SW Light Rail will cost more, take longer to finish

SW Light Rail Will Cost More, Take Longer to Finish

Met Council approves spending $210 million in contingency funds for Green Line extension that likely won't open until 2027.

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ST PAUL, Minn. — Those hoping to enjoy a train ride from downtown St. Paul to Eden Prairie will need to wait until 2027, and the cost of laying that track will be significantly higher than initially estimated.

The Metropolitan Council Board unanimously agreed on Wednesday evening to allocate an additional $210 million to the Southwest Light Rail Transit project, already hitting the $2 billion threshold. The total projected cost could soar to $2.7 billion upon completion.

"If you are for light rail, this is a hard thing. If you are against light rail, this is a hard thing," Met Council Member Judy Johnson remarked to fellow council members.

"We are committed to multi-modal transportation across the region. This initiative was set into motion long ago, and doing nothing now would be exceedingly costly."

With the vote, the panel allowed staff to finalize contracts with Lunda-McCrossan, the joint venture firm constructing the Green Line extension between Minneapolis and Eden Prairie. To wrap up construction by 2024 and commence service by 2027, at least $450 million in new funds will need to be raised by the Met Council and its project partners.

Initially priced at $1.8 billion, the project stands as the largest public works construction effort in state history, with funding primarily sourced from Hennepin County, Hennepin County Rail, and federal transit grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

"We’re discussing costs and pain points, but this long-term project will influence residents and the region for decades," Council Member Reva Chamblis noted.

The project is massive in both scope and complexity, featuring 14.5 miles of track, 16 train stations, 29 new bridges, two train tunnels, five pedestrian tunnels, 130 retaining walls, and crash barriers separating freight and light rail lines across eight miles of shared corridors.

Nick Thompson, Met Council's transit director, explained that many cost overruns stemmed from unexpected complications while tunneling through the narrow Kenilworth rail corridor in Minneapolis. Additional big-ticket items not in the original contracts further strained the budget.

An Eden Prairie Town Center station was added and a pricey retaining wall was needed to buffer the rail line from nearby Kenilworth Tunnel buildings.

The Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad required a barrier protection wall as part of a safety agreement with the Met Council, leading to new costs.

Met Council Chair Charlie Zelle, a former state transportation commissioner, told lawmakers it's common for large public infrastructure projects to encounter delays and cost overruns both in the U.S. and worldwide.

"It's going to cost more, but when compared to other light rail projects across the country, we're still below many of them on a per-mile basis."

Zelle and Thompson provided progress updates to members of the Minnesota Legislative Commission on Metropolitan Governance, who requested the report.

The cost overruns sparked criticism from Republicans opposed to light rail and Minneapolis Democrats dissatisfied with the project route chosen by Hennepin County leaders after years of study and community meetings.

DFL Sen. Scott Dibble argued that the Met Council should have heeded warnings about running a light rail line between freight lines and existing buildings.

"There were decisions that could have been made differently if the Met Council had considered crucial information from the community," Dibble said.

GOP Rep. Jon Koznik from Lakeville stated that bus rapid transit is a better investment because routes can be altered. He echoed Dibble's sentiment, noting that the Met Council shouldn’t have been caught off guard by the complexities.

"Well-documented opposition explained why you're building a tunnel 20 feet under the water table and six inches from another building!"

The project has already spurred considerable private development along the corridor, in addition to the jobs created during construction and the forthcoming train operations.

"I'm just as frustrated by the delays and costs, but this project will benefit an entire region," Rep. Cheryl Youakim, a Hopkins Democrat, assured fellow lawmakers.

"We're witnessing investments in our area that might not have happened for decades."

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Republicans argue that market forces would have prompted the same development regardless, but the specific light rail line drew development to its vicinity instead of elsewhere in the Twin Cities Metro area.

On Wednesday, GOP Rep. John Petersburg announced his partnership with Minneapolis Democrat Frank Hornstein in co-authoring a bill to pause construction pending another financial audit. Hornstein, who chairs the House Transportation Committee, has consistently opposed the current route for the Green Line extension.

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