Minnesota is building on its vision for expanded state passenger rail service, freight transit and capacity for rolling stock statewide.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation has released its next investment plan to overhaul Minnesota’s 4,000-mile rail system.
The Minnesota State Rail Plan, which was previously updated in 2015, identifies 195 freight railroad capital projects that include 101 funded projects, 65 unfunded projects and 29 projects with unknown costs.
Plans like these are a key component to securing federal grants as well as informing state funding decisions by identifying needs and recommended projects, the Minnesota DOT noted.
The updated plan takes into account recent Union Pacific investments in Minnesota, including a new intermodal terminal in Minneapolis that provides domestic service between the Twin Cities and Los Angeles.
The plan advances several key initiatives to support an updated vision for rail in Minnesota over the next two decades, including:
- Detailing additional funding needs to support freight rail operations.
- Updating the process to analyze the expansion of passenger rail in new or additional corridors throughout the Midwest.
- Expanding passenger rail service by extending or adding more service along existing corridors, such as potentially expanding the Borealis or building the Northern Lights Express (NLX) lines.
- Identifying capital improvement projects necessary to enhance reliability, speed or improve capacity in existing passenger rail corridors.
- The plan does note that funding from federal grant program would be required to support some of the rail plan’s proposed projects. State and local officials could pursue grant funding and flexible financing form the Federal Railroad Administration.
Photo by Castorly Stock from Pexels
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