Public support for NLX
Another article (MinnPost) from Steve Raukar, chair of the the Minneapolis-Duluth/Superior Passenger Rail Alliance, disputing arguments made by Phil Krinkie (Taxpayers’ League of Minnesota) article, “Train to Nowhere.” In this article, Raukar argues that a substantial majority of Minnesotans agree that the state needs to explore “more ways to expand and promote regional rail services as a means of affordable and efficient transportation.”
Moreover, he says, the Minnesota legislature agreed by overriding the governor’s veto on the transportation bill.
Beyond that, and probably most importantly, the National Passenger Rail Study Group identified “this route as one of eight top priorities for development in the entire country.”
Building the Northern Lights Express (NLX) between Minneapolis and Duluth isn’t a no-brainer. It requires you to think about what the future of transportation will be for Minnesota, the Midwest and the nation. Money is being infused into national, intercity rail transportation, with the passage of the Railroad Safety Enhancement Act of 2008 (funding Amtrak’s intercity work). Minneapolis/St. Paul will be connected to a high-speed rail network with Chicago as the hub. Both the President-elect and his Vice-President have made statements about their support for high-speed rail networks. Sen. Kerry (Mass.) just proposed a bill that would supply $10 billion for a “world-class” national rail network.
In other words, NLX is not happening in a vacuum. Should we get NLX before the route to Chicago? Probably not. Should we get NLX before commuter lines supplying the Twin Cities? Probably not. But funding schedules and political allies in Congress (Rep. Oberstar, et al.) make NLX a reality right now and we shouldn’t wait for everything else to be in place. One part will make the other parts easier to put in place.
I think, for example, that once the Northstar Commuter Rail Line between Minneapolis and Big Lake, Minn. is open and proves its success, it will be much easier to get other commuter lines in Minnesota. There will be more public pressure, politicians can point to success, and there will be hard data on actual performance, making future applications easier to write.
