House panel sends Northstar termination bill to General Register after MnDOT/Met Council say alternatives warranted

Representative Kosnick introduced House File 269 and described it as legislation directing the Metropolitan Council and the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) to request federal waivers and to develop proposals to discontinue Northstar commuter rail operations if necessary. Kosnick said the line has “ridiculously low ridership, ridiculously huge operating subsidies, and ridiculously expensive maintenance cost.”

The bill drew extensive testimony from transit officials, labor representatives, community members and former Met Council members. Annette Meeks, former chair of the Metropolitan Council’s Transportation Committee, summarized years of planning and ridership shortfalls and said, “The North Star is not feasible or viable. It is a loser of a line that needs to terminate.” Meeks cited Met Council documents and studies that, she said, show steep per‑rider subsidies and decades of underperformance.

Met Council Chair Charlie Zelle and MnDOT Commissioner Nancy Daubenberger testified that both agencies support carefully evaluating alternatives to operating commuter rail in the corridor and exploring bus replacements that could provide higher frequency and broader access. Zelle told the committee, “We actually support the idea of carefully evaluating and exploring the alternatives to commuter rail,” and said Met Council and MnDOT had begun outreach to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the train operator, BNSF, to examine implications.

The hearing included a mix of local testimony. Jesse Cook, a Minneapolis resident, urged preserving rail and improving frequency; Joel Mueller of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen said discontinuing an existing commuter line with equipment and crews in place would be a mistake and warned about economic impacts to workers and riders. Residents from St. Cloud, including Annie Buckle, urged restoration or expansion to St. Cloud rather than termination.

Committee members reviewed fiscal and ridership figures presented in background materials and testimony. Representative Kosnick cited the Met Council’s 2025 Unified Budget numbers that show Northstar’s annual operating and related expenses in the low tens of millions of dollars, plus planned capital/maintenance outlays through 2030 described in the Met Council documents. Witnesses discussed multiple figures from studies and Met Council reports: 2019 and earlier ridership peaks (2,660 average weekday boardings in 2019), lower post‑pandemic ridership (figures cited in testimony ranged down to roughly 300 daily riders), passenger fare revenue under $324,000 for 2023, and per‑ride subsidy estimates that witnesses variously placed from roughly $116 to $173 per ride depending on the year and methodology.

Witnesses also discussed the federal Capital Investment Grant (CIG) program and FTA rules that shaped the line’s initial scope and later evaluations. Representative Kosnick told the committee MnDOT spent $4 million on an extension assessment study; members said the final study was released that morning and they wanted more time to review it. MnDOT’s passenger‑rail director told the committee the $650,000 portion of that work produced the report before the committee and that remaining funds from the appropriation are still available to the department.

Met Council and MnDOT witnesses said a transition away from commuter rail would involve complex agreements with BNSF and federal agencies and that steps to terminate service would require negotiation and a notice period, but they said the timeline could be measured in months rather than years if stakeholders cooperated. Zelle and Commissioner Daubenberger said they support pursuing alternatives that would provide higher frequency service and better regional connectivity.

After debate the committee voted to move House File 269 to the General Register for floor consideration. A related measure, House File 7‑49 (a performance standard bill referenced during testimony), was laid over for further committee work.

Actions recorded: the committee voted to place House File 269 on the General Register and laid over House File 7‑49. Members asked agencies to continue to coordinate with federal partners and with local stakeholders on transition plans.