Knoblach’s bill would extend Northstar to St. Cloud

by Dennis Dalman

editor@thenewsleaders.com

A bill introduced in the Minnesota Legislature by Rep. Jim Knoblach (R-St. Cloud) just might result in bringing Northstar Commuter Train service to St. Cloud, a plan that was proposed from the start but then allowed to languish in a transportation limbo.

The Northstar line was originally expected to run between the Twin Cities and as far northwest as Rice. The service runs back and forth now between the Twin Cities and Big Lake, which is 27 miles southeast of St. Cloud, and there is St. Cloud Metro Bus service that can bring passengers from St. Cloud to the rail stop in Big Lake.

For years, groups have been pushing for an extension of the rail service to St. Cloud, especially ISAIAH/GRIP, an interfaith partnership that lobbies on behalf of social justice issues. Recently, 11 of its leaders from nine congregations presented House Speaker Kurt Daudt with a petition signed by 5,000 people in favor of the extension.

Knoblach’s bill was approved by the Transportation Committee and is now under consideration in the House Ways and Means Committee. The bill has generated bipartisan support, as well as some bipartisan opposition.

“Greater Minnesota has transportation needs, and an investment of this kind will connect the resources of Metro and Greater Minnesota to benefit all,” according to the petition.

Knoblach said his plan – much of it yet to be worked out – would not cost any extra money to put into place.

Here are the particulars of his bill, a balancing act among “ifs” and “whens,” as the following shows:

• Northstar and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad would have to come to an agreement about using the existing BNSF tracks from Big Lake to St. Cloud.
• Ridership on the line is not what had been anticipated when the service was planned, and Knoblach thinks extending it to St. Cloud might increase ridership and revenue from fares. (About 14,000 people in the St. Cloud area commute more than 50 miles to work, most of them to the Twin Cities area, Knoblach noted.)
• The train depot for St. Cloud would be the current one in East St. Cloud that is almost 100 years old.
• Extending the service would use the same train engines and cars as it does now. Knoblach’s plan would drop one of the daily round trips to Big Lake in order to add two trips daily between St. Cloud and Minneapolis, and would result in a revenue-neutral outcome and might even increase Northstar’s income, Knoblach said.
• The Northstar line is the “biggest loser of all Minnesota’s rail lines,” Knoblach said. That is why, he added, it makes sense to try something new to re-energize the service. He also said the state cannot shut down the line without paying back more than $100 million in federal funds used to create the service.

Background

Planning for the Northstar Line began in 1997 with the formation of the Northstar Corridor Development Authority.

The “Northstar Line” passenger service began Nov. 16, 2009, using existing BNSF Railway tracks on a 40-mile stretch between Big Lake and Target Field in Minneapolis, with non-Northstar connecting rail service throughout the Twin Cities, all start-and-end stops at Target Field. There are five stops along the line at cities along the way: Elk River, Ramsey, Anoka, Coon Rapids and Fridley.

The cost of the project was about $320 million, with about one-third of that amount going to BNSF Railway for track-usage rights. Funding came from the federal government, the state of Minnesota, the counties of Anoka, Hennepin and Sherburne, the Twin Cities Met Council and the Minnesota Twins.

Northstar involves the use of 18 passenger cars and six locomotives. It takes 49 minutes to ride the 40-mile route. The train’s top speed is 79 mph. Ridership in 2014 was a yearly total of 721,214 people, and the line had a net income in 2014 of nearly $1.2 million according to the Northstar Line’s website.