A week or so ago, MPR News reported that during testing of the new Green Line light-rail route, trains were taking about an hour to go from Union Depot in Saint Paul to Target Field, well above the 39 minutes of the original projections. Transit officials insisted that once the trains were timed with traffic Read more →
For the first time, some unsuspecting people have had a ride in Google’s new driverless car. They liked it.
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Farmers can breathe easier. The fertilizer shortage is over. The Associated Press reports that BNSF has now cleared all the backlog of delayed fertilizer shipments as commodities vie for railroad access. The Surface Transportation Board last month ordered BNSF and Canadian Pacific Railway to submit the plans to ensure fertilizer was available for spring planting. Read more →
Delta has now posted fare and schedule information for the new service out of Rochester and while there are some opportunities for some saving, it doesn’t seem to be as big a boon for the budget shopper. Read more →
With less than a month before the official opening of the Green Line, street.mn’s David Levinson takes a look today at one particular stretch of the route: Washington Ave SE. Many of the problems he highlights, he notes, will be solved in time. The signals will be timed better and maybe pedestrians will start paying Read more →
MPR reporter Laura Yuen’s fine story on the the new Green Line light rail service is quite a bucket of cold water for those of us who’ve been fairly anxiously awaiting the inauguration of service one month from today.
The initial estimate of a 40-minute trip on the rail line between downtown Saint Paul and downtown Minneapolis was already far too long — it’s a 26-minute bus trip now — and now, Yuen reports, test trains have taken an hour or more. Read more →
Construction is continuing on the new St. Croix Crossing across the Saint Croix River, just south of the old lift bridge in town.
As of last week, 19 of 23 Minnesota approach pier footings are complete and four piers have been built to their full height, according to MnDOT. Of the three bridge abutments, construction of the eastbound ramp abutment is complete.
I got a chance to fly around the area this morning to get a better idea of the progress.
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Congress is about to be tested on how much sway the airline industry holds over consumers on Capitol Hill.
So far, the industry is winning.
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Railroad buffs, a few reporters, and a couple of officials far outnumbered people getting on or off the Empire Builder train on its return to St. Paul’s Union Depot. Read more →
Nothing gets suburban legislators at the Minnesota Capitol cranked up more than having to slow down when driving on I-35E in Saint Paul. Read more →
Today is a big day at Union Depot where Amtrak will make its first passenger stop there since the time when it was actually a dependable mode of transportation.
The only thing missing was a train, but there’s no way to adequately plan such a thing. Read more →
During rush hour, the study found that the volume of traffic on the remaining lane(s) increased, but not to the point where it slowed down traffic. Read more →
The Auto Show, now at the Minneapolis Convention Center, provided a good opportunity to see what’s out there. Also, who’s out there.
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The Des Plaines Oasis that spans Interstate 90 is as close to iconic as anything is on the long drive to civilization. Soon it will be gone. Read more →
Why do people pay a high toll price on MnPASS roads when there’s no real calculation how much time they’ll save? Read more →
Bob Collins