Just In Time To Start Another Audit
By Mitch Berg
An audit of the Southwest Light Rail project – which is years late, and running at well over double the original projected cost, and (this is my longtime prediction) will end up over $3 Billion when it finally lurches to completion, got a hearing at the Legislature earlier this week.
A years-long audit of the construction of the embattled Southwest Light Rail line has concluded the Metropolitan Council had issues with “non-compliance” and a lack of “internal controls” managing the mega project, which is now expected to cost taxpayers $2.86 billion.
The presentation by the Office of the Legislative Auditor also gave frustrated lawmakers another opportunity to tee off on Met Council Chair Charlie Zelle.
“You can’t blame it on anyone else, blame it on the consultant, you are the decision maker,” said Sen. Mark Koran (R-North Branch) at the hearing on Monday morning.
The audit highlighted huge discrepancies in estimating the costs of hundreds of change orders on the project, including one for the construction of a barrier along the Kenilworth Corridor, which drove up the price of the project by more than $40 million.
How about we just start the next audit now, to save time?
April 11th, 2025 at 7:57 am
It could be worse. It could be California’s high speed rail debacle.
Then again, as a percentage of the State’s budget, SWLRT may be a higher percentage over fewer years.
April 11th, 2025 at 9:19 am
For perspective, the expansion of 212 about 18 years back cost $240 million, if memory serves. Scale up for Biden-flation and such, and maybe half a billion. Expanded service to the area was 80,000 vehicle trips per day, I believe, and the overall population of the path–Eden Prairie, Chanhassen, Chaska, etc..–really amounts to maybe 150,000 people.
So what the Met Council/DFL/state is arguing is that we need to invest $20k per man, woman, and child (nonbinary people are free of course) to put a railroad that may account for about 20% of the trips that 212 can handle–and keeping in mind that there are already bus routes that are being used.
Net-net: it’s 30-100x more expensive per trip than the highway.
April 11th, 2025 at 1:50 pm
DISBAND the Met Council NOW!!!
April 11th, 2025 at 8:52 pm
The Met Council is finally giving up on the Northstar commuter train for “more flexible” bus service. We knew rail was more expensive and less flexible before the Southwest Light Rail line was even started.
How long will the Met Council take (and how much must we pay) before liberals give up on the inflexible light rail system?
April 12th, 2025 at 12:51 am
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April 12th, 2025 at 6:46 am
^ Think about all those Northstar stations out in the exurban that can now just sit and collect dust as a reminder of the good ol’ days with money to burn. Heck, if I remember correctly (always iffy), the Ramsey station, a very expensive one, was never really used, ever (can’t remember why).
Remember when Northstar commuters from as far away as Big Lake and eventually even from St Cloud would enthusiastically be able to go shopping “downtown” or to the MoA or even to the airport?
April 14th, 2025 at 9:30 am
Not only are train stations empty but so are bus stations. They built one down here off Pilot Knob that the Ford dealer uses to store new vehicles.
April 14th, 2025 at 10:10 am
^ Now that’s funny, TKS. The irony is sweet.
April 14th, 2025 at 10:49 am
We’re remiss not to observe that this mess was kicked off under the leadership of Jesse Ventura, and it’s been a tag team match of waste, fraud and corruption ever since.
April 14th, 2025 at 12:16 pm
^ Good ol’ Jesse. He had a radio show on KSTP where he enunciated all of his libertarian positions which he used in his campaign and then dropped when he became The Guv. As I recall, one or more of his colleagues stated that Jesse’s real reason for supporting rail traffic was to get people off the road so he could get around town faster with fewer problems in his Porsche.