st. paul

An abrupt change in federal rules offered some hope Wednesday that the problems snagging the Central Corridor light-rail line could soon be ironed out, bringing peace to the negotiators and maybe even three new rail stations to St. Paul.

But some Minnesotans involved in planning the $941 million line were less upbeat than their federal counterparts. If the interests along the line were hoping to have all their wish lists fulfilled, "my response to that is I don't think so," said Peter Bell, chairman of the Metropolitan Council.

After years of forcing light-rail planners to follow narrow guidelines on construction costs, ridership and travel times, the Federal Transit Administration eased up on a formula called the "cost-effectiveness index." A host of factors, including economic impact, now can be given greater consideration.

"No longer will we ignore the many benefits that accrue to our environment and our communities when we build or expand rail and bus rapid-transit systems," said FTA administrator Peter Rogoff.

Bell said that although the index was too rigid, "it did provide some measure of financial discipline," and he's concerned that giving it less emphasis could mean that more -- and less worthy -- projects will be competing for federal dollars. He said that adding elements to the line would require more federal money and more matching funds from state and local governments, none of which are flush with cash.

"If the state and federal government were an individual, they'd be in a homeless shelter," he said.

That concern is not going unheard in Washington. "We need increased investment dollars to follow this reform," said U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar, D-Minn., who as chairman of the House Transportation Committee has been trying to pass a new transportation funding bill.

Rogoff specifically cited the Central Corridor line as being among the projects that might benefit from the new policy. He said he is troubled "from a civil rights perspective" that the Minnesota project may not include stations in black and Asian neighborhoods of St. Paul because doing so would mean the line wouldn't meet the cost-effectiveness index.

The new policy "will allow that [train] service to do a better job of serving those communities," Rogoff said.

City Council member Melvin Carter III, whose First Ward includes some of the most transit-dependent and diverse populations in the state, said he was pleased to hear that a federal official was concerned about disadvantaged communities. "I have a real concern that the commitments this project is making to my constituents are being set aside," he said. "I don't know exactly what it means for our project, but I know it excites me."

Carter has an appointment with Rogoff in Washington next week. Until Wednesday, it had been his plan to express his frustration. Now, Carter said, he will be trying to figure out what the changes mean for efforts to include three light-rail stops on University Avenue, where in some places stations would otherwise be a mile apart.

"If you put more stops in, then the community that could benefit the most economically has a better opportunity to do so," said Nieeta Presley, executive director of the Aurora St. Anthony Neighborhood Development Corp. She belongs to a coalition that filed a federal civil rights complaint against the project and has been an advocate for additional stations. That complaint and another are still pending.

On the western end of the line, Bell has been involved in protracted negotiations with the University of Minnesota over how the line might affect sensitive research facilities.

He expressed concern that, lacking the "objective standard" of the formula, national decisions on which projects get funding could "devolve into primarily a political process, based upon who sits upon what committee and the like."

But the old policy had its own political roots, said John Schadl, a spokesman for Oberstar. Implemented in 2005 by the Bush administration, the cost-effectiveness index "was essentially written to discourage these types of projects," he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. Jim Foti • 612-673-4491 Chris Havens • 612-673-4148