ENCOURAGING DEVELOPMENTS IN REGIONAL RAIL.

The Madison model railroad show took place last weekend, and among the exhibitors there were the Wisconsin Association of Rail Passengers, with supporting material from the Illinois and Minnesota Passenger Rail advocates.

The desired improvement on the Illinois side of the Cheddar Curtain involves ten round trips with a maximum speed of 90 mph.  I have to wonder about that: three intermediate stops (Milwaukee's airport, Sturtevant, and a conditional Glenview stop) and the best we can do is an 87 minute train.

I know I repeat myself, but repeat myself I must.

That's a similar spacing of trains to the proposed expanded service.  With today's diesels and Free Rein to 110, is it too much to ask for an 80 Minute Train or a 75 Minute Train making those three stops?

Several of those 1941 trains continued beyond Milwaukee: to Green Bay, Wausau, the Cities, and the West Coast.  The good news is that Minnesota's Passenger Rail advocates are beginning to see the value of a corridor through their state.  Eastbound, a 7 am departure from Fargo - Moorhead, a noon departure from the Cities (much like the Afternoon Hiawatha) and a 7.15 pm arrival in Chicago.  Westbound, a 10.20 am departure from Chicago (that was a Hiawatha time slot until recently; the Morning Hiawatha left at 10.30); leave the Cities at 6 pm for a 10.30 crossing of the Red River.

I like the way they're thinking in Minnesota.

The second easiest and least costly route to implement in Minnesota is a second train from St. Paul/Minneapolis-Fargo/Moorhead on the current Amtrak route through St. Cloud. This could be a daytime train leaving Fargo/Moorhead in the early morning going east and leaving St. Paul in the evening headed west. The most cost effective way to operate this service would be as a continuation of the proposed second train between the Twin Cities and Chicago. To achieve the highest ridership and cost recovery, we believe the route should extend to Fargo/ Moorhead rather than just St. Cloud.

Currently Amtrak serves St. Cloud, Staples, and Detroit Lakes, but additional stops at Little Falls, Wadena, and a northern suburb like Fridley or Anoka for a Minneapolis oriented stop should be seriously evaluated. This route could eventually support three trains a day (morning, noon and late afternoon plus the current overnight Empire Builder service. One train could be extended to Grand Forks and Winnipeg in the future.

Exactly.