The Minnesota Department of Transportation received $500,000 in federal funds to advance the planning phase of the Northern Lights Express (NLX) rail project.
According to a MnDOT press release, the grant will be used for preliminary work on the effort. NLX will provide daily round-trip service from Minneapolis to Duluth, including stops in Cambridge and Hinckley.
The funds will help MnDOT to update plans for the project, which were originally completed in 2017.
The project is estimated to cost $592.3 million. During the 2023 state legislative session, $194.7 million was appropriated for the NLX effort.
"We are eager to move this project forward to final design, but we still have some important steps ahead," Greg Mathis, MnDOT's director for passenger rail, said in the press release.
Mathis also said MnDOT will continue to work with BNSF Railway, the NLX Alliance, and local comminuties to get trains "up and running."
