Streets MN published a podcast to recap some of the highlights of the ground breaking and game changing Transportation Bill passed by the Minnesota Legislature in 2023. The podcast encompasses some of the forces at work that brought this all about, transit funding, bike and trails, and new passenger rail services funded in the legislation. Ian Buck from Streets MN interviews Brian Nelson with All Aboard Minnesota as a part of this podcast about the exciting developments in store for more passenger rail.

Click Here: Streets MN Podcast

In this issue:

• Historic and game changing investment for passenger rail in Minnesota!
• All Aboard Minnesota to celebrate 10 years as a 501 (C) (3)
• St. Paul Union Depot Train Days June 3-4

The Minnesota legislature has just passed a truly historic and groundbreaking transportation bill which tremendously improves the passenger rail scene in Minnesota! After decades of only Empire Builder service, Minnesota will see two new trains roll in the coming years, the most since 1985!

1. The Minnesota House and Senate Transportation Conference Committee included in the final Transportation bill $195M to fully fund the Northern Lights Express (NLX) service between Minneapolis, and Duluth.

This money allows the state to apply for a federal match which will provide all the construction needs to enable four round trips a day running at 90mph on Burlington Northern Santa Fe railway tracks.

The money also allows MnDOT to buy into the new Midwest Passenger Car Pool, which features the new Siemen coaches now beginning operation on other routes in the Midwest. These new cars could run on NLX, as well as the new 2nd Train between the Twin Cities and Chicago. Once all the funding is secured, the construction will take approximately three years to complete.

The service will be competitive with drive times, and new stations will be constructed in Coon Rapids (which will also serve as an Empire Builder stop to serve the northwest metro area), Cambridge, Hinckley, Superior, WI and Duluth. An estimated 700,000 are expected to use the service annually. The last time trains ran between the Twin Cities and Duluth was 1985.

2. The 2nd Twin Cities to Chicago train is now fully funded!

The Transportation bill provides operational support funding with $1.8M in 2024, and $3.2M in 2025 for the service which leverages a federal grant. The infrastructure funding was put in place through a $10M state grant last session, which also matches a federal grant. The operational funding was the last piece of the puzzle to get in place, so it seems that all signals are green!

Wisconsin has already committed the funding necessary. The 2nd train could begin rolling as early as this fall, but all construction and infrastructure upgrades will not be completed until mid 2025. As we understand it, Amtrak has named this new train the "Great River Route Service." We will definitely keep you posted as we hear more.

3. The Transportation bill includes $4M for MnDOT to study the St. Paul to Fargo/Moorhead passenger rail corridor.

This study will provide a comprehensive view of the needs of the corridor, such as recommendations for the Northstar Commuter rail service between Minneapolis and Big Lake, and also identify needs for perhaps new long distance passenger rail between St. Paul and Fargo.

All Aboard Minnesota has long advocated for St. Paul to Fargo daytime passenger rail service, and there is strong support from online communities along the route. The long-distance service we propose is on the Empire Builder route between St. Paul, St. Cloud, and Fargo. We will keep you posted as this study develops.

4. Your voice makes a difference!

We are truly grateful for all of our members and friends that have contacted legislators not only this year but in years past advocating for more rail passenger service. We have been told that over the years, the conversation has changed as awareness has grown in the legislature about the positive impact passenger rail can provide for Minnesotans!

Yes, there are those that do not support passenger rail in the legislature, but this year, legislators broke through and provided historic funding to make NLX and the 2nd train possible. Both of these new services will build out the MnDOT state rail plan and provide new passenger rail service for hundreds of thousands of people, a real game changer! Your voice helped to make all of this happen, and we are truly thankful. Citizen advocacy works!

5. Save the date and Let’s Celebrate!

2023 officially marks 10 years for All Aboard Minnesota as a 501 (C) (3) organization! This event is planned for Saturday October 14 during the lunch hour, and we will provide a light lunch and an exciting program! It will be free for all of our members and friends. As details emerge, we will certainly keep you posted. We could not have achieved this milestone without your generosity, activism and support. We are very grateful to all of our members, friends, colleagues, and partner organizations. We hope to see you there, stay tuned!

6. St. Paul Union Depot celebrates Train Days on June 3-4, with an emphasis on steam!

All Aboard Minnesota will be there both days; stop by and talk with us. There is a full description of this years event on the events page on this site.

