Good progress is being made on the next phase of work that will bring a second daily round-trip passenger train to the
 Twin Cities to Chicago corridor. A productive meeting occurred between project managers and the Federal Railroad Administration in April, project partners have finalized a scope of service for an environmental assessment, and a consultant was selected to complete the assessment.
A coalition of funding partners committed earlier this year to a majority of the cost of the assessment, including the Minnesota High Speed Rail Commission, Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Ramsey County Regional Railroad Authority, and La Crosse Area Planning Committee. The Minnesota Department of Transportation is the lead agency on the project.
After the environmental analysis is completed and approved in 2017, track improvements could begin and train sets could be purchased, depending on funding.
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mix. A number of projects that could potentially impact the Minnesota High-Speed Rail project were included in a bonding bill proposal, but a bonding bill was not passed. The Governor could call legislators back to the Capitol for a special session - we will have to wait and see.
A new feature on the Minnesota High-Speed Rail website is the River Route Spotlight, highlighting the great destinations along the River Route.
Union Depot in Saint Paul hosted Train Days on April 30 and May 1, attracting an estimated 10,000 visitors with several train-related activities including the Amtrak Exhibit Train, the Hiawatha, model railroads and much more! Andru Peters was on hand to talk high-speed rail and spoke with hundreds of visitors. Visitors took information and free buttons, and got their questions answered.
