53 replies to this topic

[CNJRoss]

Duluth (MN) News Tribune, 5/26/23

 

Now that Duluth-Twin Cities passenger rail has state funding, what's next?

 

It could be up to a year or two before final federal funding is secured, and then construction can begin. That is projected to take three years.

 

 

ST. PAUL — After decades of advocacy at the capitol, a long-awaited passenger rail line between Duluth and the Twin Cities has secured state funding and could enter service later in the 2020s.

 

Minnesota’s new transportation budget signed into law by the governor on Wednesday, May 24, has $194.7 million to start up Northern Lights Express rail, or NLX. It’s a huge step forward for the project, but much work still lies ahead, according to the Department of Transportation and rail advocacy group NLX Alliance.

 

“We are so excited about this funding,” said Minneapolis City Council Member and NLX Alliance President Andrew Johnson. “Folks should be able to, hopefully, buy their tickets in about four to five years."

 

 

Continue here.   

[KevinKorell]

Opinion in Minneapolis, MN Star-Tribune, 6/10/23:

 

 

    Get on board with the Northern Lights Express  

 

 

After decades of fits and starts, the Northern Lights Express could, at last, provide regular passenger service between the Twin Cities and Duluth within a few short years.

 

 

Opinion

[CNJRoss]

Northern News Now, Duluth, MN, 12/8/23

 

Northern Lights Express comes up short in current round of federal funding

 

DULUTH, MN. (Northern News Now) - The Northern Lights Express (NLX) funding has hit a speed bump.

 

On Friday, the NLX came up short in the latest round of allocations announced by the Federal Railroad Administration.

 

SNIP

 

However, the project did receive $500,000 from Corridor Identification.

 

 

More here.  

[KevinKorell]

Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, Minneapolis, MN, 3/6/24:

 

 

   Ride the rails from Minneapolis to Duluth? House panel considers $194 million for Northern Lights Express  

 

 

Supporters of the Northern Lights Express painted pictures of the potential new rail service riders: veterans traveling south for treatment at the VA Medical Center, tourists headed to Grand Casino Hinckley, older adults who want to attend a play at the Guthrie, a driver avoiding a white-knuckle February trip on a snowy highway, out-of-state visitors planning a week’s vacation on the shores of Lake Superior.

 

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