Cities Enter Second Round of Southwest Light-rail Talks

The following article by Erin Golden was published in the August 28, 2015 edition of the StarTribune.

Cities Enter Second Round of Southwest Light-rail Talks

 

A second round of public hearings on the planned Southwest light-rail line began Thursday with a mix of concerns over environmental disruption and safety hazards and praise for the plans to provide rail service to more communities.

The hearing at Minneapolis Central Library, hosted by the Metropolitan Council and Hennepin County Regional Rail Authority, was the first in a series to be held in each of five communities along the proposed line.

It’s a second go-round for each of the cities, which previously took public input and gave their consent to the project. But after the cost of the plan swelled to $1.74 billion and later to $1.77 billion, officials from each of the municipalities agreed to make $250 million in cuts. Now, the Metropolitan Council is seeking feedback on the revised plan.

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http://www.startribune.com/cities-enter-second-round-of-southwest-light-rail-talks/323166021/