First, The Good News!
Both the House and Senate Transportation bills fund the 2nd Twin Cities to Chicago train, and they both provide money for the Northern Lights Express (NLX) Twin Cities to Duluth passenger rail service.

But, Here's The Issue
The House and Senate bills are far apart on the amount of money provided to fund passenger rail service in Minnesota, especially for NLX. The Transportation Conference Committee is meeting now to reconcile the differences between the two bills for final passage.

Please contact House and Senate Transportation Committee Chairs and tell them you want the House version of the Transportation Bill that fully funds passenger rail!

House Transportation Committee Chair:
Rep. Frank Hornstein
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 651-296-9281

Senate Transportation Committee Chair:
Senator Scott Dibble
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 651-296-4141

Other support in the House Transportation Bill, not provided in the Senate version:

1. Money to provide more MnDOT staffing for passenger rail projects and planning, which is greatly needed
2. The ability for MnDOT to buy into the Midwest Passenger rail car pool, which will provide new equipment for the 2nd Train, NLX and other new corridors
3. Money to fund a comprehensive St. Paul, MN to Fargo/Moorhead corridor study, which could extend long distance passenger rail from St. Paul to Fargo on a daytime schedule, greatly enhancing this corridor

Even though the House and the Senate Transportation bills differ in funding amounts, we are very grateful to Rep. Hornstein, and Senator Dibble for their support of passenger rail.

Please make your voice heard today! This could be the most significant opportunity to advance passenger rail service in Minnesota since 1985!

THANK YOU for your support!

The Federal Railroad Administration last year began a study for possible additions to Amtrak's long distance network nationwide. These could be long distance trains that Amtrak discontinued, ran before Amtrak but never run by Amtrak, and trains that run less than daily. As one of the stakeholders in the study for the Midwest Region, All Aboard Minnesota submitted our proposals for two routes that would provide direct connectivity into Amtrak's long distance and corridor services. These routes would allow Upper Midwesterners direct access to the Mid-South, Pacific Northwest and the Southwest.

The first stakeholder meetings were held in February 2023, and the next stakeholder meetings will be held in mid July. The study is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2023, and then plans could possibly move forward. As part of the Infrastructure and Jobs act passed by the US Congress, there is federal money available for new long distance routes. This long distance study is a separate initiative from the "Corridor ID" program, which is to help states identify and pursue corridors under 750 miles in their states and regions.

Below is a link to the FRA Study website, and All Aboard Minnesota's letter to the FRA. We will keep you posted as this study develops.

FRA Study Website

All Aboard Minnesota's input letter to the FRA

All Aboard Minnesota has long advocated for daytime passenger train service from the Twin Cities through St. Cloud, Little Falls, to Fargo Moorhead on the same route as Amtrak's Empire Builder. We have just produced a new video to talk about the route, proposed schedule, and benefits of this new service. This route is part of MnDOT's state rail passenger plan, and we hope it can move forward soon!

Here is a link to All Aboard Minnesota's You Tube Channel, check out our new video and watch the others posted. Please like and comment, thank you for your support!

All Aboard Minnesota - YouTube

In this issue:

• Passenger rail progress in the Minnesota Legislature, 1-3
• Amtrak Service Issues, 4
• Let’s Celebrate!

As the 2023 Minnesota Legislative session progresses, there are several new exciting developments for Minnesota's passenger rail expansion:

1. The Governor recently announced his transportation budget, and in it is a recommendation of $15.1M in operating and other support for the 2nd Train Frequency between the Twin Cities and Chicago. This budget recommendation would cover the first four years of operating support and is far greater than what was proposed last year. The state did receive a Federal Operating Grant to cover a large portion of the operating costs for the first three years, but the state would still need to cover some costs. This is a substantial development, and we are learning there is strong support in both the House and the Senate for the 2nd train. All Aboard Minnesota met with the Governor’s Transportation Advisor in December 2022, and learned that the Governor is very supportive of the 2nd train and would like to see it begin service as soon as is possible. The Governor is supportive of passenger rail in general.

