urbanMSP

Yeah, the two Borealis trips are scheduled to pass each other just east of Tomah, and there is a siding there for that to happen. The two trains need to be fairly in sync with each other, as I believe that siding is only about two miles long. If one is delayed near Tomah, it will probably cause the ...

Is there any chance Metro Transit will add some paint, signs, or maybe those flexi-post barriers used at a few stops to mark the 1- and 2-car distances on the platform? It's always really hard to eyeball 1/3rd of a platform and stand in the appropriate spot, and people will inevitably be too far bac...

I'm trying to do some analysis of delays affecting Borealis trips. I don't have any insight into the freight traffic, but it looks like some of the delay is somewhat self-inflicted by Empire Builder and Borealis trains meeting. The Columbus station in particular is getting its platforms rebuilt, alo...

I imagine part of the reason for the lack of bike service is that they're primarily using hand-me-down Horizon rail cars for this service. It would be great for MN/WI to get in on any pending/future rail car purchases, and get some that have better bike storage options

Here's their announcement https://media.amtrak.com/2024/05/introducing-amtrak-borealis-trains-with-expanded-service-between-st-paul-and-chicago-via-milwaukee/ They also have posts up on Facebook and Instagram https://www.facebook.com/Amtrak/posts/pfbid02hSRAyCMnq3BLXa4QLKH6rsfNaHb8v9kV4aq41Zg4DsVzib...

This is also related to the FRA-led Corridor ID Program (ID = "Identification and Development"), which has actually been able to distribute some money for studying new routes and implementing a bit of service. Corridor ID aggregated together a bunch of routes that had been studied by state...

At some point there had been some investigation of areas southwest of Target Field, though some of the options there have become obstructed by the Southwest LRT extension, though I may be crossing wires with TCMC or the old higher-speed train plans to Chicago.

I think there's a lot of value in removing the ban, even if (perhaps especially if) there are particular spots along the existing track alignment that have issues, since those should be studied in good faith. I believe it's a pretty broad ban at the moment, and probably blocks any attempts to find a...

Looks like it dates back to 1982, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI inflation calculator puts that at about $606 million (Nov 1982 -> Dec 2022). We might want to dig into that a bit, since I'm curious if that would have been proposed in connection to any passenger service at the time, perhaps i...

HF 409, the non-bond version, is probably the one to support in the House, since the state constitution limits total bonding for railroad projects to $200 million (Article 11, sec. 5.i. https://www.revisor.mn.gov/constitution/#article_11 ). I'm not sure how much of that limit is currently in use, bu...

I'll have to look at that study at some point. I think the highest I'd heard previously was about 65 trains/day. Of course, there are 1,440 minutes in a day, and (for instance) a 7,000-foot freight train going at 45 mph is going to take about 2 minutes to pass by. With trains traveling in 2 directio...

Here's a piece by Bill Lindeke about the park. He mentioned that the water levels may shift by up to six feet, so things may be more dynamic than we usually see in park streams. https://www.minnpost.com/cityscape/2022/08/new-highland-bridge-parks-offer-open-possibilities/ I visited on Monday, and a ...

The Minnehaha Cub Foods at this location has made some fairly frustrating changes since they started operating. The north entrance at the corner of 46th and Snelling only had one self-checkout lane in the beginning, and it was eventually torn out and replaced by a Cub Pharmacy with no regular checko...

Here's a photo from yesterday. The north end of this building is getting to be topped out. I was confused why the near end to the south is mostly stuck at one story, though my brother figures they're waiting until they can move the crane. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51936938150_77579d24f3_z....

Here's a photo from March 5th. There's even more cladding up around the building now, including along the Minnehaha side (this photo only shows it almost completely edge-on along the 46th side). They're calling it Wakpada, if that hasn't been mentioned yet. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/519218...

I hadn't noticed it before, but this project at 5200 34th Ave S (kitty-corner to Nokomis Hardware and a block south of Oxendale's Market) is nearly buttoned up on the outside. If this letter is still accurate, it has 20 apartment units and 1,928 square feet of office space in front. http://nokomisea...

I'm not sure how I feel about the color scheme, but the brown tones of Amber Apartments (4525 Hiawatha Ave) was blending well with fall colors when I took this photo on Oct 23rd. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51627388402_610e942769_z.jpg PXL_20211023_164838215 by Michael Hicks , on Flickr

Here's a shot of them beginning work on the 4th floor, from when I passed by headed to the Open Streets Minnehaha event on Oct. 24th


PXL_20211024_164111764 by Michael Hicks, on Flickr

I took these first two photos on Oct. 21st when I was going past. There was signage up for construction workers on the existing site fencing. They're using the address 4440 Snelling Ave S. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51629066970_870f601bb4_z.jpg PXL_20211021_172216408 by Michael Hicks , on F...

I think the fastest stretch in Minnesota would be from around Hastings to the northern/western edge of Red Wing. The book The Hiawatha Story by Jim Scribbins has a log of speeds that a train had on February 2, 1939, which maxed out at 100 mph in a few spots in Wisconsin. The train (the Milwaukee Roa...