Hennepin County and the Metropolitan Council said Monday they are retooling plans for the $1.5 billion Bottineau Blue Line light rail project.
The news comes after years of futile negotiations with BNSF Railway, which owns eight miles of Bottineau's 13-mile route. The freight rail giant has said repeatedly it's not interested in sharing its right of way with light rail.
As planned, the line would have linked downtown Minneapolis to the north side of the city, Golden Valley, Robbinsdale, Crystal and Brooklyn Park. Service was supposed to begin in 2024.
But now, its route and future is unclear.
In a statement, Hennepin County and the Met Council said cooperation in recent years with BNSF has ceased, and "the railway is unwilling to find solutions to move the project forward together."
"Our commitment to the METRO Blue Line Extension LRT project has not changed," the statement said. "We are frustrated and disappointed in this outcome, and we recognize the time and effort agency and community partners have invested in this project over many years. These investments will remain valuable. We look forward to working together to find ways to complete this project as soon as possible."
About $129 million from local and state coffers has already been spent planning the project, which has been in the works for more than three decades.
Mayors from the suburban cities along the line as well as community activists wrote Gov. Tim Walz and others recently demanding "meaningful action" to push the project forward.
The letter's authors said the project has a heightened sense of urgency after the killing of George Floyd, which has prompted new conversations about racial equity in the Twin Cities. The original route touches on some of the most impoverished and transit-dependent communities in the Twin Cities.
Meanwhile, construction continues on the Southwest light-rail project, an extension of the existing Green Line, which is expected to begin passenger service in 2023.
The line will connect downtown Minneapolis to Eden Prairie, through St. Louis Park, Hopkins and Minnetonka. It has been far more controversial than the Bottineau project, prompting a lawsuit by Minneapolis residents that dragged on for several years. The council ultimately prevailed in the suit.
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Hennepin County, Met Council abandon route for Bottineau Blue Line light rail - Minneapolis Star Tribune
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