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All Aboard Minnesota @allaboardmn.org · 30/03/2026

The Northstar's shutdown is not at all indicative of passenger rail demand.

Given what happened with Northstar rail in Minnesota, why would the state of Minnesota want to invest in another rail project?

Northstar commuter rail was managed by the Metropolitan Council and operated by crew members from BNSF Railway. It served the Monday to Friday AM and PM commute to/from downtown Minneapolis. Ridership crashed during the COVID-19 pandemic and did not rebound, in part due to the continued weakness of the job market in downtown Minneapolis.

Plus, a Phase I study of these two new corridors costs Minnesota nothing!

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Scott Norris @scottnorris757.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

The political decision to bar Northstar from reaching St. Cloud meant it couldn’t function as a 2-way corridor with better balanced traffic. A poison pill from the start.

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All Aboard Minnesota @allaboardmn.org · 30/03/2026

Update on the Northern Lights Express

What is the status of the Northern Lights Express between Duluth and Minneapolis? The project is in Phase I planning and evaluation in the Federal Railroad Administration’s Corridor Identification and Development program. The Minnesota Department of Transportation is overseeing planning and is waiting for approval to move into Phase 2 of the federal planning process. The 10 percent state match needed for phase 2 was authorized previously by the Minnesota Legislature.

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