Statement on Proposed Route Alternatives for Blue Line Extension Light Rail Project
One pager on potential new routes (PDF).
What’s happened?
The Blue Line Extension is a 13-mile light rail project beginning at Target Field Station in Minneapolis and ending in Brooklyn Park and connecting to the current Blue and Green Lines.
A key component of the previously planned route required the use of privately owned right-of-way for about 8 miles of the alignment. However, BNSF Railway (the owner) refused to participate in the project, and in August of 2020, Hennepin County and the Metropolitan Council announced an agreement to seek alternative routes for the Blue Line Extension Light Rail Project.
In December of 2020, the members of the Blue Line Extension Corridor Management Committee approved a set of Community Engagement Principles and Alignment Principles to inform the process of developing new route alternatives.
Over the past seven months, Hennepin County and Metropolitan Council staff leaders have worked jointly to evaluate potential routes and engage community leaders about their priorities and expectations for the project’s future.
What’s new and what’s staying the same?
On March 11th, Hennepin County and Metropolitan Council staff leaders jointly released the alternative route options that have been developed to move the Blue Line Extension Light Rail Project forward. The alternative routes are categorized into three ‘zones’ to be most responsive to the unique needs of each community.
Zone 1 (Brooklyn Park)
The route is expected to remain the same on the northern end of the line in Brooklyn Park, including the four planned stations at Oak Grove, 93rd Ave, 85th Ave, and Brooklyn Blvd.
Zone 2 (Brooklyn Park, Crystal, Robbinsdale)
For the middle section between Brooklyn Park and Robbinsdale, the route will move from the BNSF rail corridor onto Bottineau Boulevard (County Road 81). For most of this area, the alternative route option is less than 1000 feet from the original proposed route. The 63rd Ave, Bass Lake Rd, and Downtown Robbinsdale stations will remain in roughly the same location.
Zone 3 (Robbinsdale, Minneapolis)
On the southern end of the corridor, project partners have identified Lowry Avenue and West Broadway as the two primary pathways within North Minneapolis where it is possible to build light rail.
With these two route alternatives on the table, we can now share with confidence that there will be a new light rail station proposed near North Memorial Hospital in Robbinsdale. The decision to add a direct connection to a care center and employment hub like North Memorial Hospital to the Blue Line Extension project was made based on the tremendous amount of community support and feedback we received about this connection.
The Potential Broadway Route (Minneapolis): The Broadway Route would begin from the North Memorial station and head southeast directly on Broadway Ave N to Lyndale Ave N. From there, several route options are still being evaluated to make the final connection to the Target Field station in downtown Minneapolis.
The Potential Lowry Route (Minneapolis): The Lowry Route would begin from the North Memorial station before heading east on Lowry Ave N. After crossing I-94, the train would head south on Washington Ave into the North Loop neighborhood, before turning southwest on 10th Ave N and connecting with the Target Field station in downtown Minneapolis.
Feedback on Blue Line Routes Opens Now
Hennepin County and the Metropolitan Council want to hear from you on the new routes, potential station locations, and important destinations you want to see from our transit system. Check out the potential new routes and provide feedback in one of the following ways:
Fill out this survey for feedback on the alternative routes by April 30
Submit general comments and feedback on the Blue Line Extension Light Rail project
Check out this interactive map of the routes on which you can provide feedback
Sign up for emails with future project news and updates
Join an upcoming virtual town hall to learn more about the Blue Line Extension Light Rail project
Request a presentation on the Blue Line Extension by project staff for your group/organization/business
My Commitment
As a Hennepin County Commissioner, Chair of the Hennepin County Railroad Authority, and a North Minneapolis resident, I’m excited for the transformational benefits light rail will bring to our communities. The new direction of the Blue Line Extension is positioned to serve among the most racially and economically diverse communities in Hennepin, while also connecting transit-reliant residents to the broader regional transit system. This will change the trajectory of what’s possible for so many of our neighbors—connecting students to education, patients to healthcare, and workers to jobs.
To pursue this work equitably, we must also recognize that large-scale public investments can accelerate patterns of residential and economic displacement. The Blue Line Extension presents an extraordinary opportunity to prioritize racial equity and economic justice in our work. These investments must be designed to prevent displacement, repair historical harms, and build civic capacity within the marginalized communities we serve.
I am deeply committed to working with partners at every level of government and in our communities to ensure this investment benefits corridor residents, builds community wealth, and meaningfully addresses decades-long patterns of disinvestment.
Authentic community engagement takes time, hard work, and patience. We will need to center community voices and advance a project that meets the needs of our most vulnerable residents. I look forward to the work ahead.
If you have further questions, comments, or concerns, please reach out to Constituent Services & Policy Aide Bill Emory at bill.emory@hennepin.us