We're not sure if we agree with all of the conclusions made by Citizens Concerned About Rail Line (CCARL) activist Nora Felton, but we can't help admire her framing of the North American High Speed Rail Group's "Velos" private project as Zombie Zip Rail.
In a letter to the editor published in the Zumbrota News Record Zombie Zip Rail project has not stopped and the Red Wing Republican Eagle as ‘Zombie’ Zip Rail project has not stopped its march, Felton argues:
Taxpayers should be aware that a recent announcement by the Minnesota Department of Transportation and Olmsted County Regional Rail Authority stating the tax-funded Zip Rail study will be “shelved” (suspended) does NOT mean proposed Zip Rail has stopped.
At meetings Jan. 28 of the Zip Rail Technical and Community Advisory committees, MnDOT’s Dan Krom related there was no money and no political will to continue with this project at this time. Yet, many questions and red flags continue to be raised. Taxpayers know that ill-conceived zombie projects rise again to walk amongst us and misuse public resources.
The proposed Twin Cities-Rochester high-speed Zip Rail has been turned over to the private company, North American High Speed Rail. Olmsted County’s Ken Brown commented on the shelved study, “That work won’t be wasted. It won’t disappear. It will be used by the group that takes it over and runs with it.” . . .
Read the whole thing at either publication. Felton concludes with an invitation to a meeting:
If you do not support a multi-billion dollar high-speed “shiny toy” which will break and default, plan to visit with MnDOT Commissioner Charles Zelle, who has agreed to come down to our area for a meeting 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Feb. 16 at Urland Lutheran Church. The church is two miles west of Highway 52 on County Road 9.
Engaging in eternal vigilance will be the cost of freedom from a zombie rail project.
Published just below Felton's LTE in the Zumbrota paper, Barbara Stussy writes in Chance to raise your concerns and ask questions about Zip Rail:
As some of you may know, MnDOT suspended/shelved the Zip Rail passenger, non-stop high-speed rail project officially last week. This does NOT mean that the Zip Rail project is dead by any means.
This project can be taken off the “shelf” and revived again in three to five years or more per MnDOT’s Dan Krom at last week’s meeting of the Zip Rail Technical and Community Advisory Committees in St. Paul.
The problem with this project is that taxpayer monies were spent on this project to see it through to the ZipRail Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). That did not happen. At this point, following last week’s release of the Zip Rail Alternative Analysis Report (AAR) by MnDOT, there is no public comment period. Had the project been taken to the Tier 1 EIS, the public would have had a comment period.
Also, there were corrections needed to the AAR and those have not been posted to the Zip Rail website. This document needs to be fully corrected before the document is shelved.
Stussy details those corrections in the body of the letter, concluding:
Today, I write you to inform you of a public meeting with MnDOT Commissioner Charlie Zelle regarding the Zip Rail proposal and developments on Tuesday, February 16, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Urland Lutheran Church (two miles west of Hwy 52 on Goodhue County Road 9). This is your chance to raise concerns and ask questions about the above.
As citizens, let’s join together once again to meet with Commissioner Zelle with our voices and our questions. We need everyone to pack the meeting location to the rafters. Call/contact your friends, neighbors, and family with details to attend. This is our chance to be heard by the head of MnDOT. Make no mistake, this IS a very important meeting regarding this issue. We may not have another time to make our concerns known on Zip Rail at this level.
We're not sure of the source of this cartoon, but we received it in a CCARL email blast:
Zombie train rolls into MN02 Republican debate
Another sign of the zombie train? The issue rolled into the last Republican candidate debate in Cannon Falls. The Uptake has the moment preserved on a clip on YouTube, along a description in MN02 GOP Candidates On Zip Rail Proposal:
Six Republican candidates for Minnesota's only open congressional seat are asked about a proposal to build a high speed passenger "Zip rail" through the district to go from the Twin Cities to Rochester. Participating in the debate at Cannon Falls High School are Pam Myhra, John Howe, David Gerson, Darlene Miller, Jason Lewis and new candidate Gene Rechtzigel.
We'll have an examination of their responses along with an embed of the video in a future post. Some of the candidates were more well-versed in the issue than others.
Images: Heckova morning commute with that zombie train via Global Cool (above) and a Zip Rail Zombie specific cartoon, via CCARL email.
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