Some in Minnesota are not ready to give up on original Blue Line route
Written by RT&S Staff
Officials are looking into light-rail expansion between Alexandria and Quantico.
Progress Rail
Minneapolis suburban mayors and others refuse to give up on BNSF. Just about a week after officials announced it was stepping away from negotiations with the Class 1 company regarding the Bottineau Blue Line light-rail project, leaders were asking for a more aggressive approach to make the original route happen. The original route calls for the use of about eight miles of BNSF tracks.
Officials voted on staying on the course that involves BNSF, and by an 11-6 count it was decided to move to plan B.
Some who still favor using the Class 1 tracks are saying a soft approach was used with BNSF.
Dan Soler, however, does not seem ready to move on just yet. Soler oversees transit projects for Hennepin County and said talks were not about a new route, rather maintaining as much of the original line as possible.
State Sen. Ann Rest introduced a bill this week that would further tax railroad property in Minnesota in the hopes it would get BNSF back to the bargaining table.
Where it currently stands, the Bottineau is estimated to cost $1.5 billion. The route change that has been talked about would better serve the north end of Minneapolis.
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