All Aboard Minnesota provides input into the FRA Long Distance Passenger Rail Study
April 27, 2023
The Federal Railroad Administration last year began a study for possible additions to Amtrak's long distance network nationwide. These could be long distance trains that Amtrak discontinued, ran before Amtrak but never run by Amtrak, and trains that run less than daily. As one of the stakeholders in the study for the Midwest Region, All Aboard Minnesota submitted our proposals for two routes that would provide direct connectivity into Amtrak's long distance and corridor services. These routes would allow Upper Midwesterners direct access to the Mid-South, Pacific Northwest and the Southwest.
The first stakeholder meetings were held in February 2023, and the next stakeholder meetings will be held in mid July. The study is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2023, and then plans could possibly move forward. As part of the Infrastructure and Jobs act passed by the US Congress, there is federal money available for new long distance routes. This long distance study is a separate initiative from the "Corridor ID" program, which is to help states identify and pursue corridors under 750 miles in their states and regions.
Below is a link to the FRA Study website, and All Aboard Minnesota's letter to the FRA. We will keep you posted as this study develops.