“It was 72 runs a week back then and then now we’re at about 20,” said Anoka County Commissioner Jeff Reinert.
In March the Anoka County Board decided not to make its annual payment for the operations of the North Star Commuter Rail. The payment was going to be about $4.6 million, but instead the board’s finance committee voted to pay nothing.
“The way we’re looking at it, the contract was broken,” said Reinert. “If they bring the runs back up to what the agreement says we will pay the amount that we’ve agreed to for that amount of runs.”
Ridership plummeted in 2020 as offices closed and many people worked from home. The numbers are trending back upwards in 2021 and 2022 but they still aren’t close to pre-pandemic ridership. Commissioner Reinert said there’s no easy answer, but it might be worth looking away from the tracks.
“The solution to this is to continue to provide some kind of mass transit, because it’s needed,” said Reinert. “We’re talking a lot about buses. Buses make a whole lot more sense.”
Northstar’s operating expenses are currently divided among the state and the counties that the train travels through. The counties contribute a percentage based on the number of track miles in their jurisdiction, putting the majority of the county burden and Anoka County.
“It’s not like Anoka County as a whole and the residents throughout the county are getting a big benefit from this – they’re not,” said Reinert.
Even though the county didn’t make this $4.6 million operating payment, it is still making payments on the original debt and those payments will continue until it’s paid off in 2027.
“So we’ll have to pay that off and then, but in the meantime we need to find a different solution because this one is not working,” said Reinert.
Metro Transit sees things differently in a statement a spokesperson said that the plans for 2023 included four inbound and four outbound trips each weekday along with special event service and that their other county partners have paid. North Star will continue to operate at a reduced service level of just two trips each way on weekdays until they receive funding commitments from all their partners and Metro Transit said “we welcome continued discussion with Anoka County”
But for Commissioner Reinert, he isn’t sure that continued discussion will help.
“We’re adamant and they’re adamant what our position is,” said Reinert.
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UPDATE – (May 23, 2023) – The Anoka County Board has changed its course on the Northstar Commuter Rail. Earlier this year, the board voted not to pay the Met Council for its share of the operating budget for Northstar. That amount was about $4.7M. The board said it was because Northstar wasn’t living up to its end of the bargain.
But now, the board brought the issue back and voted to pay just under two million dollars this year. That’s the same amount Anoka County has paid in the last two years.
As a part of the transportation bill passed at the capitol near the end of session, the state will be taking over the expenses for Northstar in future years.
