High-Speed Rail Summit

Summit Unifies Minnesota & Wisconsin Supporters

In October 2010, more than 150 Minnesota and Wisconsin high-speed rail advocates, business leaders and local elected officials attended the High-Speed Rail Summit hosted by the Minnesota High-Speed Rail Commission, OnBoard Midwest and Empire Builder High-Speed Rail Coalition. Held at the Union Depot in St. Paul, the summit unified key stakeholders on the need to connect the Twin Cities to Chicago and provided the latest information on high-speed rail activities happening in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

The Summit was an opportunity for local elected officials, policymakers and the business community to learn about near-future plans for the high-speed rail project. To kick-off the summit, Congresswoman Betty McCollum announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation had awarded an additional $40 million for the renovation of the Union Depot. The grant will help turn the Union Depot in downtown St. Paul, scheduled to reopen by the end of 2012, into a multimodal hub connecting light rail, commuter rail, high-speed rail, Amtrak, bus rapid transit, Greyhound and Jefferson buses, Metro Transit buses, bicyclists and pedestrians.

Other speakers at the Summit, included Jerry Miller, Winona mayor and chair of the Minnesota High-Speed Rail Commission, Matt Kramer, president of the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce, Dan Krom, director of Mn/DOT's office of passenger rail. The speakers rallied for continued support to finish the corridor by showing attendees that while some have suggested postponing or ending the high-speed rail project, Minnesota continues to press forward.