A new budget update for the Blue Line Light Rail Extension has confirmed that costs for the project have jumped $336 million higher than the previous budget of 2024.
When the project design was 30% complete, the budget sat at $3.2 billion. But as the design nears 90% completion, the budget keeps escalating.
Minnesota House Transportation Committee Chair Rep. Jon Koznick, R-Lakeville, said in a press release that this increase in cost was predictable.
“I am not at all surprised to see that the cost of the Blue Line Extension project is continuing to skyrocket out of control. It started at $1.5 billion,” he said. “Out-of-control costs have been the case with previous light rail projects … We need to scrap this next boondoggle Blue Line Extension project now, before more tax dollars are wasted! At a time of increased property taxes, to pursue the Blue Line Train is an abuse of taxpayers.”
Proposed by the Met Council, the Blue Line Light Rail Extension would be a 13.4-mile track connecting downtown Minneapolis to Brooklyn Park. Containing 13 new stations, the extension would include connections to the Metro Green Line and bus rapid transit lines.
Koznick, who recently met with community members who would be affected by the extension, is advocating for an arterial bus rapid transit system along the corridor instead. He said many community members are unsupportive of the extension, particularly Hennepin County residents whose property taxes are already increasing rapidly. Amid this backdrop, Koznick’s office reports that some are reluctant to “bear the financial burden of another light rail project.”
Additionally, his office said some north Minneapolis residents are concerned that the extension will bisect their “historically Black business district on West Broadway” and create hassle for foot traffic in the area.
For Koznick, those concerns are compounded by the project’s rising cost.
“The Blue Line Extension would be the largest public project in state history,” he said. “This increasing budget creates a huge funding gap that must be addressed before Hennepin County or the Met Council can apply for federal grants. Hennepin County needs to decide if this is the best use of transit funds.”
Planning for the project has already spanned over a decade through a partnership between the Met Council and Hennepin County. According to the Met Council, construction could begin in 2027 if it is able to secure federal funding for the project in the coming months.
However, the Met Council said that at this time, a “funding gap remains that must be addressed before the project applies for federal funding.”
Koznick is far from the only elected official to have concerns with the project. Earlier this year, Minnesota’s Republican congressional delegation urged their colleagues to prohibit federal funding of the Blue Line Extension.
“This extension is already shaping up to be yet another transportation project that will lead to minimal ridership, huge capital costs, and adverse effects on Minnesotans,” they wrote. “Already, the 27,000 weekday riders projected on the Blue Line have been more than halved to 12,500 riders since its inception, yet this extension plan has continued.”
Alpha News reached out to the Met Council for a response to Koznick’s comments, but the agency said it doesn’t comment on statements made by individual legislators.
Rachael Van Rossum
Rachael Van Rossum is a journalist and author who studies political science in the Twin Cities. She previously interned with the Illinois House of Representatives and recently published her debut fantasy novel "The Hellburner of Sovi." Rachael is passionate about telling compelling stories and bringing to life the voices of political figures, athletes, and members of her community through engaging writing. She is the Alpha News journalism fellow for the summer of 2026.
