Freight Rail News and Happenings

[DanPatchToget]

https://kstp.com/kstp-news/top-news/lat ... -millions/

$17 million to make the MN&S/Dan Patch Line quiet-zone compliant in Edina and St. Louis Park. Whether that will actually happen is still very much up in the air.

[Anondson]

That’s a lot.

Though there really are a dense group of at grade crossing between Vernon and Alabama. All through residential.

I grew up 2 blocks from here. But I head the current use pattern has a bunch running late at night.

[DanPatchToget]

In the past week I've seen 20+ cars with new rail being delivered to Progressive Rail on their line that goes through Bloomington and Richfield. I believe they got a grant from MnDOT for this, as well as for their other routes in Minnesota.

[BikesOnFilm]

Though there really are a dense group of at grade crossing between Vernon and Alabama. All through residential.

They could probably save a few million by dead ending the smaller streets and only upgrading major crossings. That would also have the benefit of being a solution you don’t have to wait years to find federal grant money for that should be used for more important crossing upgrade projects anyway.

[DanPatchToget]

The Dan Patch Line trestle over Quentin Avenue in Savage will be removed over the next couple days. Source: City of Savage Facebook page

[Korh]

There's still no plan to do anything with this branch line right?
I still think it could be used as a rail trail to extend the little that little trail they have going from sunset pond to Kelleher Park. Although I don't know how much of this line would be good for passenger since I think the line kinda dead ends at the Cargill and CHS grain area and just wonders in some sfh before getting to Lakeville.

[DanPatchToget]

At this point I assume if trains ever use that line again it'll be passenger trains. Otherwise a rail-trail, but in my opinion it would be better as a passenger rail line (or rail-with-trail where ever the width in the right-of-way allows). However, none of that can happen if CPKC isn't interested in selling it, which has been and as far as I know continues to be the case. The only theory I have for why they won't sell is they make money off of it from the fiber optic cables that are buried under their property. Also since the track isn't being used, I wonder if they get through some property tax loopholes and pay little if anything for it. That's just a theory though. For awhile I thought freight demand would warrant reopening that line, but the longer it's not being used/maintained, the more expensive it will be to rebuild, and now with two bridges gone that's going to make it even more expensive.

[Korh]

Maybe, I know in decades past rail roads would tear up everything save one line or let buildings rot because the got charged based on how "developed" a right of way was, but that was years ago so who actually knows what the current rate is.
Best guess is the amount is probably buried somewhere in the annual reports and tax records of the state, Dakota Country, or the cities of Savage and Burnsville since iirc railroads don't pay property taxes to the feds, just to state and local governments.
Also two more reason that might be fine doing nothing, how bad are NIMBYs in this area and how permit happy are both Savage and Burnsville when it comes to construction?
I know it makes little sense to assume NIMBYs would be against removing something from their backyards, but if CPCK where to tear everything up that be what maybe 1-2 years of construction right at their backyards, they might view that as the greater evil unless someone decides to spin the abandoned line as "a gather for ""dangerous"" people"
And even without a bunch of angry letters and Facebook posts, one if not both of the cities might ask for some paperwork. Less then if they decide to restore the line, but probably still enough that it can't easily be ignored.

[DanPatchToget]

The Dakota Rail Trail managed to get built, and that was despite opposition from wealthy landowners in Minnetonka Beach where the railroad, now trail, basically goes through their front yards. Also I haven't heard of any NIMBYism towards a rail-trail through Burnsville and Savage, the only opposition I've heard is from people who want it to become a passenger rail line. There might be a little more opposition to a trail if CPKC were willing to sell and the inevitable sticker shock from their asking price for the property. Whether that would be enough for the county and cities to turn away, or they'd bite the bullet, is anyone's guess.

[mattaudio]

When is the last time there was a rail customer on this segment between Port of Savage and Lakeville?
I remember a lumberyard near 143rd in Burnsville. That may have been it.

Speaking of Lakeville, I'm not sure if there are any customers north of Airlake. The Despatch factory on 207th and lumberyard on 202nd used to have rail connections.

[DanPatchToget]

I think there was a transload (rail-to-truck) facility just south of the Highway 13 frontage road that lasted into the early 2000s. In Burnsville I can't recall there ever being a shipper except way back in the day when farmers loaded their produce on trains. The area on 143rd you mentioned seems like a place where there would be industries shipping by rail, but looking at old aerial photos I never saw any spur tracks for loading/unloading railcars. Not sure if the lumberyard on 202nd is still getting served by Progressive Rail. The spur track looks a little overgrown with vegetation, but it's still connected to the mainline track as of the most recent Google Maps aerial photos.

[mattaudio]

Not sure if this Mesabi Metallics steel mill will be vaporware or will turn into reality, but I'm curious how it could affect freight transportation in the Twin Cities.
https://www.mesabitribune.com/news/loca ... 235fa.html

It appears the steel mill would be somewhere in the Mississippi River flats near Wever, Iowa. This would potentially give it river access or BNSF access. And the Nashwauk line is connected via BNSF, right? (CN/DMIR only goes as far west as Hibbing on the Range).
At full buildout of 10 million tons annually, it would be about 7 unit trains per day (3.5 loaded, 3.5 empty) between Nashwauk and the mill. I'm guessing that would get routed down the range through Boylston, through the Twin Cities, to Savanna, Galesburg, and back across the river at Burlington to hit the Iowa plant.

Any true railfans know how those segments could absorb an extra 7 unit trains a day? I'm guessing it would be fine given the dropoff in shipping overall and frack oil unit trains, I'm curious if this would result in improvements like triple-tracking the joint CPKC-BNSF segment from St. Paul to Hastings, or double-tracking the Prescott bridge.

I'm assuming transload to barge in MSP is off the table...