Rush Line Corridor

Rush Line Corridor
Overview
Type	Commuter rail line
Status	Proposed
Locale	Minneapolis – Saint Paul metro area; Ramsey, Anoka, Washington, Chisago, and Pine counties
Termini	Saint Paul Union Depot Hinckley
Website	http://www.rushline.org/
Technical
Line length	80 mi (130 km)
Track gauge	4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in (1,435 mm)

The Rush Line Corridor is a transport corridor and proposed commuter rail service that would run from Union Depot in downtown Saint Paul to Hinckley, Minnesota. It roughly follows the path of U.S. Route 61 and Interstate 35. Along with the Red Rock Corridor in the southeast and the Southwest Corridor in the southwest metro, it is considered a "Tier Two" commuter rail project with scheduled implementation after 2020. Efforts to improve the corridor are coordinated by the Rush Line Corridor Task Force, formed in 1999 and composed of 22 elected officials from counties and municipalities along the corridor.

Commuter rail costs are expected to be high if implemented, due to the multiple railroads operating the tracks, additionally some sections of rail would have to be rebuilt on county-owned abandoned rights-of-way. Existing rail is a combination of Class I and Class III railroads. Despite a relatively high population density, projected ridership is lower than originally anticipated because commuters are split in their final destination, mostly downtown Saint Paul or downtown Minneapolis. If built, it could connect with the proposed Northern Lights Express in Hinckley and provide a more direct link between Saint Paul and Duluth.

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