Every Republican member of Minnesota’s congressional delegation signed a letter seeking to end federal funds for three costly railway projects.
“The Northstar Commuter Rail, the Blue Line Light Rail Extension, and the Northern Lights Express commuter line pose significant concerns for taxpayers,” wrote the GOP members of Congress, stating that “continuing funding for these projects would be financially irresponsible.”
Signed by Representatives Tom Emmer, Pete Stauber, Michelle Fischbach, and Brad Finstad, the letter was sent to a subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives. The letter requests that all federal funds for the three projects cease in Fiscal Year 2026. Given the GOP control of Congress and the presidency, the request may ultimately be granted.
The three rail projects are in various stages of development.
The Northstar Commuter Rail is currently operational and runs from Minneapolis, through Anoka, and extends all the way to Big Lake. According to the GOP delegation, the railway costs $12 million per year to operate, lost 90% of its ridership between 2019 and 2022, and is a “$320 million failed experiment in commuter transit.”
Meanwhile, the Blue Line Light Rail Extension is a planned addition to the existing Blue Line Light Rail which would go from downtown Minneapolis, through the northern portion of the city, up into Crystal and Robbinsdale, and end in Brooklyn Park.
In their letter, the Republican lawmakers said the extension was a $3.2 billion project that will be “another boondoggle with minimal ridership, huge capital, and adverse affects on Minnesotans.” The letter also stated that the Blue Line extension would be over budget and ridership estimations have already been halved.
At present, the Blue Line only runs from downtown Minneapolis, through the southern part of the city, and extends to the Mall of America and the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport.
Lastly, the Northern Lights Express, was a planned high-speed railway that would connect Duluth and the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area. The Minnesota Legislature had already allocated nearly $200 million for the project, and winning federal grants was the next step in the initial design phase.
Matching grants from the federal government were expected to provide 80% of the project’s funding.
However, Gov. Tim Walz and legislative leaders just recently opted to defund the Northern Lights Express as part of a two-year budget deal that addresses a looming multi-billion deficit. As such, the planned connection between Duluth and Minneapolis is dead already.
“Investments in transportation infrastructure are essential to keeping Minnesotans and our economy moving, not only for our generation but for generations to come,” said the GOP legislators. “Unfortunately, these three projects have raised serious financial and community-centered concerns. As such, any future federal investment should be closely scrutinized and all short-term funding for these specific projects should be eliminated.”
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
