ST. PAUL, MN – House Transportation Finance and Policy Chair Jon Koznick (R-Lakeville) is leading the charge to discontinue NorthStar Commuter Rail operations after 18 years of huge financial losses and now near zero ridership. At Monday’s committee hearing, his bill which formally requests federal approval to shut down the NorthStar line, will be sent to the General Register.
“NorthStar has been an over $320 million failed experiment in commuter transit,” said Chair Koznick. “Taxpayers have been forced to subsidize a rail line that continues to underperform year after year, and it’s time to stop wasting $11 million annually on a project that simply doesn’t work to reduce congestion or move people.”
Under the bill, the Metropolitan Council and the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) would be required to request approval from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to terminate NorthStar operations. Additionally, the legislation stipulates that Minnesota will not repay the federal government for past NorthStar investments, removing a key financial obstacle to ending the line.
While ridership has never met expectations, it plummeted from 767,000 in 2019 to just 275 daily riders in 2022. Chair Koznick reiterated that transit funding should be directed toward more cost-effective and practical transportation solutions.
“This bill puts an end to 18 years of wasteful spending and forces the Met Council to do what’s right for taxpayers,” said Koznick. “Instead of continuing to pour money into a failing system, we need to focus on solutions that actually serve commuters efficiently and affordably.”
If the FTA grants the request, MnDOT and the Met Council will be required to submit a detailed plan to wind down NorthStar operations within 90 days.
The bill is expected to be passed out of the Transportation Finance and Policy Committee on Monday and move to the general register for consideration on the House floor.
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