The Northern Lights Express, or NLX for short, is igniting imaginations around Minnesota and the nation.The proposed passenger rail service will:

• Offer two-hour service between Minneapolis and Duluth
  with top speeds of 110 mph;
• Spur approximately $2 billion in development along the
  155 mile corridor;
• Encourage about 13,800 jobs; and
• Provide an environmental sound alternative to automobiles that can be used for business and tourism.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Northern Lights Express (NLX) is a proposed passenger rail project between the Minneapolis Transportation Interchange station and the City of Duluth, along
Highway 65 and Interstate 35. The Minneapolis-Duluth/Superior Passenger Rail
Alliance is a joint powers board formed to explore options for renewing passenger rail service on existing tracks in the 155 mile corridor.

STATUS

• Designated one of eight top priorities for development by the National Passenger Rail Study Group, headed by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation, in December 2007.
• Received $1.1 million from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) in its first Capital Assistance Grant Program, which gave NLX one-third of the total planning dollars available.
• $900,000 of Minnesota bonding had been leveraged with the $1.1 million from the FRA to start the environmental and preliminary engineering work. Anticipated completion date is end of 2010.
• $475,000 designated for NLX in the FY 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Bill.
• $500,000 appropriated by Congress for NLX in FY 2010.
• Approximately $2 million invested by local cities and counties in the Corridor.
• In the 2009 Minnesota legislative session, $26 million in bonding for rail projects was passed.
• In 2010, the project was approved by the MN Department of Transportation to receive $3 million of last year's state bonding authority to assist in advancing the project.

Proposed Use of
FY 2011 Transitway Funding

Congressional funding in the amount of $3,000,000 is requested to support environmental and engineering work in the following project elements:

• Mapping (LIDAR technology)
• Subgrade correction/ geotechnical plans
• Capacity upgrades
• Equipment specifications
• Model revisions as needed
• Facilities and stations

In addition, the project anticipates applying for $55,000,000 in FRA grants to support:

• Engineering
• Right-of-way acquisition
• Construction