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Supporting the proposed high-speed rail line project connecting Saint Paul to Chicago.
Calling all Red Rock supporters!
February 5th, 2010High-speed rail along the Mississippi River will also help advance the Red Rock commuter tail corridor.
Join OnBoard Midwest on Monday, February 8 to encourage legislators to support proposals that would fund planning and construction work for this important transit corridor. There are more details below. Together we have a chance to improve transit and encourage more economic opportunities throughout our region.
Red Rock Corridor Seeks Legislative Support
for Commuter, High-Speed Rail
Proposed second commuter rail line in Twin Cities looks to build
on Northstar’s success and plan for high-speed rail
What:
Local government officials, community members and local business leaders seek bonding and general fund appropriations to start planning and construction for Red Rock commuter rail and high-speed rail connecting St. Paul to Chicago. Funding for the Red Rock Corridor is a three-for-one investment in commuter, high-speed and freight rail.
Who:
Senator Katie Sieben, (DFL – Newport)
Representative Alice Hausman, (DFL – St. Paul)
Representative Karla Bigham, (DFL – Cottage Grove)
Representative Dennis McNamara, (R – Hastings)
Commissioner Myra Peterson, Washington County
Commissioner Jim McDonough, Ramsey County
Mayor Chris Coleman, St. Paul
Local business and community members
When:
Monday, February 8, 2010 9:00 a.m.
Where: State Office Building, Room 181
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Saint Paul, MN 55155-1299
Catching up with High-Speed Rail Coverage
February 5th, 2010Last week our efforts to bring high-speed rail to the region took a significant step forward when we secured a $1 million grant to help transportation officials in Minnesota and Wisconsin study the feasibility of extending a high-speed rail line between Madison and Saint Paul. The Obama administration allocated a total of $8 billion for high-speed rail projects across the nation – with approximately $2.6 billion going toward projects in the Midwest. The government’s decision to invest billions to fund transit projects in our region means our projects are moving forward and there is more work to be done.
After the announcement, media coverage of high-speed rail picked up speed. Here are a few of the items we found most interesting.
Planning for high-speed rail
It’s clear the Obama administration is committed to funding high-speed rail. In return, federal leaders demand coordination and vision from each region. Last year Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood sent strong messages to the entire country about the importance of planning before the federal government decided which regions would receive funding.
Nevertheless, some states in the South, including Georgia, are reeling over the lack of funding they received. When a reporter from the Atlanta Journal Constitution asked LaHood why Georgia only received $750,000, he commented, “Unless a state has its act together, with money and a plan that connects things, you’re not going to get money.”
MnDOT’s statewide rail plan and its focused vision for the future were crucial to securing federal funding. However, we only received money to continue planning. Wisconsin, on the other hand, invested more time and money to develop a plan that will impact more than just one project. The result was funding to build the projects.
Recognizing the economic impact of rail
According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Wisconsinites are jumping for joy over the Obama administration’s decision to allocate $823 million to the state for high-speed rail. That’s because state, local and business leaders realize the exciting economic future that is ahead of them.
Rail is encouraging for businesses and developers because the route and stops are fixed, and they know there will be a market for their shops and developments. Growth will occur near those stops.
Keep building support
We need to keep working together to build more support for the Mississippi River Route. Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle commented earlier this week that Minnesota could be a major factor in deciding whether the high-speed route between Chicago and Saint Paul goes through La Crosse or Eau Claire. From an economic standpoint, Doyle supports the River Route, which would require trains to go through La Crosse.
To read more of Doyle’s comments, click here.
Connecting cities
High-speed rail is about more than just creating one new way to move people from place to place. It creates opportunities to connect cities and people to existing transportation opportunities – and makes communities stronger as a result. The Tomah Journal recently published an editorial imagining a future in which citizens of Tomah, Wisconsin, no longer had to take several connecting flights to get to their final destinations. Instead, they could take the high-speed train all the way to Chicago and hop on a direct flight to their final destination. With high-speed rail, travelers will save both time and money.
Click here to read the editorial.
Mississippi River High-Speed Corridor Receives Federal Funding
January 28th, 2010
The Obama Administration announced today that planning work related to high-speed rail upgrades to the Mississippi River Route will receive federal funding in the first round of investments from the America’s Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The White House approved a total $823 million for the high-speed rail line from Chicago to Saint Paul, including a $1 million grant to help transportation officials in Minnesota and Wisconsin study the feasibility of extending a high-speed rail line between Madison and Saint Paul.
Of the $8 billion being allocated, the Midwest region received approximately $2.6 billion in federal grants, second only to the West region. Nine projects in the Midwest were selected, including a planning study to explore the extension of high-speed rail service to the Twin Cities from Chicago. The grants included projects in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Michigan.
The decision by the Federal government to fund projects in the region follows years of work by planners to identify key routes and projects across the entire region. The first round of projects will help create stronger connections between key cities in the Midwest while also creating new incentives for leaders to continue to work on projects that could be part of the next round of funding.
For more information, read
- our news release.
- the White House’s information on the Saint Paul to Chicago route.
- the complete list of corridors that received federal grants.
LaHood makes second visit to Minnesota
January 26th, 2010
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood visited Minnesota yesterday to talk about light-rail transit along the Central Corridor. Several elected officials, including LaHood, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, U.S. Representatives Jim Oberstar and Keith Ellison, Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, and Saint Paul Mayor Chris Coleman, announced that three more stops along University Avenue would be added to the plan.
LaHood praised the coordinated effort put forth by a coalition of chambers of commerce, district councils, businesses, and residents to make the Central Corridor possible. Building support and momentum for transportation initiatives through a coalition – like what On Board Midwest is doing for high-speed rail along the Mississippi River Route – is a strategy that should be used around the country, said LaHood.
The final stop of the Central Corridor will be at the Union Depot. This light-rail line will give people coming to the Union Depot via Red Rock, Amtrak, or high-speed rail other transit options once reaching Saint Paul. It’s one more example of how a regional transit system benefits the entire community.
This marks the second time in recent months that LaHood has visited Minnesota to talk about transit projects. His interest in the state’s investments in transportation shows how important these projects are for the entire country and the growing momentum for rail in our region.
Minnesota Public Radio tour of Union Depot
January 26th, 2010Jim McDonough, eChair of the Ramsey County Regional Rail Authority took MPR’s Tom Crann on a tour of Union Depot as plans for restoring the landmark continue to move forward.
St. Paul, Minn. — It’s been nearly 40 years since passengers got on or off a train at St. Paul’s Union Depot. But soon, the historic train station could become a major transit hub once again.
The Ramsey County Regional Rail Authority is expecting to assume ownership of the Union Depot’s concourse this week.
Once it does, the Rail Authority plans to begin renovating the 86-year-old structure, so it can serve a number of different transit lines, including light rail and even high-speed rail to Chicago.
A tour of the St. Paul’s Union Depot | Minnesota Public Radio NewsQ.
