The Minnesota Department of Transportation said this week that it has completed a “purpose and need” statement for a proposed expansion of rail passenger service between Chicago and the Twin Cities.
MnDOT is studying the addition of a second roundtrip Amtrak train between the two metropolitan regions to supplement the daily Chicago-Seattle/Portland Empire Builder.
The next step in the review will be a series of public hearings on Sept. 6 at St. Paul Union Depot in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and on Sept. 7 at the La Crosse County Administrative Center in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
Those hearings are part of a process of evaluating alternatives for the project and the needed infrastructure upgrades.
The Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois departments of transportation are working with the Federal Railroad Administration, Ramsey County Regional Railroad Authority, Minnesota High Speed Rail Commission and La Crosse Area Planning Committee on the initial planning effort for the proposed TCMC project.
Tags: Amtrak, Amtrak Midwest Corridor trains, Amtrak's Empire Builder, Chicago-Twin Cities Amtrak service, Empire Builder, La Crosse Wisconsin, Midwest Corridor trains, Minnesota Department of Transportation, St. Paul Union Depot
Amtrak in the Heartland 
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