Help shape MnDOT passenger rail plan in Southern Minnesota

Before we moved the depot, we invited the head of MnDOT passenger rail at that time to visit Northfield and provided feedback on our proposed location for the depot. He said that:

for passenger rail they require that a depot be centrally located (which our is!) and not on the edge of town and
that our proposed location within the block was ideal for passenger rail.

At the time, the zip-line from the Cities to Rochester was the 1st priority for MnDOT Passenger Rail. After that proposal was abandoned, the Twin Cities to Kansas City rail line moved from a second priority to the first. The legislature approved funds for some preliminary planning, which included Northfield as a stop. However since then, other passenger rail projects (such as Chicago and Duluth connections) have taken priority.

MnDOT passenger rail is now asking for the public’s views on which of two options — #1 Twin Cities to Fargo/Moorhead or #2 Twin Cities to Kansas City (includes Northfield, Faribault, Owatonna and Albert Lea as well as Des Moines) — should take priority. A good summary of this route can be found on All Aboard Minnesota’s website along with a detailed route map for the entire state. The Twin Cities to Kansas City route is not currently serviced by any passenger rail — unlike Fargo/Moorhead route, which would duplicate Amtrak’s Empire Builder route — and there is a spur in Kansas City that goes to California and another that goes to Texas.

This is our chance to advocate for MnDOT to pursue option #2. Please take MnDOT’s State Rail Plan public engagement survey to let them know not to leave Southern Minnesota out of rail planning again.

Take MnDOT survey

(Please note that this is not commuter rail but passenger rail, which means there would be fewer daily trains schedule making it less suitable for commuting. Trains also likely would not stop in every city/town along the route, but Northfield has consistently been noted as a stop.)

Upcoming Public Events at the Depot

We now have an event calendar on its website! Learn more about the following events and others at northfielddepot.org/events/. (Please note that some events may require tickets.)