U of M, Met Council still talking about Central Corridor

The Metropolitan Council and the University of Minnesota are meeting Thursday to try to resolve their differences over a proposed light rail transit line through the Minneapolis campus.

An official with the Met Council told MPR News that the two parties have made progress in talks over the past several weeks.

But the U is still concerned about the trains' vibrations and electromagnetic interference, which could harm lab equipment in university research labs along Washington Ave.

State Rep. Alice Hausman is bringing both sides together this afternoon to check in on the negotiations.

The Met Council was originally hoping to wrap up the talks by this past Monday, but now it's shooting for mid-December.

If the two sides fail to reach a deal, Met Council chairman Peter Bell, has said that the nearly $1 billion light rail project could lose half of its funding, or the necessary federal approvals, that would allow construction to begin by next summer.

The transit line would run along University Ave. to connect the downtowns of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

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