this post was submitted on 27 Oct 2023
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Northern Lights Express: Planned Higher-Speed-Rail Amtrak line from Minneapolis to Duluth (hexbear.net)
submitted 2 years ago by Starlet@hexbear.net to c/urbanism@hexbear.net
12 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

https://www.dot.state.mn.us/nlx/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Lights_Express

Top Speed: 90mph (~144 km/h)

Avg. Speed: 60mph (~96 km/h)

Projected Yearly Ridership: 700k

A one-way trip will take about 2.5 hours, roughly the same as driving.

The project has received $194.7M from Minnesota, meeting the 20% local funding required for federal grants

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[–] EmmaGoldman@hexbear.net 13 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Damn, they can only justify funds to set it up for a top speed of 90? Shit, hopefully that gets rectified eventually.

It won't, this continent is cursed.

[–] Starlet@hexbear.net 8 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

And yet that's still faster than the only other line in the state (79 mph, 127 km/h)

[–] YearOfTheCommieDesktop@hexbear.net 7 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

its slow and shits not even electrified. nor is the miserable excuse for commuter rail they have in mpls (lot of love went into parts of it but gimped from the start by not going to st cloud)

but like, a train is a train. its at least not slower than driving, and the drive it replaces can be pretty miserable when there's traffic or construction so I think it'll get some adoption. Duluth sees a lot of tourism too

[–] Starlet@hexbear.net 6 points 2 years ago

^^^

Projects like this are more or less the best we can hope for as long as Amtrak is privately run. I'm happy we're at least getting trains that don't take twice the time that driving does

[–] YearOfTheCommieDesktop@hexbear.net 9 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

oh hey I've seen this one

yeah its pretty cool considering MN is going from 1 long distance train that cuts across the state to two, and the new one actually goes intrastate along a major busy highway route. wish it was faster, but they wouldn't spend the money to go 110, probably couldn't justify it using the stupid federal cost effectiveness formula.

and actually its gonna sorta be 3 train lines because they're also adding additional service to the route that's currently just empire builder between chicago and st paul

[–] Mindfury@hexbear.net 7 points 2 years ago (1 children)

144km/h?

bruh it's slower than the V/Lines that go past my new house.

writing to my local member to suggest we sell you some

[–] Starlet@hexbear.net 8 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

Sadly I believe the limitation is that they're driving on upgraded freight rails

[–] EmmaGoldman@hexbear.net 7 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

Class 4 Single-track rails. bawllin-sad The trainset they're using could easily do a consistent 200kmh along the entire route if they would give it a sensible line to run on.

[–] YearOfTheCommieDesktop@hexbear.net 12 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Sections of track would be built alongside the main route so that passenger trains could move out of the way as freight trains move through.

joker-amerikkklap

[–] regul@hexbear.net 10 points 2 years ago

Spending state and federal money to pay for improvements to private infrastructure rather than just eminent domaining that shit is peak america

[–] prolepylene@hexbear.net 6 points 2 years ago