News From MPLS

Just Take Action (Brewhouse, Tycoons, et al.) to open a Brewhouse-esque restaurant in the old Trocaderos in MPLS.

Anoka County said FU to the Northern Lights Express. Paid executives of the Minneapolis-Duluth/Superior Passenger Rail Alliance are just stunned.

5 Comments

in.dog.neato

about 12 years ago

The news on Anoka isn't surprising. They still think that bullying gay kids is fun.

Andy

about 12 years ago

I was just in NE MPLS and thought it would be a great idea to have a Brewhouse like restaurant in the old Grain Belt Brewery and hang up NE signs everywhere. If you have seen the popularity grow in that area like I have over my lifetime you would know the iron is hot there.

Fuku-soncho

about 12 years ago

"Every dollar spent on this is a dollar taken away from local bus & light rail services, which actually get people to work and school, rather than a weekend getaway to Duluth or the casino." -comment from twincitizen1

Well. Glad to see this is only about Anoka tourists and not about, say, those of us in Duluth who would like to be able to go to the cities in winter without risk of falling off into a ditch or having to do that 30mph wagon train crawl up and down I-35. Stay classy, Anoka.

As someone who spent several years in a country with high speed rail, I miss it dearly and hope that someday politicians will remove their heads from their butts. I'll probably be dead, though.

Thomas

about 12 years ago

Comment I just posted on the DNT site concerning their article-
So lets start with the concept that our Highway 35 is also subsidized, all transportation is to an extent. Right? Well maybe not walking, but even your bikes require tax supported maintenance of a roadbed of some kind.

Sure, this is a gamble. All investment is. I think it is ok to admit that, and this is the way I see the gamble. How long will the cost of making the trip by auto to the Cities be less than a train ticket? How many years will it take for highway travel as we enjoy it now to become just a thing for the economically privileged? Maybe 10 years, maybe 30. But when it does, every year thereafter the economics and profitability will only get better. And this switching point is going to take place, its only a matter of when. http://www.theoildrum.com/
So the gamble is "what are the negative economic effects of putting off building significant transportation infrastructure till the very last moment of need, possibly when everyone else is wanting it and having to suffer inevitable supply/demand/price consequences?"
This issue serves to create a good discussion of future transportation costs , the effects of failing to plan, and what may be the most prudent strategy to follow now.

dbb

about 12 years ago

Rail investment is possible without the government. The John Galt line was built with no public subsidies.

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