Let's think about this.  If Northern Lights Express could cost 1 billion, (admittedly a huge sum) isn't it reasonable that other rail lines could also be incredibly expensive?  Are we going to just sit back and allow this sort of thing to take away another positive investment for our area?

Don't you think, some of this is being planted by elected officials in other areas of the state and country who want to get that transportation money for their districts?  This is hardball politics, and everyone is fighting for rail funding because it is clearly the way of the future.  If Duluth does not have passenger rail in the next decade, we will be cut off from so much of the rest of the state and country, that our economic problems today will look like a walk in the park.

Don't let this sort of doomsday scenerio distract anyone from the real issue; will Duluth or Rochester get the next rail funding?  Will a train come from Duluth to Minneapolis, or from Fargo?

They're going to build passenger rail, it's going to cost buckets of money.  So, why shouldn't it come here before other areas in the region?

In a national study, the Duluth to Minneapolis rail plan was determined to be one of the top 10 in the nation.  Then, other regions got in the act, and now everyone wants passenger rail service.  It's essential to Duluth and the our entire region that we have efficient transportation and a quick link to the Twin Cities.

What's happening here is the metro law makers have gotten a hold of this project and are trying to discount it's value in order to put rail service where it will serve their interests, not where it will best serve the needs of the entire state.

Patsy makes many good points--and if you look at the article and the hundreds of comments on the Star-Trib's site, you'll see the political dimension emerging quite clearly. This one's gonna take some consistent and continuous support of Oberstar and pressure on the MN senators to get and hold traction in Congress.

They should spend 2 billion and do it right.

One Billion? What's that like 2 or 3 days of Pelosi/Reid/Obama skullduggery??

Lets see. new hockey rink. new baseball stadium. new football stadium. more gambling. all held up by railroad tracks, more low wage jobs, higher taxes, no manufacturing jobs, yea I'm all over that.

The Northern Lights Express is a solid infrastucture project.  Trains cost a lot of taxpayer's treasure just like our congested money-pit roads.  If we we had any chance of keeping up with the 300 mph trains of China, France, or Germany, it would cost WAY more than $1 billion, as it would need to be entirely grade-seperated from other roads. But it seems like even in a best-case scenario we'll be competing in a 21st century world with 20th century infrastructure.

But the train is going to be built. So here's the question we should be asking: What new transit does Duluth need to build so car-less visitors can get around when they show up at the Depot?

Minneapolis' Marq2 Bus Rapid Transit opens Dec. 14th.  Marquete and 2nd Ave downtown each have two dedicated bus lanes.  New bus shelters have signs with real time schedule information based on GPS in the buses. Stops without shelters have posts with a button you push and it will tell you when the next bus is coming.

That's a bargain

mevdev, the dta has been using the scrolling led's to show the time till the next bus for at least a year.