With Traffic Congestion Worsening, Build the NLX Between Minneapolis and Duluth
Ask your Minnesota legislators to pledge a firm commitment to building the safe, energy-efficient and environmentally friendly Northern Lights Express.
Category: Railroads
National Links: Walking Helps Us Think
Bringing you news from around the country and the world, National Links this week features the “weird” desert city that will host the World Cup final and weirder purple streetlights.
The Largest, Hardest-to-Find Park in St. Paul
Hidden behind industrial facilities and a maze of streets, Pig’s Eye Regional Park is St. Paul’s hidden — yet unpolished — gem. The park’s peaceful nature makes a visit more than worthwhile, yet it demands some revitalization and decontamination, efforts which are being pioneered by the Great River Conservancy.
How to Go to Milwaukee
Reflections on a short trip to the oldest and most iconic 10-pin alley yield lessons on transit, history, equity and infrastructure.
National Links: The Importance of Time
Protected bike lanes have measurably countered climate change in Colombia, China and elsewhere. And other “National Links” showing the impact of smart, selfless planning around the world.
Could a Proposed Railway Merger Finally Bridge the Twin Cities by Bike?
In light of renewed pressure to convert a railroad bridge to a multi-use, multimodal span, Streets.mn reviews the history of the Midtown Greenway and the advocacy around it.
Progressive Rail’s High Line: Past, Present, and Future
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.
Learn from Baltic Nations, Get Northern Lights Train on Track
Investment in the Northern Lights Express would decrease traffic jams, infrastructure wear and tear, and the poisonous pollution of vehicle exhaust along Interstate 35.
The State of the Union (Depot) Address
This week we’re joined by Brian Nelson, President of All Aboard Minnesota, to chat about the current status of passenger rail projects in Minnesota.
Local View: Arguments against proposed NLX train are ‘insincere’
Also, across the U.S. and around the world, the public and private sectors are investing billions in building and/or expanding passenger-train networks. Passenger trains are bringing their communities, especially transit-underserved communities, numerous benefits. These include the development of businesses in and around stations, which attracts and retains young professionals, many of whom prefer public transit to private automobiles. This all reduces regional economic disparities.