Earlier this month, the Rochester Post Bulletin's Answer Man considered the fact that Some worry that Zip Rail is an unkillable zombie:
Dear Answer Man, will you answer this once and for all: Is Zip Rail dead or is it not dead?
It's dead.
But what if Zip Rail just looks dead and is a zombie, just waiting for the right moment to get back on track?
At some point down the road, some brave souls may try another plan for a high-speed passenger train between Rochester and the Twin Cities. But I guarantee you that if they do, it won't be called Zip Rail. That name has been rendered unusable by opponents of the project. Its only value now is as a political bogeyman. . . .
Around the same time, Heather Carlson reported in All roads -- and modes -- lead to Rochester at the Post Bulletin:
One year ago, Olmsted County and the Minnesota Department of Transportation suspended work on Zip Rail, a proposed publicly funded high-speed rail line from Rochester to the Twin Cities. A private company — North American High Speed Rail Group — announced plans to privately fund a $4.2 billion high-speed rail line between Rochester and Bloomington. But the status of the project is unclear, with the rail group's website suddenly gone and replaced with one for a group called Minnesota Corridor. Records show the website domain was purchased by Wendy Meadley, former chief strategist for the North American High Speed Rail Group.
Despite that sketchy existence, the zombie is back among us. In a photo caption accompanying Minnesota Public Radio reporter Brian Bakst's article, Minnesota's World's Fair bid looks brighter after Congress acts, we find this tidbit:
Former Minn. Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, at podium, lead an announcement at a press conference in St. Paul on April 10, 2015, that backers have formed a formal committee to bid for an off-year World's Fair exposition in 2023. The effort is co-chaired by hotel executive Marilyn Carlson Nelson and Nature Conservancy executive Lois Quam, at right. They were joined by officials from Blue Cross Blue Shield, the Metropolitan Council and the North American High Speed Rail Group.
Yep: it's a zombie.
Post Bulletin Answer Man wasn't the only one reflecting on the "Dead or Undead" status of the concept. In late February, Star Tribune staff writer Janet Moore reported in Pending legislation could derail high-speed train to Rochester before it's built:
But the effort has met with strong resistance from residents and farmers in Goodhue, Dakota and Olmsted counties. Legislators from those areas have introduced three bills in the House and Senate this session that could hamper efforts to build it.
Although the status of the project is unclear, "there are still some strong elements of concern in my district," said Rep. Steve Drazkowski, R-Mazeppa, lead author of a bill in the House.
His bill would require the project's developers to post a security bond or a financial guarantee if they use any state land or negotiate air rights above the highway for the train. This would permit taxpayers to recoup some costs if the project fails, Drazkowski said.
Drazkowski's measure also would require the developer to secure environmental insurance, and it would prevent the use of eminent domain laws to take private land for the project. A bill in the House, introduced by Rep. Pat Garofalo, R-Farmington, has similar spending restrictions. Sen. Michael Goggin, R-Red Wing, introduced a version of that bill in the Senate.
A similar measure was introduced at the Legislature last year but didn't pass muster in the DFL-controlled Senate. However, with both the House and Senate now controlled by Republicans, there's hope among rail opponents this year. . . .
Wendy Meadley, who has served as chief strategy officer and spokeswoman for the project, could not be reached for comment last week. According to the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board, Meadley's status as a lobbyist for the project was terminated Nov. 2.
Late last year, the name of the initiative was changed to the Minnesota Corridor Project. While its website declares that it's "Actualizing the Twin Cities to Rochester Connection," no further information is available. This comes after representatives from China Railway International visited Minnesota last fall to discuss the project in private meetings.
That group came together last year after MnDOT formally abandoned the project, then known as the Zip Rail, due to a dearth of funds. . . .
Heather Arndt, co-founder of the group Citizens Concerned About Rail Line (CCARL), says legislative protections aimed at blocking the project are needed — whether the project is moving forward or not. "The people living down here are standing firm," Arndt said.
In late March, the Post Bulletin's Hannah Yang reported in Zip Rail halted, but Dodge County keeps up the fight:
For now, a measure that is part of the House Republicans' tax bill calls for a rail funding ban. That measure has advanced through the House and was halted in the Senate. This legislation prohibits use of any public funds on the rail project. Its author is Rep. Steve Drazkowski, a Mazeppa Republican.
The measure also prohibits use of eminent domain for the rail line, and requires developers of projects estimated to cost more than $1 billion to purchase environmental insurance.
In mid-April, the Winona Post's Chris Rogers wrote in State, federal passenger rail funding debate:
Drazkowski championed a proposal to block the state or local governments from using public money to study or fund a new high-speed rail line between Rochester and the Twin Cities — a project once called ZIP Rail. His proposal might become law this spring. It made it into a “miscellaneous” section of the House of Representatives’ tax bill, and, Drazkowski hopes, will be added to the Senate’s version. Senator Mike Goggin (R-Red Wing) has championed the proposal in the Senate. . . .
Drazkowski’s proposal would prohibit state or local governments — or Rochester’s Destination Medical Center project — from spending any public money on passenger rail between Rochester and the Twin Cities. In recent years, Mn/DOT worked on a couple different proposals for high-speed rail from med city to the Twin Cities that would have cut through private land in Drazkowski’s district. He said that people living along Highway 52 would have been subject to having their land seized for a train that would not serve them — there would have been no stops between Rochester and the Twin Cities. . . .
We'll watch to see if the newly animated North American High Speed Rail Group continues to share the stage with leaders of the Met Council and the World's Fair. Curiously, when the North American High Speed Rail Group answered some questions about the project in 2015, the World's Fair wasn't relevant:
[Question:] As a sponsor for Minnesota’s bid for the World’s Fair, does NAHSR have an ulterior motive for building Zip Rail? Can Minnesotans afford the permanent impacts to agriculture and the economy for a 3 month event? What does history tell us about the economic fortunes of past host cities?
[Answer:] A project of this scale could not be financed based on a singular 3 month event. Potential impacts to agriculture and the economy have not been established. Development of the project within the existing highway right of way could have a minimal impact on the agricultural community. Questions regarding the World’s Fair are not relevant to NAHSR's Preliminary Study effort.
Now it looks as though hitching itself to the World's Fair is this project's last best hope. Perhaps those considering investing in this rolling dead project should do a bit more due diligence beyond seeing a shiny thing.
Sadly for Minnesota, having a representative of the semi-moribund North American High Speed Rail Group up front with the Met Council at the World' Fair press conference will do absolutely nothing to make sure that public transit for ordinary working people, senior and students will be funded. Some elites have no shame in promoting vanity projects and no understanding of the political consequences of their own vanity.
Photo: Protest signs like this are unlikely to go away soon.
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