairie, Minnetonka, Hopkins or St. Louis Park will be able to reach Twins games at Target Field and events at U.S. Bank Stadium by train without driving downtown. Until 12 June 2027, the extension is not in passenger service, so plan to drive or use buses from the southwest suburbs for trips before then.