Passenger rail out of the Twin Cities is back in the political spotlight, as Minnesota lawmakers revive a plan to study new intercity routes fanning out from St. Paul to Fargo and Kansas City. The proposal has been tucked into a broader transportation package headed for House-Senate negotiations, and if it survives the process, it would send state money to MnDOT to chase federal planning grants. Supporters are clearly reading the room: Amtrak ridership in Minnesota has jumped, and they are betting that fresh demand can power a new rail push.
What the bill would do
House File 3176 and its companion Senate File 2887 would direct the Minnesota Department of Transportation to apply to the Federal Railroad Administration’s Corridor Identification and Development Program for two routes, both originating in St. Paul and extending to Fargo and to Kansas City. The measure includes a one-time state appropriation of $1,000,000 for planning, matching funds, and related costs, available through June 30, 2028, according to the bill text at the Minnesota Revisor.
Brian Nelson of rail advocacy group All Aboard Minnesota told the Star Tribune, “We are extremely optimistic,” and supporters argue that getting the language into a larger omnibus bill gives it a better shot at clearing the Legislature.
Local leaders climb aboard
Earlier this year, the St. Paul City Council passed a resolution calling for a state study of potential service between St. Paul and Fargo/Moorhead, plus a separate corridor to Kansas City. The resolution points to potential economic gains and benefits for downtown, according to the St. Paul City Council.
Rail boosters have been busy lining up allies across the region. All Aboard Minnesota has been organizing outreach and pressing MnDOT to get Corridor ID applications ready to go. Advocates say that with the right schedules and upgraded stations, new service could attract riders beyond the traditional long-distance market and turn intercity rail into a more everyday option.
Ridership surge fuels the push
Supporters are leaning heavily on one key data point: people are riding. In fiscal year 2025, St. Paul’s Union Depot logged just under 200,000 boardings and alightings, a 58 percent jump from the previous year. Statewide, Amtrak trips reached roughly 264,600, according to the Star Tribune.
A big share of that growth has been tied to the Borealis service, which launched in May 2024 and had carried about 250,000 passengers by early July, according to Amtrak figures cited in the same report. Nationally, Amtrak recorded roughly 34.5 million trips in the 12 months ending Sept. 30, 2025, a sign that the broader rail comeback is not just a Twin Cities phenomenon.
What happens next at the Capitol
The revived rail language now heads into end-of-session negotiations, where House and Senate conferees will have to reconcile their transportation packages. The provision must survive the conference committee process and then clear both chambers before MnDOT can spend the appropriation or submit the federal Corridor ID application, according to the bill language at the Minnesota Revisor.
Advocates point out that the Federal Railroad Administration’s Corridor Identification program is accepting applications this year, and they argue that dedicated state planning money would give Minnesota a stronger case for federal development funds, a point emphasized in recent updates from All Aboard Minnesota. If the bill survives final negotiations, MnDOT would have a multi-year window to use the one-time appropriation for studies and to put together the federal application.
