21 May 2009
Warning for Rochester: 41 Freight Trains
Rochester Minnesota USA - City leaders warn there
could soon be 41 freight trains a day rolling through the downtown area going to and from the coal fields of the Powder River Basin of
eastern Wyoming, the local media report. An engineering study was released 20 May 2009 projecting the sharp increase in
coal train traffic along the Canadian Pacific/DM&E tracks connecting the mines of Wyoming with power plants to the east.
Currently, there are perhaps three trains a day going through downtown Rochester.
CPR disputes the estimate of 41 trains a day, and insists it would be more like 34 a day on average, including one or two per week
hauling ethanol.
Gannett Fleming Transit & Rail Systems conducted the engineering study on behalf of Mayo Clinic, which is trying to build support
for an alternative that would move the freight trains on a new line south of Rochester, between Eyota and Dodge Center. The cost of
building the alternative, called the Southern Rail Corridor, is put at $325 million.
Mayo officials openly worry about a train derailment near their downtown Rochester facilities, which the authors of the engineering
study said could have "devastating consequences."
A "Southern Rail Corridor" could also be a route used by high-speed rail lines to connect Mayo with Chicago and
the Twin Cities. In its design, the corridor would go along the edge of Rochester International Airport.
"In our early meetings with township and county leaders, people recognize that there is a visionary and historic opportunity in
front of us, one that could affect this area for the next 100 years," explained Matt Flynn, Olmsted County Commissioner, in a
statement. "The Southern Rail Corridor proposal is in the initial planning phase, and we are committed to connecting with those
parties who will be most affected by the final route. We felt it was important to share some details from the engineering study with
those individuals - landowners in Olmsted and Dodge counties."
|
|
