Met Council: Blue Line Extension Cost Jumps To $3.5B

The price tag for a Blue Line light rail extension has jumped $336 million, pushing the total cost to $3.58 billion.

If it moves forward, it would be one of the most expensive public works projects in Minnesota history.

The Metropolitan Council released the new price estimates for the approximately 13.4-mile light rail line on Monday.

The line is proposed to run north from Target Field in Minneapolis through Robbinsdale and Crystal, with the final stop near the Target North Campus at Oak Grove Parkway in Brooklyn Park.

The project, which has been in contemplation and planning for more than a decade, has now moved past the Federal Risk Assessment process.

Meanwhile, engineering plans for the line are nearing 90 percent completion.

Budget estimates were last issued in 2024, when 30 percent of the engineering plans were finished. 

At that time, the Met Council estimated the base cost of the project to be approximately $2.2 billion. But, adding another 35-40 percent in contingency costs brought the total between $2.9 billion and $3.2 billion. 

Earlier estimates for construction costs for the line — back when it was still slated to run in the Burlington Northern Santa Fe freight rail corridor — were approximately $1.5 billion.

Significant factors in the ballooning cost include a new station at Washington and West Broadway, a redesign of the Lowry Avenue Station, as well as new road connections and “many other changes and local infrastructure improvements requested by cities and communities,” the Met Council said.

The budget also includes a significant contingency fund “of 32 percent to account for ongoing economic volatility and uncertainty.”

A map shows the proposed route for the Blue Line Light Rail extension project. It was published prior to the addition of a stop at Washington and West Broadway.

New Timeline

The new cost estimates for the Blue Line also came with an extended timeline for construction.

Assuming the project office applies for federal funding within the next six months “and that grant was then approved in a timely manner” by the Federal Transit Administration, construction could start late in 2027 and wrap up by 2032, the Met Council said. Rider service would start in 2033.

In 2024, the project office estimated rider service could begin in 2030.

“Informed by in-depth constructability reviews with [the Minnesota Dept. of Transportation] and existing Metro Transit construction staff, and major construction contractors from across the country, this updated project schedule accommodates construction phasing to maintain residential and commercial access throughout the corridor for the entire duration of construction,” the Met Council said.

For the project to move forward, the Met Council will need to apply for federal funding, known as a Full Funding Grant Agreement.

Brooklyn Park | Crystal | Robbinsdale