Budget For High Speed Rail Line Cut Nearly In Half

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The cost of a high-speed rail line between Minneapolis and Duluth has been cut nearly in half.

The Northern Lights Express route would start in Minneapolis, making a few stops, along the 152 miles to Duluth and Superior. Original estimates put the price at $1 billion.

But at a Wednesday news conference in Duluth, the Minnesota Department of Transportation says changes put the cost between $500-600 million. The savings would be made by dropping the top speed from 110 miles per hour to 90.

The trip from the Twin Cities to the Twin Ports would take about 2-and-a-half hours. Plans would have it up and running by 2020.

In:
• Duluth News