2. New passenger rail legislation will be introduced shortly that would allow MnDOT to study new and expanded passenger rail corridors in Minnesota and connecting us to the upper Mid-West. These corridors include:

• Extending the 2nd daily Twin Cities to Chicago train on a daytime schedule to St. Cloud and Fargo/Moorhead on the existing Amtrak Empire Builder route
• New service between the Twin Cities and Kansas City, through Northfield, Albert Lea, and Des Moines, IA
• A dedicated passenger main line between Minneapolis and St. Paul, and more

The bill will be authored in the House by Rep. Erin Koegel and in the Senate by Senator Aric Putnam. If the bill is passed, MnDOT could complete these studies and will allow the state to apply for Federal Matching Grants to enable these new and expanded corridors, which is the same process used for the 2nd train. AAMN worked with MnDOT to draft the language and have met with several legislators in the House and Senate to gain support for the bill. We will definitely keep you posted on all progress and ask for your active voice at appropriate times in this session!

3. The Northern Lights Express bill, new service from the Twin Cities to Duluth, MN, (SF 202 authored by Senator Jen McEwen), was heard in the Senate Transportation Committee recently. The bill provides state match of $99.9M, which would qualify for a $320M Federal Grant. This money would be for infrastructure costs of the Twin Cities to Duluth line, owned by the BNSF Railway, to enable passenger service at speeds of 90 mph. Many testified during the hearing, including Mayors along the line, including Mayor Paine from Superior, WI, the Milles Lacs Band of Ojibwe, Duluth Chamber of Commerce, several college students stating that more options were needed other than cars, and others, made the case. The bill was not voted on in the hearing but put forward for consideration in the Senate Transportation bill.

4. 2022 – Amtrak’s year of discontent! There have been numerous reports of Amtrak’s failings during 2022 that continue into this year. Most concerning from AAMN’s perspective is a direct violation of the Covid funding statute to prevent layoffs and train reductions in 2022, but Amtrak went ahead with service reductions anyway. The Empire Builder, along with all other long-distance trains were cut back to five days a week in January 2022, and full service was not restored until May. As we reported to you in November, AAMN met with the Minnesota US Congressional delegation to hold Amtrak senior management and board accountable to run the national system properly as they now have the resources. We also asked that Amtrak put back into service idle long distance Superliner cars, of which there are approximately 100, or about 15% of the fleet, a record high. Other notes:

• The Empire Builder continues to run with one fewer coach and sleeper than in previous years
• Amtrak personal are telling us they are advising passenger to book coach accommodations three to six months in advance and sleeping car passengers six months to a year in advance because of such tight inventory on the train!
• Other failings have been the new Charger locomotives, with a high in-service failure rate, which we have been told are going to be pulled from the Empire Builder and reassigned to the Florida trains.
• Equipment issues: design flaws with the new “Airo” corridor equipment, that cost Amtrak an additional $45M to fix
• Annulment of state corridor trains in Michigan, Missouri and elsewhere due to lack of equipment, and crews
• Passengers being stranded for many hours due to mechanical breakdowns as reported on the Michigan “Wolverine” state corridor service, Auto Train, and others
• Passengers sleeping car reservations being cancelled at the last minute and forced to ride in coach due to lack of sleeping cars

We believe this is absolute mismanagement on Amtrak’s part. They need to run the system properly. But a couple notes of good news: Amtrak recently sent out Requests For Information to about 10 manufacturers to acquire new long distance passenger cars. This request will be followed up this fall with a formal request for proposals they have stated. The other positive development is that coach passengers, we have been told, will be able to access the dining car on six long distance routes beginning in February 2023.

5. Let’s Celebrate! 2023 marks officially 10 years for All Aboard Minnesota as a 501 (C) (3) organization! We could not have achieved this milestone without your generosity, activism and support. We are very grateful to all of our members, friends, colleagues, and partner organizations. This fall, we will plan a celebration. Stay tuned!

With just a month into the 2023 Minnesota Legislative session, there are several new exciting developments for Minnesota's passenger rail expansion:

1. The Governor recently announced his transportation budget, and in it is a recommendation of $15.1M in operating and other support for the 2nd Train Frequency between the Twin Cities and Chicago. This budget recommendation would cover the first four years of operating support, and is far greater than what was proposed last year. The state did receive a Federal Operating Grant to cover a large portion of the operating costs for the first three years, but the state would still need to cover some costs. This is an substantial development, and we are learning there is strong support in both the House and the Senate for the 2nd train.

