Pork barrel Northstar politics in Minnesota.

Some contend that Minnesota's metro transit Northstar commuter rail thing was a boondoggle sold us as a service whereas its actual purpose was as a sop to developers along the route, so that new homebuyers could be told "there's a rail stop in town so buy here;" the net result being the thing led to much heavier U.S. Highway 10 congestion, because - yes there is the commuter morning/evening rush hour rail available but - nobody [or two few] take it to pay its costs; given the fact that the new housing development residents, in fact and in the great majority, drive back and forth from home to their downtown jobs.

In effect, a cosmetic thing to goose up north metro housing expansion. But a very expensive cosmetic measure, one needing ongoing subsidy from day one to exist.

With that as background:

New Strib "reporting,"

Minnesota lawmakers hear calls to extend Northstar rail to St. Cloud --- Commuter train from downtown Minneapolis now ends in Big Lake.
By Janet Moore, Star Tribune, February 22, 2019 — 8:23pm

For several years, some lawmakers have tried to correct a miscue that has vexed public transit in the Twin Cities and beyond for a decade — the abrupt halt of the Northstar Commuter Rail line in Big Lake instead of St. Cloud, one of the largest metropolitan areas in the state.

Start an ostensible news report with an editorial "miscue" "to correct" judgment and the flavor of pork or at least the smell of it cooking up is inescapable.

The item expands:

Rep. Dan Wolgamott, DFL-St. Cloud, has sponsored a bill that would provide $7.3 million to get the project rolling. Of that amount, $850,000 would pay for an analysis to see if an extension is appropriate. The remaining money would fund preliminary work, such as engineering, environmental analysis and land acquisition.

"Getting this train to St. Cloud will change people's lives," Wolgamott said. "I thought the testimony today was extremely powerful."

Cost estimates for extending Northstar to St. Cloud have varied over the years, from as $40 million to $150 million.

Wolgamott said the assessment will help better quantify those costs, [...]

"... will change people's lives" seems hyperbole, the highly subsidized commuter rail line not being as ubiquitous as the microwave oven as an innovative means to cook pork faster. In the real sense, not figurative "pork."

Yup however, "pork" cooking. If the bulk of $7.3 million is for implementation detail, why eight-fifty thousand for a study of whether or not it's a sound idea? That rings of either of two indirect and suspect things. Either the eight-fifty thousand is a giveaway to somebody's friends/relatives over a done deal to do the start-up of the spending either way, or it's the only aim of this legislator, to kick the can along, with the remainder of the suggested money only a bargaining chip.

Presuming the best of two possibilities, the bargaining chip idea, and letting interested readers pursue the remainder of that Strib article; history suggests:

MN Senate approves study on extending Northstar commuter rail to St. Cloud
April 27, 2018 By Bill Werner

The state would spend 850-thousand dollars for a study on extending the Northstar commuter rail line from Big Lake to Saint Cloud, under a measure the Minnesota Senate approved Thursday night over objections of Big Lake Republican Mary Kiffmeyer. “The entire route, just a one-way ticket, is subsidized 22 dollars — round trip, 44 — and that’s at four-years-ago prices or so,” Kiffmeyer says. Minneapolis Democrat Scott Dibble, a strong backer of mass transit, fired back, “The most heavily-subsidized form of transportation we have are cars and roadways, bar none.” Backers argue extending Northstar to Saint Cloud will improve ridership on the commuter rail line which has been plagued by low numbers.

A short item, that being the entirety of it. As a first step of analysis, Kiffmeyer does represent Big Lake, and what's the status of Northstar, re her district? Wikipedia teaches, "The maintenance facility for the Northstar trains was built just to the south.[4]"

So Kiffmeyer's Big Lake (little town, big lake?) has gotten its pork, a terminus station and jobs in a maintenance facility for the entire shooting match. Not bad for the town, given that its state senator has been a total throbbing hemorrhoid over her entire political career, especially during a sad tenure as Minnesota Secretary of State, and likely was one from childhood onward. Voting suppression motivations being part of her extreme partisan politics.

And she's satisfied with the line's terminus being where it presently is located.

Gee. Folks in St. Cloud can think as they will, but Kiffmeyer offered "subsidization already, as it stands" argument to keep a terminus in place.