House committee advances bill to seek federal waiver and end Northstar commuter rail; companion bill laid over

The Minnesota House Transportation Committee on Monday advanced House File 269, a bill that would direct the Metropolitan Council and the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) to request a federal waiver of obligations and to proceed with steps to discontinue operations of the Northstar commuter rail line if the waiver is granted.

The proposal, introduced by Committee Chair Kosnick, was moved to the General Register by voice vote after testimony from transit officials, labor union representatives, local residents and transportation advocates. A related measure, House File 749, which would set performance requirements that could force an immediate federal-waiver request if not met, was laid over for further work.

Why it matters: committee members who backed the bill said Northstar has persistently low ridership and high taxpayer costs and that those dollars could be redeployed to transit modes that better serve current travel patterns. Opponents — including the Metropolitan Council, MnDOT officials, rail labor and residents of Big Lake and St. Cloud — urged caution, highlighted community and economic impacts, and urged a plan to replace service if the line is terminated.

Chair Kosnick (bill author and…