Seeking OK to study a line

Since 2002, it has been illegal for three government entities to consider a specific commuter rail line.

Sponsored by Rep. David Bly (DFL-Northfield), HF3003 would allow the Metropolitan Council, Department of Transportation and county regional rail authorities to study or plan for a potential Dan Patch Line from downtown Minneapolis to Northfield.

The bill was held over March 11 by the House Transportation Finance Division for possible inclusion in its omnibus bill.

A companion bill, SF2990, sponsored by Sen. Kevin Dahle (DFL-Northfield), awaits action by the Senate Transportation Committee.

“There has been great conversation about trying to renew talk about the Dan Patch Line. People didn’t know there was a law that prohibited the conversation,” Bly said.

The Metropolitan Council is in the process of looking at its transportation policy plan, a 30-year document designed to help decide where transit and transitway investments should take place in the Twin Cities metropolitan area.

“We are studying 29 corridors throughout the region. We’re not suggesting we should move forward and fund all of these. We’re just trying to see which ones basically have the muster in order to be viewed as a viable transitway,” said Judd Schetnan, the council’s government affairs director. “I don’t know if the Dan Patch Line would pass that test, but we think we should at least have the opportunity to look at it as a possible transitway.”

An amendment successfully offered by Rep. Mary Liz Holberg (R-Lakeville) ensures that no money can be used for preliminary engineering, final design or construction of the line, which was previously identified as a potential corridor that would have stops in downtown Minneapolis, St. Louis Park, Edina, Bloomington, Savage, Burnsville, Lakeville and Northfield. The council could later return to the Legislature for funding.

A study in the late-90s showed this line would be “extremely expensive,” Holberg said. “I’m certain the result will be the same or similar in that it’s just so expensive.”