Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now
Sign up
*Password must be at least 8 characters and contain one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number and one symbol.
Already have an account?
By submitting, you consent that you are at least 18 years of age and to receive information about MPR's or APMG entities' programs and offerings. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about MPR, APMG entities, and its sponsors. You may opt-out at any time clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any email communication. View our Privacy Policy.
Sign in to your profile
Forgot Password?
New to MPR News?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Reset Password

Enter the username on file and we'll send you a code to reset your password.

Still require assistance or not sure what your User Name is?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Email Verification

A verification code has been emailed to

Still awaiting the code?
Minnesota News
Tim Nelson

Blue Line LRT extension derailed

LRT along Hiawatha
The northbound light rail travels along Hiawatha towards downtown Minneapolis in May 2014. The Met Council and Hennepin County say they’re dropping their effort to run a light rail train along existing freight rail tracks from Minneapolis to Brooklyn Park.
Caroline Yang for MPR News 2014

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Log inCreate a free Account

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

The Metropolitan Council and Hennepin County say they’re dropping their effort to run a light rail train along existing freight rail tracks from Minneapolis to Brooklyn Park.

“Its not an easy decision,” said Met Council Chair Charlie Zelle. “It’s very hard to turn your back on something which we thought was so good.”

Officials say planning for the so-called Bottineau corridor, which has been going on for more than a decade, was ultimately stymied by the refusal of BNSF Railway to share its right of way along a major portion of the route.

The 13-mile corridor would have extended the Blue Line that now runs from the Mall of America to downtown Minneapolis, going from the existing Target Field station through north Minneapolis to the suburbs of Golden Valley, Robbinsdale, Brooklyn Center and Brooklyn Park.

Eight miles of the route were expected to run on the BNSF right of way alongside the freight tracks. The project was estimated to cost $1.5 bilion.

The county and the Met Council say they’re committed to finding a new alignment for the line.

“It’s time now to look at alternatives and keep the project going,” said Zelle. “It is critical for the future of the region, it is an area where there is tremendous diversity of race, diversity of income.”

Zelle said more than $100 million has already been spent on planning for the now shelved route, although some of that may apply to an alternative.

Hennepin County Commissioner Mike Opat expressed frustration with the setback, saying the Bottineau corridor faced very few hurdles compared to other parts of the region’s light rail network.

”Those other lines had neighborhood opposition, in some cases they had municipal opposition, they had huge technical engineering difficulties,” he said. “This has none of that. This has one obstinate partner, that’s it.”