Final Scoping Decision document for Rochester to Twin Cities high-speed rail released

Written by Jenifer Nunez, assistant editor

The Minnesota Department of Transportation, in cooperation with the Federal Railroad Administration and the Olmsted County Regional Railroad Authority, released the Final Scoping Decision document on the Zip Rail, a plan for high-speed passenger rail service between the Twin Cities and Rochester.

 

The agencies prepared the Final Scoping Decision document to meet state environmental requirements and to guide the development of the Tier 1 Rochester to Twin Cities Passenger Rail Corridor Investment Plan. The plan will be prepared in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969.

The scoping document describes the purpose of and need for a high-speed rail corridor and the proposed action; the development and evaluation of corridor alternatives; the potential social, economic and environmental impacts and discussion of the methodology used to address each issue in the upcoming Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement. The document also responds to comments received during the public comment period between July 7, 2014 and Aug. 22, 2014.

The Zip Rail study area covers approximately a 100-mile corridor between Rochester and the Twin Cities, which includes Dakota, Dodge, Goodhue, Hennepin, Olmsted, Ramsey and Rice counties and various end points in the Twin Cities and Rochester. There is no continuous existing railroad connection between the Twin Cities and Rochester, so many of the potential corridors would create new transportation routes.

The Final Scoping Decision can be found here.

 

 

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