State Rail Plan Update
The draft State Rail Plan is now available for your review and comments.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation is asking Minnesota businesses and residents to p
rovide feedback on the final draft of the Minnesota State Rail Plan. The final draft of the plan is now available for review and public comments. All comments received will be used to guide updates to the plan, which shapes the future of Minnesota’s rail infrastructure and investments.
The Minnesota State Rail Plan envisions the future of Minnesota’s rail transportation system over the next 20 years. The plan describes the importance of railroads to Minnesota’s economy, the state of the current rail system and trends, and identifies key rail investments that better support the transportation of goods, services and people throughout Minnesota. The plan guides and supports MnDOT’s efforts to ensure rail and all modes of transportation work together to move Minnesota.
Participate in an informational webinar!
MNDOT staff will host two remote webinars to provide an overview of information in the draft State Rail Plan document followed by a short Q&A session. The webinars are scheduled at different times of the day to accommodate different schedules and community needs, consistent with our public engagement plan.
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How to provide feedback
You can review the final draft of 2025 Minnesota State Rail Plan and provide feedback in these ways:
- Review the final draft of the State Rail Plan
- View paper copies at any of MnDOT’s eight District offices located in Duluth, Bemidji, Baxter, Detroit Lakes, Rochester, Mankato, Willmar and Roseville.
- Provide comments on the final draft of the State Rail Plan
- Written comments can also be submitted by mail to: Office of Freight and Commercial Vehicle Operations, Attn: Robert Clarksen, Minnesota Department of Transportation, 395 John Ireland Blvd, MS 050, Saint Paul, MN 55155
What is the vision provided in the State Rail Plan?
The Rail Plan’s vision and goals are aligned with those of Minnesota’s Statewide Multimodal Transportation Plan (SMTP).
MnDOT invites and encourages participation by all. If you feel you need reasonable accommodation because of a disability to fully participate in this event (such as an ASL or a spoken language interpreter), or need documents in an alternative format (such as braille or large print), please contact: 651-366-4720 or ADArequest.dot@statemn.us
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Public Engagement Events and Opportunities:
Share Public Engagement Events and Opportunities: on Facebook Share Public Engagement Events and Opportunities: on Twitter Share Public Engagement Events and Opportunities: on Linkedin Email Public Engagement Events and Opportunities: link
The State Rail Plan process involved two rounds of public engagement. The first was to introduce the plan concepts, schedule, and scope. The later round will be to report back on findings in the development process, to provide a summary of public input during the process, to synthesize technical information and provide project details for public review. The following is a list of Engagement Activities and Events to support the project:
Previous Engagement Meetings and Events
Public Meetings:
As the ultimate beneficiary of the State Rail Plan, the public is a key audience for engagement in this planning effort. MnDOT hosted a series of public meetings as part of the first round of the public engagement process to provide the public with an opportunity to learn about the states railroads, the rail plan update process, and to provide feedback. Public meetings were held in the following locations:
Duluth
Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024
4:00 - 6:00 p.m.Lake Superior Railroad Museum506 W Michigan StDuluth, MN 55802RochesterThursday, Dec. 5, 20244:00 - 6:00 p.m.Rochester Public Library
101 2nd St SERochester, MN 55904MoorheadTuesday, Dec. 17, 20244:00 - 6:00 p.m.St. PaulWednesday, Dec. 18, 202410:00 a.m. - noonUnion Depot214 4th St EastSaint Paul, MN 55101St. Cloud
Tuesday, April 16, 2024
5-7 p.m.Great River Regional Library
1300 W. St. Germain St.
St. Cloud, MN 56301Duluth
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
5-7 p.m.Lake Superior Railroad Museum
506 W Michigan St.
Duluth, MN 55802St. Paul
Wednesday, April 24, 2024
5-7 p.m.Union Depot
214 4th St. E.
St. Paul, MN 55101Mankato
Thursday, April 25, 2024
5-7 p.m.Blue Earth County Historical Society
424 Warren St.
Mankato, MN 56001PAC/TAC Meetings
- TAC meeting, Nov 25 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
- PAC meeting, Nov 26 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Past Public Events
The Hispanic Heritage Festival
Immerse yourself in culture through music, interactive displays, food, crafts and various entertainment! The Hispanic Heritage Festival welcomes everyone to partake in this annual outdoor fall festival hosted by Hispanic Outreach of Goodhue County. Bring a lawn chair or blanket and stay for the afternoon.
September 14, noon to 6 p.m.
Central Park, Red Wing MN52nd Annual Traditional Mahkato Wacipi
The Mahkato Mdewakanton Association is a gathering of nations to celebrate and honor our traditions and ancestors; to reconcile and build bridges between all nations through education, storytelling, and sharing Dakota Indian culture.
Saturday September 21, noon to 6 p.m.
Land of Memories Park, Mankato MNMnDOT hosted a booth during the 12 days of summer fun at the “Great Minnesota Get-Together,” the annual Minnesota State Fair is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the region.
August 22 - September 2
State Fairgrounds, St PaulThe Black Market
The Black Market is a black-business marketplace open to and welcoming of all. We curate, organize and operate a monthly market, "The Black Busines Is Beautiful", a marketplace sponsored by The Lab.
August 10, 2 - 6 p.m., 767 North Eustis Street, Saint Paul
More info: Black Market EventsUnion Depot Train Days
A free celebration of trains and transportation! Train Days includes train equipment tours, a vendor marketplace, model trains, concessions, family friendly activities and more.
June 1 - June 2 - St Paul Union Depot
More info: 2024 Train DaysFinal Spike Anniversary Steam Tour
A public event sponsored by Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) to celebrate the connection of 3 nations via rail. Observe the 2816 Empress Steam train on display in St. Paul. Admission to Union Depot for this event is free, and the public will have the opportunity to see the 2816 up close, learn more about the locomotive and CPKC’s history. The Puffer Belly Express mini-train, a quarter scale steam locomotive model will also be on location.
May 3 - St Paul Union Depot
More info: Final Spike!Other events
Rail stakeholder engagement activities included:
- Advisory committee meetings
- Stakeholder interviews
- Focus groups and workshops
- Workplace-based outreach
Annual Minnesota Regional Railroads Conference:
On July 16,2024 MnDOT presented regarding the State Rail Plan project at the Minnesota Regional Railroads Association (MRRA) annual conference. MnDOT staff described the progress towards completing the update of the plan to date. Although this was not a public event, the ability of the project team to participate in the conference afforded MnDOT staff with an important opportunity to engage with the states Class 1 and Shortline railroads - a key audience and an important contributor to the planning process.
Policy and Technical Advisory Committee Information
Technical Memorandums and Project Documents
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Minnesota State Rail Plan Tech Memo 1.pdf (7.61 MB) (pdf)
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Minnesota State Rail Plan SWOT - Tech Memo 2 .pdf (750 KB) (pdf)
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State Rail Plan Update - Project Factsheet
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Public Engagement Plan
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Vision.PNG (2.02 MB) (PNG)
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Public Meeting Boards Final.pdf (3.59 MB) (pdf)
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Minnesota State Rail Plan - Vision and Action Plan - Tech Memo 3.pdf (1.51 MB) (pdf)
Contacts
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Rail Transportation Planning Coordinator
Minnesota Department of Transportation - Freight Planning Unit
Phone 612-368-3513 Email MNRailPlan@state.mn.us