Oct 14, 2008 5:52 pm US/Central
Report: Growing Need For Commuter Trains In Minn.
(WCCO)
-
-
There are no commuter trains running on the tracks in Cannon Falls but people in this small Minnesota town between the Twin Cities and Rochester wish there were. (File)
Jupiter Images
A new study shows there is a growing need for commuter trains in Minnesota.
A poll taken in February 2008 by the
Minnesota 2020, a non-partisan think tank, showed 72 percent of those surveyed agreed that the state should look at ways to expand and promote rail service.
There are no commuter trains running on the tracks in Cannon Falls but people in this small Minnesota town between the Twin Cities and Rochester wish there were.
"There's a lot of new housing and homes here in the Cannon Falls area, and commuters between the two. Sounds like it could be a natural," said Cannon Falls resident Larry Lee.
The new report by Minnesota 2020 shows a regional line between the Twin Cities and places like Rochester and Albert Lea is needed to help the economy grow. The rail line would do wonders for Cannon Falls as well.
"There are a lot of people that go to the cities, and some probably even from Rochester go up that way. And I think that would be helpful certainly, less traffic on the road then," said Deb Pierce of Cannon Falls.
The Northstar Commuter Rail is already in the works. It will run from Big Lake to Minneapolis. Although it won't be ready until next year, people along the line are excited.
"I think it helps business, it helps transportation with many people, and not having to put so much money into roadways which are getting congested all the time," said Richard Anderson of Elk River.
And there's talk of high speed trains between Minneapolis and Duluth, or St. Paul to Chicago. Those rails could bring in some big dollars for the state.
"Taking a look for example at this Duluth corridor or the Chicago corridor, we could improve property values of up to $2 billion, we could grow 15,000 jobs, we have the possibilities of saving billions of dollars of time that's now loss in congestion," said Matt Entenza, Minnesota 2020 board chair.
The study also showed that Minnesota is behind in commuter trains compared to other big cities, and the state needs to catch up in order to lure more jobs and revenue.
Minnesota 2020 was created by ex-DFL State Representative Matt Entenza to examine issues like transportation and health care.
Sonya Goins, Producer Contact Sonya 
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Click to enlarge
Fire In Downtown Minneapolis Parking Ramp 50 mins ago 
Stumble It!