2. New passenger rail legislation will be introduced shortly that would allow MnDOT to study new and expanded passenger rail corridors in Minnesota and connecting us to the upper Mid-West. These corridors include: extending the 2nd daily Twin Cities to Chicago train on a daytime schedule to St. Cloud and Fargo/Moorhead on the existing Amtrak Empire Builder route, new service between the Twin Cities and Kansas City, through Northfield, Albert Lea, and Des Moines, IA, a dedicated passenger main line between Minneapolis and St. Paul, and more. The bill will be authored in the House by Rep. Erin Koegel, and in the Senate by Senator Aric Putnam. If the bill is passed, MnDOT could complete these studies and will allow the state to apply for Federal Matching Grants to enable these new and expanded corridors, which is the same process used for the 2nd train.

3. The Northern Lights Express bill, new service from the Twin Cities to Duluth, MN, (SF 202 authored by Senator Jen McEwen), was heard in the Senate Transportation Committee recently. The bill provides state match of $99.9M, which would qualify for a $320M Federal Grant. This money would be for infrastructure costs of the Twin Cities to Duluth line, owned by the BNSF Railway, to enable passenger service at speeds of 90 mph. Many testified during the hearing, including Mayors along the line, including Mayor Paine from Superior, WI, the Milles Lacs Band of Ojibwe, Duluth Chamber of Commerce, several college students stating that more options were needed other than cars, and others, made the case. The bill was not voted on in the hearing but put forward for consideration in the Senate Transportation bill.

We will keep you posted on these exciting developments and others as they occur in this session. Stay Tuned!!

The Midwest Interstate Rail Passenger Commission (MIPRC) held its annual meeting in Indianapolis, IN Nov 16-18. MIPRC brings together state leaders from across the region on a bipartisan basis to advocate for passenger rail improvements. Formed by compact agreement in 2000, MIPRC's current members are Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota and Wisconsin. Iowa, Nebraska, Ohio and South Dakota are also eligible to join. The main purposes of the compact are to promote, coordinate and support regional improvements to passenger rail service.

The meeting , through the Federal Railroad Administration and State DOT updates, demonstrates there are many plans in the upper Mid-west for expanded and new passenger rail services. Seven out of the eight (8) are planning new services including Minnesota! Brian Nelson from All Aboard Minnesota attended this meeting and has provided a summary report and observations of the meeting. The opinions expressed are Nelson's alone.

Overall, its an exciting time for passenger rail. Click here to read the report

Citing many Amtrak operational concerns, All Aboard Minnesota board members met with staff members of Senators Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar, and Representatives Betty McCollum and Dean Phillips. In letters sent to each of these offices, we outlined many service and operational issues experienced by passengers this year such as rampant equipment failures, and reduced numbers of coach and sleeping cars from previous years. The Empire Builder, for example, has run with one fewer coach and sleeping car all year which has caused the train to be almost constantly sold out. There are many instances of passengers reservations being canceled, and sleeping car passengers being bumped to coach accommodations.

There are almost 100 Superliner cars, the equipment that runs on most long distance trains, that are awaiting repair and maintenance. We see no evidence of a program in place to get these cars back in service. Nor, do we see any active effort to replace these cars, many of which were put into service in the late 1970's and early 1980's.

We have asked our Minnesota Congressional delegation to hold Amtrak accountable amidst record levels of funding per the Infrastructure Bill (IIJA Act) to run the national network properly. Representative McCollum's office sent a letter on our behalf to Amtrak Board Chair Anthony Coscia. You can read the letters we sent along with Representative McCollum's letter per the links below.

Additionally, Bob Johnston reporter for Trains Magazine, just published an excellent article on these issues entitled "Amtrak's Capacity Crisis." Link below.

All Aboard Minnesota Letter to US Senators and Representatives

Representative Betty McCollum's Letter to Amtrak's Board Chair

Amtrak's Capacity Crisis - Bob Johnston - Trains Magazine Article

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) and the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) invite you to attend an in-person open house and presentation in La Crosse, Wis. or Winona, Minn. Design plans for the project's improvement sites in La Crosse, La Crescent and Winona will be presented at the meetings in addition to the project's latest schedule and details on the work required at railroad sites to provide a second, daily round-trip passenger rail service with minimal delays. Both meetings will present the same information. Before and after the presentation, exhibits and maps will be available. WisDOT and MnDOT staff and design engineers will be available to answer questions about the project.