Metro Transit presents capital maintenance plan; identifies $15.2 billion 30‑year need and schedules multi‑year Blue Line closures

Metro Transit staff on April 20 presented a high‑level overview of capital maintenance planning, describing long‑term funding needs, staffing challenges and the schedule for a three‑year state‑of‑good‑repair program on the Blue Line.

Brian Funk, Metro Transit deputy general manager and chief operating officer, told the Metropolitan Council the agency has identified about $15.2 billion in capital needs over 30 years and roughly $4.7 billion over the next six years, including about $833 million in 2025 alone. "This commitment allowed us to do a multi‑decade look out ahead," Funk said, describing investments in light‑rail vehicle replacement, state‑of‑good‑repair projects, bus capital needs and arterial BRT investments.

Staff described the funding sources that support the capital program: federal, state and local grants, regional capital borrowing and the sales‑tax funding approved in 2023 (referred to in the presentation as Chapter 68 sales‑tax rule), which Metro Transit officials said…