Study identifies preferred route for Minnesota portion of Twin Cities-Chicago high-speed line

A Twin Cities-to-Chicago high-speed rail route would be more optimal if it ran through Rochester rather than along the Mississippi River, according to a study released today by the Southeast Minnesota Rail Alliance.

Conducted by national transportation analysis firm Transportation Economics and Management Systems Inc., the Tri-State III study is based on a direct comparison of the proposed River and Rochester routes. The study showed that the Rochester route could initially accommodate 110 mph service and be upgraded to eventually handle 220 mph service, whereas the River route is limited to 90 mph for much of its length because of geographic constraints.

Because of speed and travel time improvements over the River route, the Rochester route would attract 4.7 million passengers at 110 mph and 7.7 million passengers at 220 mph compared with 4.3 million riders on the River route, the study says. And although the Rochester route would require an additional $139 million investment vs. the River route, the Rochester line would deliver an annual net operating margin nearly 25 percent higher than the River route, according to the study. 

The Tri-State III study is the most recent analysis of the Minnesota segment of the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative, which includes a high-speed rail connection between the Twin Cities and Chicago. The analysis updates previous studies conducted in 1991 and 1998 with more economic, socio-economic and technical data.