U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN) led the Minnesota Republican congressional delegation in advocating for the elimination of federal funding for the Northstar Commuter Rail, the Blue Line Light Rail Extension, and the Northern Lights Express commuter line.
“Investments in transportation infrastructure are essential to keeping Minnesotans and our economy moving, not only for our generation but for generations to come,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter to the leaders of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development. “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.”
The letter was signed by reps. Michelle Fischbach (R-MN), Brad Finstad (R-MN), and Pete Stauber (R-MN).
The delegation said the Northstar Commuter Rail has seen a dramatic drop in ridership, from 2,660 daily riders in 2019 to just 275 in 2022, a 90 percent decline. The project costs taxpayers more than $12 million per year and is millions of dollars in debt.
Also, the Blue Line Light Rail Extension project has seen weekly ridership expectations continuously revised downward. Most recently, it was revised down from 27,000 to 12,500. The with a projected budget of $3.2 billion, the project is expected to go over budget and will result in serious traffic disruptions for Minnesota motorists.
Finally, they said the Northern Lights Express, with its estimated cost of $600 million, will rely heavily on federal grants for its completion and risks adding to Minnesota’s projected $6 billion deficit.