Cambridge Rail

Cambridge mayor Marlys Palmer told a friend of mine (who told me) that the Northern Lights Express was basically a ‘done deal,’ and should be ready to go between 2012 and 2015. But let’s get it moving faster than that. Right now I’m just waiting for its website to get official. We can make this happen, together.

There’s been some flap about some increases to the cost estimates ($60 million+) for improved rail lines around Sandstone. But officials were saying that this is one possible increase and that there’s a whole smorgasbord of possibilities …. sounds like no one knows yet, but it’s likely the $400 million estimate for the line isn’t a “hard” estimate.

In a press release a couple weeks ago, Minnesota’s Eighth District U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar wrote that “portions of the line could become operational by the end of next year.” The Northern Lights Express is moving forward “at full throttle,” according to the congressman, but the recent $1.1 million grant for an environmental study has nothing to do with this portion. An unrelated rail commuter line (Northstar)is opening between Big Lake, Minnesota, and Minneapolis at the end of 2009. The proposed Northern Lights Express (primarily an inter-city passenger-rail line, not a commuter line) is expected to share tracks with the Big Lake line between Minneapolis and Coon Rapids. Going north from Coon Rapids, the Northstar will hang a left and go to Big Lake, the Northern Lights Express will go almost directly north to Duluth.