Commuter rail projects in Minnesota

There are several passenger rail projects being discussed in Minnesota. There is one existing commuter rail service in the state, the Northstar Line, and one existing long-distance intercity rail service, the Empire Builder. Future projects include a mixture of short-distance commuter rail and medium-distance regional rail lines which would run from the Twin Cities outward to neighboring states and perhaps Canada.

This article is focused on heavy-rail projects and does not discuss potential light rail lines in the core Twin Cities area.

The Northstar Line is a state and federally funded commuter rail line that serves a region from Minneapolis northwest toward the central Minnesota city of St. Cloud. The line began service on November 16, 2009, and runs about half the distance to St. Cloud, terminating in Big Lake, with bus service covering the remaining distance. The train operates at up to 79 miles per hour (127 km/h).

These corridors are generally less than 50 miles (80 km) in length, but could be expanded beyond that distance.

The Red Rock Corridor is a 30-mile corridor running from Hastings through downtown St. Paul to downtown Minneapolis, in the counties of Dakota, Washington, Ramsey, and Hennepin. It uses the Burlington Northern Santa Fe and Canadian Pacific rail lines, and roughly parallels U.S. Highway 61 and Interstate 94 (I-94). It was hoped to begin service by 2018 between Hastings and Minneapolis.

Communities along the corridor include Hastings, Denmark Township, Cottage Grove, St. Paul Park, Newport, St. Paul, and Minneapolis. Other potential stops include the University of Minnesota, Snelling Avenue, Rice Street, Lower Afton Road, Newport, and a later extension expand to Red Wing.

...
Wikipedia