Today the Minnesota Department of Transportation released a report showing the “analysis and evaluation of options for development of transit and rail service improvements in the corridor between the Minnesota Cities of St. Paul, Minneapolis, Coon Rapids, St. Cloud and Moorhead, and Fargo, North Dakota.”

“This report details yet another clear example of the constant waste of taxpayer dollars in Minnesota,” said Senator Jeff Howe (R-Rockville). “This service might offer a nice train ride, but it’s an expense taxpayers cannot afford when we are facing a looming deficit totaling $5.1 billion. This is not a necessary expense.”

The report showed that infrastructure costs for a full rail line extension to Fargo could reach almost $3 billion, while using buses would cost less than $200 million. The cost to subsidize rail tickets could be as high as $187 million per year, compared to $72 million for bus service.

The report also documents a clear trend of declining ridership since the COVID-19 pandemic. In its first year, 2017, Northstar recorded approximately 790,000 rides, but by 2020, ridership had plummeted to around 150,000, and by 2024, it had declined further to fewer than 100,000.

“It’s alarming that less than 3% of rail costs are covered by ticket sales, which means every single taxpayer in our state continues to pay for the Northstar, whether they use it or not. This is the exact type of waste Minnesotans expect us to cut and avoid. We need to examine more affordable and flexible commuter and busing options, because this rail line is simply not the answer,” finished Howe.