Rep. Jim Knoblach (R-St. Cloud) deserves kudos for authoring a bill that would extend the Northstar Commuter Line rail service to St. Cloud.
Many people – rightly so – view a Northstar extension as a long-deferred promise perhaps soon to be fulfilled. Still, don’t go popping those champagne corks just yet. The extension plan is far from certain at this point. There are many things yet to be worked out, including negotiations with the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway for use of the existing tracks between St. Cloud and Big Lake, the line’s current northern-most stop.
Basically, Knoblach’s suggestion in his bill is that Northstar Line service drop some round trips between Big Lake and Minneapolis and add stops at St. Cloud – at least one in the morning and one in late afternoon, so commuters between St. Cloud and the Twin Cities area could take the line to and from jobs.
It certainly sounds doable.
But there are several pre-conditions that must be met before Knoblach’s suggestion can become a reality.
One pre-condition is the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway would have to give permission for Northstar to use its rails for the 27-mile stretch from Big Lake to St. Cloud. Knoblach said BNSF is amenable to negotiations for track-usage rights.
Another concern is the East St. Cloud train depot, which would become the Northstar St. Cloud stop, would have to be repurposed and updated, including more parking places.
Knoblach said he thinks extending the line to St. Cloud would not cost any extra money because it will just be a rearranged scheduling of what now exists (a couple fewer Big Lake stops, with St. Cloud stops to take their place). But even Knoblach has said he couldn’t guarantee there would not be some added costs.
Yet another possible hurdle, however, is the Northstar Line has been a bit of a disappointment, especially in ridership rates and disruptive delays some years back during a rough winter. Thus, some people are completely against the line or an extension of it.
The good news is Knoblach’s bill has had some healthy bipartisan support in the Capitol, which is half the battle in these contentious political times. It’s very possible ridership on Northstar will increase, once more and more workers, students, retirees and others learn how convenient it is – especially with an extension to St. Cloud.
We’d like to say to the plans’ opponents to drop their objections and get “All Aboard!” with the plan.
In the meantime, thank you, Rep. Knoblach and thank the members of the interdenominational faith group, ISAIAH/GRIP, for putting this long-deferred promise back on the tracks.
