The University of Minnesota and the Metropolitan Council have until Dec. 1 to work out EMI concerns related to the proposed Central Corridor light-rail line if the $941 million project is to stay on schedule and on budget. The university’s major concern involves protecting sensitive university research equipment that could be disrupted by vibrations and electromagnetic interference from trains passing along Washington Avenue. Kathleen O’Brien, vice president for university services, told a recent summit that the university would withdraw its lawsuit if the Met Council figured out how to fix the vibrations and EMI, determined how to monitor those fixes to make sure they work, and offered a guarantee on how the Met Council will regroup if the fixes don’t work. The Federal Transit Administration has a mid-December deadline to decide whether the project can enter “final design,” which could be prevented by the university’s lawsuit alleging Central Corridor officials have essentially bypassed the university’s concerns. Photo: An artist’s rendering of the proposed Central Corridor line passing through the University of Minnesota campus. LEARN MOREREAD RELATED STORIES
With Money at Risk, Groups Aim to Resolve Rail Line EMI Issues
