Intercity Rail Would Bridge Minnesota's So-called" Rural-Urban Divide"

Streets.MN - February 24, 2020

A few months ago, I was privileged to be a guest lecturer for a colleague’s environmental sociology course at the UW-La Crosse. For those unfamiliar, La Crosse, Wisconsin is one of the larger small cities in the region. It’s a city with a metro area of about 130,000 people located in a magnificent spot on the Mississippi River, just on the north end of the Driftless Region, which is one of my favorite parts of the country. The city has a long and interesting history, an historic downtown, and an industrial legacy that makes it an interesting place to visit.

Best of all for this story, it’s one of the few cities anywhere on earth that is conveniently linked to Saint Paul by passenger rail. Each day, once in each direction, one of the few remaining Amtrak long-distance trains stops there on its way to Milwaukee and Chicago. The trip is a beautiful journey through the Mississippi River valley and, at the behest of my La Crosse friend, my wife and I went there and back on Amtrak, a distance of about 140 miles.

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Opinion - Patrick Laughlin: Second train helps students, Winona

Winona Daily News - February 20, 2020

l’m writing to Gov. Tim Walz on behalf of Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota Student Senate to express our collective support for the Twin Cities-Milwaukee-Chicago Intercity Passenger Rail Service Second Train Project. The project was brought to our attention at our Jan. 20th meeting by Winona City Councilman Paul Schollmeier on behalf of the Great River Rail Commission.

The TCMC Second Train Project will provide a second daily round trip passenger service between the Twin Cities and Chicago along the existing Amtrak line.

In keeping with the Student Senate’s shared vision of enriching the lives of Saint Mary’s students and empowering them to lead impactful lives through relationships and service, the Saint Mary’s Student Senate unanimously approved a motion to support the TCMC Second Train Project.

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Opinion - Leone Mauszycki: This is a crucial year for TCMC Second Train

Winona Post - February 12, 2020

This is a bonding year at the state legislature and the future of the Twin Cities-Milwaukee-Chicago second round trip passenger train will perhaps be determined this year 2020. After years of planning, this important transportation option that will serve our communities along the Mississippi River could receive state funding. It is imperative to have all citizens supporting this effort letting our legislators know just how important this service will be for all of us.

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