Northstar extension bill gives hope to St. Cloud — but no funds

St. Cloud business leaders have pined for years to extend the 40-mile Northstar Commuter Rail Line from rural Big Lake to their central Minnesota city.

A bill sponsored by a key House Republican and approved by the House Transportation and Regional Governance Policy Committee on Wednesday wouldn’t go quite that far — but, supporters say, it would get the ball rolling toward their eventual goal to connect St. Cloud commuters to the Twin Cities by rail.

HF1722, sponsored by Rep. Jim Knoblach (R-St. Cloud), would direct the Department of Transportation to enter into negotiations with BNSF Railway on extending the Northstar line north to St. Cloud. It would also specify details related to frequency of service, train crews and fare collection.

Rep. Jim Knoblach

A companion, SF1840, sponsored by Sen. Jerry Relph (R-St. Cloud), awaits action by the Senate Transportation Finance and Policy Committee.

Currently, St. Cloud residents who ride Northstar to commute to the Twin Cities are forced to take a bus that links the city to the line’s Big Lake terminus.

“We think eliminating the bus transfer in Big Lake will absolutely drive an increase in ridership overall,” said Teresa Bohnen, president of the St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce.

The legislation, however, would forbid the state from committing any state dollars to capital expenditures or from spending any more on operations than currently budgeted.

Some DFLers on the committee expressed support for the effort to connect St. Cloud and Northstar, but said that a serious push to extend the line would require funding.

Rep. Connie Bernardy (DFL-New Brighton) unsuccessfully proposed an amendment that would appropriate $850,000 from the General Fund toward a study of the proposed extension.

“This is our best bet if we’re really serious about making something happen,” Bernardy said of her proposal.

MnDOT also has concerns with the bill, a department official told the committee.

Ryan Wilson, director of MnDOT’s Metro District Transit Section, said the department would want to sit down with a number of agencies — including Metro Transit, which operates the line — in any discussion of extending Northstar.

Knoblach characterized his bill as a first step that, eventually, could increase ridership on the Northstar with little increase in operating cost by connecting downtown Minneapolis and St. Cloud.