Light & Freight Rail

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Freight Rail Studies

updated: Tuesday, May 15, 2012

The City Council is supportive of the Southwest LRT project, but the proposed route creates issues with how current freight rail traffic is handled in both St. Louis Park and Minneapolis. There are currently two freight rail routes under consideration for the TC & W trains - maintaining the current route (which goes through St. Louis Park and the Kenilworth Corridor in Minneapolis) or rerouting the TC & W freight trains to the MNS north-south line in St. Louis Park. Current studies are underway by the City of St. Louis Park and the Hennepin County Regional Rail Authority (and other agencies).  For more information on freight and light rail click on the respective links below. 

City of St. Louis Park Freight Rail Information

Freight Rail City Resolutions

The City of St. Louis Park is taking part in the MNS Freight Rail Relocation Analysis.  The City Council passed two resolutions regarding freight rail relocation in July of 2010.  To read the resolutions relating to freight rail activity and the revisiting of the 2009 TCWR Freight Rail Realignment Study in greater detail, click the links below. 

 

Freight Rail Options
The City of St. Louis Park has retained Short Elliot Hendrickson Inc. (SEH) to serve as its independent consultant regarding freight rail options. SEH has produced the following reports/presentations:


City Council Listening Sessions - Freight Rail (April 27th & 28th, 2011)
The St. Louis Park City Council held two Listening Sessions to allow for information sharing and an opportunity for residents to be heard about the relocation of freight rail traffic in St. Louis Park. Each meeting covered the same information and allowed the same opportunities for questions and comments.


                      Freight Rail Listening Session #1 4-27-11

Freight Rail Listening Session #1 4-27-11 from St. Louis Park on Vimeo.

                      Freight Rail Listening Session #2 4-28-11

Freight Rail Listening Session #2, 4-28-11 from St. Louis Park on Vimeo.


Freight Rail Alternatives
A joint meeting with the St. Louis Park School Board was held on November 29, 2010.  View the video below:

Joint City Council/School Board Freight Rail Studies 11/29/10 from St. Louis Park on Vimeo.

 Related City Documents:

For archived meeting minutes, click here.

 

Hennepin County Regional Rail Authority (HCRRA) Rail Studies

 The HCRRA and other agencies are currently conducting three studies: 

Visit www.hennepin.us/freightrail  and www.mnsrailstudy.org for additional information on these studies.

MNS Freight Rail Relocation Study
The Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority (HCRRA) is partnering with the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT), the City of St. Louis Park and the private freight rail companies to conduct an analysis of relocating the freight rail service from the Kenilworth Corridor to the M.N.S. line in St. Louis Park.

The analysis includes public outreach, a community impact assessment, preliminary engineering, cost estimating, and environmental documentation. The HCRRA and Mn/DOT have hired a consultant to assist with this analysis. The analysis is expected to be completed in March or April 2011.
 

 
Project Management Team for MN&S Freight Rail Study
The first Project Management Team (PMT) meeting for the MN&S Freight Rail Study was held on July 22, 2010 and the second meeting was held August 26th. The third meeting is scheduled for November 9, 2010 at 6:30 p.m. at the St. Louis Park City Hall in the Council Chambers.  The PMT meetings are intended to be open public meetings where all those who are interested in this subject may attend to learn more about the study, review materials produced by the study team, and participate in the process.

Membership on the PMT includes MnDOT, Hennepin County, St Louis Park, the freight rail companies (Twin City and Western, Canadian Pacific, and Burlington Northern), the St Louis Park School Board, Safety in the Park, and 15 St. Louis Park neighborhoods. The PMT is meeting on a regular basis over the course of the study and will be an important forum for information exchange as this process moves forward.

If you are just interested in learning more about this process, please sign up on our email notification list at comments@mnrailstudy.org

            Most Recent Meeting PMT Meeting: February 24, 2011

MNS Freight Rail Study PMT#6 2/24/11 from stlouisparktv on Vimeo.

Related Documents: 

PMT Meeting # 6 Presentation
PMT Meeting # 6 Agenda
Draft Impact Summary - BNSF Section, February 17, 2011
Draft Impact Summary - MN&S Section, February 17, 2011
MN&S Comment Summary, February 17, 2011


MN&S Open House
An Open House meeting was held December 16, 2010.

December 2010 Open House Documents: 

View the Public Open House video below:

MN&S Freight Rail Study Public Open House 12-16-10 from St. Louis Park on Vimeo.

 
MN&S Freight Rail Study 11/9/10:

MN & S Freight Rail Study 11/9/10 from St. Louis Park on Vimeo.

Related materials from the meeting:
Preliminary Design Concept 

Additional Related documents:

 

Public Comment:

For residents who were unable to attend either listening session and wish to comment, please send an email to railcomments@stlouispark.org or click the picture below. You may also feel free to call (952) 924-2575. Frequently asked questions and answers are also provided for your convenience.
 



 

 

For the PowerPoint presentations from the meeting, click below:

 Studies, presentations & reports

See more about: freight rail  mn&s  mns  planning study  pmt  rail  resolution   Freight Rail Studies

Latest news about the Southwest Transitway

updated: Friday, May 11, 2012

By leaving out Southwest Light Rail, the Legislature put up a serious impediment to private sector job creation along the corridor. The State of Minnesota must continue to make smart investments in critical public infrastructure projects for the region like Southwest Light Rail in order to grow our economy - just as it did with Central Corridor...

Continue Reading  Latest news about the Southwest Transitway
See more about: light rail  lrt  southwest transitway  transit  

St. Louis Park to dismiss appeal

updated: Wednesday, May 02, 2012

Jan. 4, 2012 - The St. Louis Park City Council voted Tuesday to direct the City Attorney to take the necessary steps to dismiss its appeal of the decision by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) not to require the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in connection with the potential rerouting of freight rail traffic...

Continue Reading  St. Louis Park to dismiss appeal

Freight Rail Frequently Asked Questions

updated: Monday, February 06, 2012

Twin City & Western (TC&W) is the main operator on the east-west route (Bass Lake Spur and Kenilworth) and has rights to use the north-south route (MN&S). Canadian Pacific (CP) owns the MN&S line and a portion of the Bass Lake Spur. Hennepin County Regional Rail Authority (HCRRA) owns a portion of the Kenilworth corridor....

Continue Reading  Freight Rail Frequently Asked Questions
See more about: freight rail studies  

Light & Freight Rail

updated: Tuesday, December 27, 2011

The proposed Southwest Light Rail Transit (Southwest LRT) is designed to extend through St. Louis Park and open as early as 2017. The City Council is supportive of the Southwest LRT project, but the proposed route creates issues with how current freight rail traffic is handled in both St. Louis Park and Minneapolis. There are currently...

Continue Reading  Light & Freight Rail