Ramsey County Regional Railroad Authority Meeting - March 17, 2026

The Ramsey County Regional Railroad Authority convened on March 17, 2026, at the Council Chambers - Courthouse Room 300. The agenda listed a 10:00 a.m. start, but the minutes indicate the meeting was called to order at 10:44 a.m. Members present were Jebens-Singh, McMurtrey, Miller, Moran, Xiong, Chair Ortega, and Commissioner McGuire (participating remotely per Minnesota Statutes 13D.02). All seven members voted in favor of every motion, and the meeting adjourned at 10:49 a.m.

Consent Calendar

• Agenda Approval (2026-103): Motion by Moran, seconded by Miller, passed unanimously to approve the March 17, 2026 agenda.
• Minutes Approval (2026-104): Motion by Miller, seconded by Moran, passed unanimously to approve the January 27, 2026 minutes.

Administrative Items

• Great River Rail Commission 2026 Funding Commitment (2026-053): Motion by Xiong, seconded by Moran, passed unanimously (Resolution R2026-006). The Authority accepted the Great River Rail Commission’s 2026 Work Plan and Budget, approved a $16,400 payment as Ramsey County’s funding commitment, and authorized the County Manager to establish a project budget.
• Support for METRO J Line Arterial Bus Rapid Transit (2026-091): Motion by Miller, seconded by Xiong, passed unanimously (Resolution R2026-007). The Authority supported the METRO J Line contingent upon multi-jurisdictional commitment and collaboration among MnDOT, Metro Transit, the city of Saint Paul, and Ramsey County for significant infrastructure improvements along West 7th Street addressing safety, mobility, transit reliability, and long-term corridor functionality. One commissioner expressed pleasure at seeing the project move forward, noting it is a state road and that transit planning has been ongoing for decades.
• Support for Revised Locally Preferred Alternative for METRO Bronze Line BRT (2026-094): Motion by Miller, seconded by Xiong, passed unanimously (Resolution R2026-008). The Authority supported the revised Locally Preferred Alternative, supported amending the Metropolitan Council’s Imagine 2050 Transportation Policy Plan to incorporate the revised project definition, and authorized the Chair to transmit the resolution. A commissioner said they were "super excited" and looked forward to moving out of the one-percent design phase.

Corridor Updates

• Chair Ortega shared an update from an East Metro Strong Board conversation regarding the organization’s future. Board members generally agreed that East Metro Strong, established about ten years ago to help the East Metro compete in Met Council regional solicitations, may have fulfilled its mission given the number of corridors now lined out. There was consensus to potentially sunset the organization, though the process for ending or transferring work remains unclear; for the immediate term, partners may not be invoiced for the next year. Chair Ortega commented that this conversation was overdue and that the organization may have become stagnant rather than part of a new vision.

Key Outcomes

• All three administrative items were approved unanimously with three separate resolutions: R2026-006 (Great River Rail funding), R2026-007 (METRO J Line support), and R2026-008 (METRO Bronze Line revised LPA support).
• No public comments were made.
• Meeting adjourned without further formal action.