Cambridge Rail

Google map of the proposed Northern Lights Express high-speed rail route

Google map of the proposed Northern Lights Express high-speed rail route

Google map of the proposed Northern Lights Express high-speed rail route

Is the Northern Lights Express any different than the Amtrak service running the line a couple decades ago? In a May 2008 article, the Lake Minnetonka Liberty blog entered some good arguments against the proposesd rail line and I thought I’d respond (six months later).

Things are not the same as they were before:

1. There is a giant casino on the route that will boost ridership
2. The southern end of the route will be used as a commuter rail line for northern suburbs
3. There’s an economic downturn (recession), but the North Shore is still a popular destination for Twin Cities residents
4. The train will cover the distance to Duluth/Superior in less time than it takes to get there by car

Private corporations are going to gain from the Northern Lights Express. So far, the owner of the tracks, BNSF, has been cooperative and supportive. It stands to gain. Private corporations will gain, too: There will be concessions at stations, food on the trains, and transportation needs (shuttles, taxis) at both ends of the lines. Not to mention builders and developers up and down the line, who will build vacation homes, cabins, condos, restaurants, malls and other places for people to stop. Businesses in Fridley, Coon Rapids, Cambridge, Sandstone, Hinckley, Superior and Duluth may all see an uptick in sales, too.

Never turn a profit? The project proposers are being asked to specifically design the line so that it will be self-sustaining, if not profitable. That’s part of the reason the proposers are being so flexible with the casino and are trying to make the train times/frequencies competitive with auto traffic. Also, trains won’t be running the full route at equal frequencies. The proposers are suggesting running more routes between Minneapolis and Hinckley than between Hinckley and Duluth.

I don’t know what the cost will be to take the train to Duluth from Minneapolis, but if the cost of fuel goes up again (and it will), it won’t be hard to make the case. It’s a 150-mile, 2.25-hour route. Twenty-five mpgs will get you there and back on 12 gallons, not to mention upkeep. At current prices ($1.91), it’s about $22 bucks there and back. But if prices shoot up to $3.50, like they were most of the summer, the round-trip price will cost a driver closer to $42 @ 25mpg. I’m sure the proposers are keeping these numbers in mind as they do their calculations.

Once you get to Duluth by rail, how are you going to get around without a car? Take a taxi. Ride a bus. Bring a bike. Rent a motorcycle. I’m sure an industry will grow up on the north end of the route to cater to these folks. I think this is a problem, and one of Anti-Strib‘s better points.

One final note: From what I’ve heard, Minnesota pays more than its share of federal taxes and doesn’t get it all back. With the federal government paying 80% of the costs, this would be one way Minnesota could get something back.

Personally, I don’t think (and no one should argue) that this line has ‘national’ importance. But it isn’t happening in isolation. If you look at a map of the Midwest high-speed rail network that’s forming, this line will connect. Other routes are far more important, I think — for example, the improved high-speed line between Minneapolis and Chicago. Passenger rail is in the ascendancy, I think, and this line will connect into a broader network that’s being developed.

Times have changed. Fuel is expensive. Airlines are struggling and hasseling customers with fees. The Lakes region and the North Shore are popular places and will probably grow more so with an aging baby-boomer population in the Twin Cities. Suburbs and cities north of the Twin Cities are growing and people need alternative ways to get to work. Roads are becoming crowded and dangerous (case-in-point: Central Avenue, Hwy. 65).

I complained to a co-worker this morning that no one was reading my blog. She responded: “Are you talking to me?” That’s sort of the feeling I’m getting about passenger rail/commuter rail in Minnesota. Maybe I’m not marketing my stuff right, but there just doesn’t seem to be a lot of enthusiasm (anywhere online) for this sort of transportation in Minnesota. Some regional transportation folks and railroad enthusiasts, but that’s about it.

The mean travel time for Isanti County’s 17,120 workers (age 16 and older) is 32 minutes. That’s the mean travel time, not the median time, so the numbers could be considerably higher. Cambridge is a bedroom community. Even though a lot of jobs have sprung up at the big-box retailers, workers with good jobs are heading south to the Twin Cities.

Thousands of people in Cambridge are driving down a dangerous Hwy. 65, or out to North Branch to take I-35 to the Twin Cities. We used to have passenger rail in Minnesota. There’s still a very active train that runs through Cambridge. I live two blocks from a BNSF freight rail line and my workplace parking lot abuts a BNSF track in St. Paul. I considered jumping a train and taking it to work until I learned that jumping a train is a felony.

So, I’m looking for feedback of any kind. Let me know if you would ride a train to work from central Minnesota.   –Dan