With the Northstar Line now shut down, I reminisce about our short-lived commuter rail, how history is repeating itself with this shut down, and what the future holds for the transit system of the Twin Cities without Northstar.
Although the Northstar Commuter Line could be shut down, its trains could still be used to improve passenger rail throughout Minnesota.
Take a rails-and-trails tour of abandoned railways around the Twin Cities metro, as our author explains their history and current uses.
A comprehensive look at and recommendations for the Riverview Corridor, a proposed streetcar between Downtown St. Paul and the Mall of America.
Progressive Rail’s High Line is a little-used yet important freight railway facing proposals for conversion to a trail. However, framing this push as a rail vs trail choice ignores the better solution: rail-with-trail.
Ridership on the Northstar during the pandemic has averaged between 100 and 300 weekday riders, making it one of the lowest performing commuter/regional rail routes in the country.
The Blue Line Extension hit a major roadblock when BNSF Railway refused to allow part of the light rail route on their right-of-way. This means delays and a higher cost to the project, but it’s also been an opportunity to reroute the light rail through North Minneapolis. What hasn’t been talked about however, is the […]
Often, if not every time, there’s an article written by Janet Moore of the Star Tribune that relates to bus rapid transit (BRT). It’s defined as a “service that mimics light rail in terms of service and reliability but for a fraction of the cost” (quoting this article). This is a generalized statement that doesn’t […]
Back in the late 1990s, MnDOT analyzed several existing freight rail corridors in the Twin Cities region for the possibility of implementing commuter rail service. Three routes were chosen for their cost effectiveness and best potential ridership: the Northstar Line to St. Cloud, the Red Rock Corridor to Hastings, and the Dan Patch Corridor to […]
By 2024, the B Line will be operational and provide rapid bus service along Lake Street, Marshall Avenue, and Selby Avenue between West Lake Station in Minneapolis and Downtown St. Paul. Just north of Lake Street is a former railroad trench, now partially occupied by the popular Midtown Greenway trail, that for years has been […]