Proposed Northern Lights Express Train Route
Graphic credit: MN Department of Transportation
Transportation is the #1 source of climate change pollution in Minnesota and the nation. Improving options for how we get where we need to go and how we develop our communities has a profound impact on the air we breathe, our physical health (think walking and biking more versus driving everywhere), and our pocketbooks (the average new vehicle now costs a staggering $12,000 a year to own and maintain according to the AAA).
We are proud to have played a leading role in the coalition that won major new funding for transit, bicycling, and walking in Minnesota in 2023. A new report by coalition partner Move Minnesota shows how these changes will lead to more bus routes, shortened wait times, and faster service resulting in increased ridership, reduced pollution and traffic, and healthier people.
Across the state, we are starting to see the impacts of our 2023 wins and previous efforts. A few examples include:
- The Minnesota Legislature approved $194.7 million for the Northern Lights Express, a planned high-speed passenger rail project that would run between Duluth and Minneapolis. This local matching funding was needed to pursue federal grants for the project.
- The MN Legislature funded a study on expanding the busiest bikeway in the state, the Midtown Greenway, over the Mississippi River to connect Minneapolis to Saint Paul.
- In Rochester, the Chester Woods Regional Trail will soon connect all the city through Chester Woods Park to Eyota. And a Safe Routes to School demonstration project was implemented in Lincoln K-8 District School. The project goal was to test out street changes – like greenery and curb bump outs – to make it safer and easier for kids to walk to school.
Transforming our transportation system from one where nearly all of us have to drive, to one where most have viable options to walk or take transit will take time, money, and dedicated advocacy. We’ve made these major shifts in transportation systems before, and we can do it again. What’s your transportation story, wish, or concern? Contact joshua.houdek@sierraclub.org or 612-259-2447 to share. See you on the bike trail, bus, or train!
Joshua Houdek, Jenna Yeakle, and Kristoffer Acuña are Sierra Club staff and contributed to this article.