The Year Ahead

With the changing Presidency the year ahead could prove challenging for passenger rail. The first Trump administration was quite hostile to Amtrak and wanted to severely cut funding. With the IIJA act passed in 2022, there was $66B included for Amtrak, $36B of which was for Federal and State partnerships to advance new Corridors, as we have reported on. Could the new Trump administration claw that money back? It's possible but there has always been strong bi-partisan support in Congress for Amtrak and it would take an act of Congress to do it. With such slim majorities in the House and Senate, the undoing of the IIJA seems fairly unlikely. Even many US Reps and Senators from red states know the value Amtrak brings to their constituents. Trump's new Secretary of Transportation, Congressman Duffy (WI-7th) hasn't made any comments about Amtrak, but we know for certain he is quite hostile to Amtrak through previous votes. Time will tell.

Trump on the other hand, has made positive statements about high speed rail: “And you know, it's sad, because I've seen some of the greatest trains, I find it fascinating, and I've seen the systems and how they work, and the bullet trains they call them… they go unbelievably fast, unbelievably comfortable with no problems, and we don't have anything like that in this country, not even close,” said President-elect Trump in an August 2024 interview with tech entrepreneur Elon Musk. “It doesn't make sense that we don't, doesn't make sense.”

What does it look like in Minnesota? Democrats hold a one seat majority in the Senate, and it appears the GOP now holds a one seat majority in the House. A judge just ruled that the Democrat who narrowly won district 54B, which would have provided an even split between Democrats and the GOP in the house, is now disqualified as he didn't meet the residency rule. Democrats have appealed the decision to the Minnesota Supreme Court. We are hopeful, however, that the immediate and ongoing success of the Borealis, not only from a ridership perspective, but financial performance perspective, will change the debate for expansion of passenger rail in Minnesota positively. We will keep you posted on developments this session and ask for your support through action alerts if needed. Stay tuned!

For All Aboard Minnesota's part, we will continue to advocate and educate for the extension of the Borealis from St. Paul to Fargo, through St. Cloud on the Empire Builder route, and new Twin Cities to Kansas City service. We will also work with our Wisconsin partners for new service to Madison and Green Bay, a second Borealis frequency, and a new Twin Cities to Chicago train through Madison, and EauClaire, WI.