ST. PAUL, Minn. — Legislation introduced in the Minnesota House of Representatives would provide $20 million for capital improvements on the state’s short lines, which face significant costs to upgrade their infrastructure, according to the bill’s sponsor.
Rep. Paul Tokelson (R-Hanska, Minn.) says the state’s 821 miles of Class II, III, and private rail lines would need about $150 million to improve their right-of-way to the standards of larger railroads. Funds for the bill would come from bond sales for the Minnesota Rail Service Improvement program, which offers grants and loans for rail projects. The most round of grant requests involved five times more money than was available.
On Thursday, the House Transportation Finance and Policy Committee laid the bill over for possible inclusion in an omnibus bill, according to the Minnesota House website. The bill is HF2941.
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