The proposed high-speed passenger rail line from Minneapolis to Duluth might also double as a commuter line, with potential stops in northern suburbs Andover and East Bethel. But the line's least expected station could be built in Sandstone.
Adding a commuter aspect to the proposed Northern Lights Express line, expected to cost between $360 million and $400 million and open in 2012, would particularly benefit workers from Anoka and Isanti counties, Anoka County Commissioner Dan Erhart said Wednesday. Those counties are funding a study that will explore the line's commuter possibilities.
Erhart is a driving force behind the proposed line.
He also backs the 40-mile Northstar commuter, between Minneapolis and Big Lake. That line is scheduled to open in the fall of 2009.
"For a commuter to live in a wonderful, rural setting, and be able to get on a train and relax and then arrive for work in Minneapolis makes so much sense, particularly with rising gas prices," Erhart said
"The public is demanding a high-speed passenger line that will get people from Minneapolis to Duluth in two hours, or two hours and 15 minutes, tops," he said. "But on the south end, it would be foolish to ignore the need for commuter rail. The benefits are obvious."
Not as obvious, at least a few months ago, was the possibility of a station in Sandstone, between Hinckley and Duluth. But if Hinckley -- and the lure of Grand Casino -- is the engine that's driving this train, then Sandstone has become the little station that could.
The casino's popularity has prompted the Minneapolis-Duluth/Superior Passenger Rail Alliance to consider running trains round-trip between Minneapolis and Hinckley and between Duluth and Hinckley, in addition to the 150-mile runs from Minneapolis to Duluth. A turnaround station, or a maintenance facility and station to house trains overnight, would be needed. Enter Sandstone.
"Sandstone has a long railroad history," said Sandstone city administrator Sam Griffith. "If we get anything, hallelujah."
And, if not, the rail line would still have a tremendous effect on Sandstone and other cities along the line, Griffith said.
Those and other possibilities for this line hinge on involvement by the federal government, which could fund as much as 80 percent of the entire project, Erhart emphasized. Other key factors are the alliance's ability to work out agreements with Burlington Northern Santa Fe, which owns the track, and with the Mille Lacs Band, which owns Grand Casino and is being sought by the alliance as a financial partner.
The tribe has set up an internal task force to study drafts of agreements submitted by the alliance, said Tadd Johnson, special counsel for the tribe.
"We're taking a long, hard look at our legal relationship with the state and counties and looking into other models nationally," Johnson said.
Paul Levy • 612-673-4419
