The House author of the legislation, Rep. Buehler is referring to the $195 million approved by the Minnesota Legislature in May to fund 20% of a new train line with the federal government kicking in the other 80%, or $779 million of the projected $974 million cost. “The stars aligned in Minnesota when the House and the Senate and the governor’s office all agreed it was time to stop planning and start building the Northern Lights Express project,” says Ken Buehler of the Lake Superior Railroad Museum and a member of the Northern Lights Express Alliance. A “North Star” train between the two destinations ended in 1985 after a 10-year run plagued by low ridership and a lack of operating funds.
In some ways, the new Northern Lights Express train between the Twin Cities and Duluth will be a sort of back-to-the-future moment for Minnesota. Will Twin Cities to Duluth train succeed where it once failed?
