Scott County officials are worried that a new light-rail line stretching toward the county is not being designed to enable easy tie-ins with their own system of public transit.

But top staffers are also quick to acknowledge that it's a tricky problem.

The line in question is the Southwest Corridor, expected by 2018 to be linking commuters to more than 200,000 jobs along its length.

At issue for Scott, in comments its board will submit to Hennepin County:

• Easing BlueXpress links to a station like the one in Hopkins, half a mile from where its buses ply Hwy. 169; and

• Thinking ahead to a possible Dan Patch rail line that could, in theory, share a station with Southwest.

Transport planner Lisa Freese told commissioners the legislative ban on Dan Patch planning and other factors help explain the disconnect in current plans.

Even so, she said, "we're at a critical point," with formal comments due by Dec. 11, and it's vital to weigh in soon.