MSP Southwest Corridor: moving freights to make way for LRT

[CHamilton]

Minneapolis lawmakers urge new approach to Southwest Corridor LRT line

Key lawmakers say the agency planning the Southwest Corridor light-rail line has agreed “to go back to the drawing board” to resolve a dispute that threatens development of the metro area’s most costly transit project.The lawmakers urged the Metropolitan Council, which oversees the light-rail system, to look for other ways to reroute freight train ­traffic into St. Louis Park or other communities to make room for the light-rail line in a ­narrow corridor of Minneapolis. Angry St. Louis Park residents have staged protests and other actions aimed at fighting ­current reroute options.

The Southwest Corridor light rail is expected to run nearly 16 miles from downtown Minneapolis to Eden Prairie and open in 2018. The Met Council recently postponed decisions on the project after revealing that resolving the freight-rail dispute could increase the cost from $1.25 billion to between $1.58 billion and $1.82 billion.

The Met Council on Tuesday acknowledged ongoing discussions with a freight ­railroad but declined to describe them.

 

[jebr]

The Southwest corridor just can't catch a break lately. It's going to be interesting to see where it goes.

Rising costs of Southwest LRT has officials steamed

A snippet from the beginning of the article:

Officials representing five Twin Cities counties issued a stern signal today about the escalating costs of the planned Southwest Corridor light-rail project between downtown Minneapolis to Eden Prairie.Calling the costs "ridiculous" and "unacceptable," the officials said they couldn't support a project with a price tag that has grown by hundreds of millions of dollars in recent months.

Securing the backing of five metro counties is essential to the future of the Southwest Corridor. That's because the Counties Transit Improvement Board -- made up of Anoka, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, and Washington counties --- is expected to write checks for 30 percent of the project's costs.

 

[CHamilton]

Dispute over Southwest light-rail delays opening to 2019 or later

Transit planners say delays in the Southwest Corridor light-rail project will likely push back its opening to 2019 or 2020 — a year or more beyond its scheduled start — and help push the price tag from $1.5 billion to as high as $1.8 billion.

The latest setback was revealed Wednesday at a meeting of metro leaders who are poised to make a recommendation on whether to hide the light-rail line in tunnels alongside freight trains in the Kenilworth corridor of Minneapolis or reroute the freight in St. Louis Park.

But there appeared to be little support outside of Minneapolis on Wednesday for rerouting the freight, an option that could delay the opening of the line even longer. Minneapolis officials have opposed one tunnel plan and expressed doubts about other tunnel options offered as a compromise.