The Metropolitan Council has predicted that the metro area will grow by 650,000 people by the year 2020, adding 2.4 million daily automobile trips to the highway system. This creates a need to study transportation alternatives and plan for the future.
Commuter rail is a passenger train service that operates on existing freight railroad tracks.
Service operates primarily during peak travel times and stations are a minimum of 5 miles apart. The study objective was to determine if such service could be provided in a cost-effective manner, using selected freight railroad corridors throughout the metro area. Seven corridors, including a connector route between St. Paul and Minneapolis, have the highest potential for success based on costs and estimated ridership. These are Minneapolis to Bethel, Elk River, Northfield, and Young America, and also, St. Paul to Forest Lake and Hastings. MnDOT worked with community leaders to ensure a fair and objective study.