Minneapolis City Councilman Andrew Johnson can’t help but chuckle about the yearslong odyssey of getting the Northern Lights Express project — excuse the pun — on track.
“It has been decades in the making,” said Johnson, who serves as chair of the NLX Alliance. “Funding was always the big question.”
The Northern Lights Express is a long-and-often-discussed passenger rail service from Minneapolis to Duluth, featuring en route stops in Coon Rapids, Cambridge, Hinckley, and Superior.
During the 2023 Minnesota legislative session, NLX funding went from a question mark to an exclamation point when $194.7 million was appropriated for the project.
Now that the Northern Lights Express is — one more pun, sorry — full steam ahead with funding on the state level, what’s coming next for the rail project as it chugs along from the conceptual phase to execution?
A “very busy” four to five years
“It is going to be very busy over the next four to five years,” Johnson said.
Currently, the alliance is waiting for grant applications at the federal level. Johnson explained that it’s a four-to-one match on funding — the project is expected to secure just shy of $800 million from the federal government after Minnesota’s contribution.
“That money is already out there allocated by Congress, and just needs to be awarded to the specific projects,” Johnson said. “This is a top-in-the-nation regional project.”
Once that funding is secured, the Minnesota Department of Transportation will hire up for the project. Johnson said engineering work will commence from there, and once construction contracts are awarded, building out the project will take about a year or two.
Twin Cities to Twin Ports
According to MnDOT, the rail line will operate on about 152 miles of existing BNSF tracks.
Johnson said the service will top out at 90 miles per hour, equivalent to drive time from the Twin Cities to the Twin Ports, even accounting for stops.
The Northern Lights Express will operate with at least four back-and-forth trips on a daily basis.
In its first year of service, Johnson estimates NLX will accommodate 750,000 riders; that projection blossoms to about a million in year two.
Johnson also emphasized the “Final Mile,” ensuring that passengers have plenty of options to connect from their final stop to various locations at their destination.
“Get ready to enjoy the Twin Cities, Twin Ports, and the places in between even more,” Johnson said.
Safety first
Johnson said the NLX project will also result in rail crossing upgrades and safety improvements all along the line.
“Safety is obviously paramount when you’re dealing with rail,” he said. “And it will be mutually beneficial for the communities, the pedestrians, the drivers, and for freights.”
Having more rail passengers, Johnson explained, means having fewer cars congesting traffic between Duluth and Minneapolis.
Johnson also said he looks forward to continuing strengthening ties with communities along the NLX line.
“It is so great for the Cambridge area especially, and deepening that connection to both of these city centers, and for Hinckley as well, those are great stops,” he said.
MnDOT