To get to her job at a spa in Eden Prairie's bustling commercial district, massage therapist LesleyAnne Crosby usually took three Metro Transit buses from her south Minneapolis home. The commute took about two hours — one way.
A serious ankle injury prevented her from driving like everyone else. After six months, the chaotic commute proved too much, and she quit her job. "I couldn't do it anymore," she said.
As prospective rail commuters and civic leaders wait in hope for a light-rail line to link southwestern suburbs with downtown Minneapolis, policymakers are furiously crunching the numbers to arrive at a price that will ensure the embattled Southwest line stays alive. The current $2 billion cost has to come down by at least $341 million to keep even supporters like Gov. Mark Dayton on board, let alone rail-resistant Republican legislators.
On Wednesday, a final recommendation on cuts will be made by a Metropolitan Council advisory committee: Will it include stations in Eden Prairie? Minneapolis? Both? A final Met Council vote is scheduled for July 8.
Even with that hurdle cleared, the line's future is far from assured, as state funding remains elusive, opposition galvanizes and public officials wrestle to extract the best deals for their part of the 16-mile line.
End of the line
The Southwest Corridor Management Committee, an advisory group of policymakers, appears to be leaning toward cuts that will hit Eden Prairie the hardest. One idea involves eliminating the Mitchell Station stop now at the end of the line, where some 5,100 people work — a figure expected to double by 2030.
Eden Prairie Mayor Nancy Tyra-Lukens supports ending the line at Southwest Station, already a big bus hub. But it's unclear whether that option, which involves postponing the Penn Avenue Station in Minneapolis, would achieve the cuts needed to pare the budget.
Marcus Desmarais of Chanhassen said light rail "would be so much more convenient." He often takes the SouthWest Transit bus to Minneapolis to visit friends in Dinkytown, but finds the schedules pretty limited.