The Minnesota Department of Transportation recently updated the Minnesota State Rail Plan, which serves as a long-term blueprint for improvements to the state’s 4,000-mile railroad system.
[Above photo by MnDOT]
The agency said its State Rail Plan identifies needs to improve safety, expand services and improve transportation options throughout Minnesota so both people and freight can get where they need to go.
“Minnesota’s rail system provides efficient, cost-effective and environmentally responsible transportation, and we’re working hard to make it even better for passengers and freight operators,” noted Nancy Daubenberger, MnDOT commissioner, in a statement.
“This plan demonstrates how key investments can improve the mobility of goods and people,” she added. “It serves as a 20-year guide to enhance economic development, provide critical connections for Minnesota residents and businesses and continue to support the state’s economic competitiveness.”
The plan advances several key initiatives to support an updated vision for rail in Minnesota over the next two decades, including:
- Detailing additional funding needs to support freight rail operations.
- Updating the process to analyze the expansion of passenger rail in new or additional corridors throughout the Midwest.
- Expanding passenger rail service by extending or adding more service along existing corridors, such as potentially expanding the Borealis or building the Northern Lights Express or NLX lines.
- Identifying capital improvement projects necessary to enhance reliability, speed or improve capacity in existing passenger rail corridors.
MnDOT said this plan is an important tool in its effort to secure federal grants and inform state funding decisions by identifying needs and project recommendations, with its content reflecting “months of extensive outreach with railroads, local governments, tribes, the public and other key stakeholders.”
Other state departments of transportation recently made funding available to support a variety of rail initiatives.
For example, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation recently began accepting applications for $3 million worth of fiscal year 2027 grants made available via its Industrial Rail Access Program or IRAP. The agency said IRAP grant applications will be accepted year-round, with quarterly review deadlines for FY 2027 beginning June 30 this year, followed by September 30, December 31, and March 31, 2027.
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