On Tuesday morning, a joint meeting of the House Transportation Policy, Transportation Finance, Commerce and Consumer Protection , and Agriculture Committees along with the Senate Transportation and Public Safety,Commerce, and the Jobs,Agriculture and Rural Develpment Committees met in the State Office Building. The meeting started at 10:00 in the morning and adjourned about 2:30 in the afternoon.
We heard from every perpective on the state of the railroads, particularly those that run in Minnesota. Commission Zelle and Dave Christiansen of the Minnesota Department of Transportation started off with their report on railroads. Businesses impacted by the railroads talked about their experiences and expectations. Representatives of the employees talked about their experiences and challenges. An Amtrak official explained that almost all their routes are coming in behind schedule because of the huge problems caused by the trains carrying oil. They are seeing a reduction in passengers as a result. Last were the officials from the railroads who explained their operations.
It appears that that the main problem centers on train operations in North Dakota. While the railroads are expanding their rail infrastructure, ordering new equipment and hiring new personnel, all that will take a few years to accomplish and not much improvement is seen until then. That means the crisis will continue unless some extraordinary measures are taken.