Star Tribune
Feds map out potential Amtrak routes from Twin Cities to Denver, Phoenix and San Antonio
Imagine riding a train from the Twin Cities to Phoenix, San Antonio, Denver or Seattle. Federal rail officials want to know if you think that’s a good idea — or not.
A study detailing the possible restoration of Amtrak long-distance passenger service to these cities and dozens of smaller towns along the way was recently released by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), which is seeking feedback on the plan. The idea is to create a long-term vision for rail service and identify what needs to be done to make it happen.
The maps in the plan will likely make train nerds swoon, and naysayers fume.
Count Brian Nelson, president of the rail advocacy group All Aboard Minnesota, in the swooning category.
“It may seem a long ways off, but I think it’s the first time that the FRA has come up with a robust proposed structure to really advance long-distance passenger rail in this country,” he said. “There’s a lot that needs to happen, but it’s an exciting step, because it lays out a vision, a plan, and what could be.”
Federal officials have already held a series of public forums along with Amtrak and other state and local interested parties on the proposed routes, and more meetings are planned. They say they’ve unearthed “a widespread desire for restoring long-distance routes and exploring the creation of new ones.”
While a report to Congress is expected by year’s end, there’s no timeline for when any of these routes may start service — if ever. And none of the proposed routes embrace “high-speed” service, like the kind frequently available in Europe and China. The Amtrak Acela fleet in parts of the Northeast corridor is considered high speed rail, as well as the Brightline train between Miami and Orlando in Florida.
The proposed routes that would link the Twin Cities to cities across the Midwest and West include:
+ Service with stops in Des Moines, Iowa; Kansas City, Mo.; Tulsa, Okla.; Dallas-Fort Worth, and San Antonio, Texas.
+ Service with stops in Sioux Falls, Pierre, S.D.; Cheyenne, Wyo.; and Denver, Colo.
+ Service with stops in Sioux Falls; Omaha; Kansas City; Amarillo, Texas; Albuquerque, N.M.; Flagstaff, and Phoenix, Ariz.
+ Service between Seattle and Chicago, different from the existing Empire Builder route west of Fargo, that includes a stop in the Twin Cities, as well as Fargo, Bismarck, N.D.; Billings and Helena, Mont.; and Spokane, Wash.
The effort came about following the adoption of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in 2021, which was pushed by President Joe Biden, nicknamed “Amtrak Joe” for his fervent commute by train while serving in Congress. It directed the FRA to consider how new long-distance routes could bolster connections between cities and promote “economic and social well-being” in rural and tribal areas.
Proposed routes in Minnesota would also likely serve towns along the way. The route from the Twin Cities to San Antonio could stops in Northfield, Faribault, Owatonna and Albert Lea. “That’s quite a bit of support in southern Minnesota,” Nelson said.
Currently, the Empire Builder — service between Chicago and Seattle or Portland with a stop at St. Paul’s Union Depot — is the only Amtrak service available in Minnesota. Plans are edging forward for passenger rail service between the Twin Cities and Duluth, with Amtrak as the likely operator.
FRA officials note additional analysis is needed, so the regions and cities currently mapped out could change.
“Everywhere we go in the state for meetings, there is a lot of interest and people are excited about it,” Nelson said. “There’s a large contingent of people who don’t want or can’t fly or drive. We believe the demand is there.”
The only debate between DFL U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar and GOP challenger Royce White started Sunday on the street outside WCCO Radio.
As White approached the building, he loudly called some two dozen flag-waving and cheering Klobuchar supporters a “whole lot of commies.” The 33-year-old provocateur and podcaster also told them to thank Republican former Vice President Dick Cheney — who endorsed Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris — because there was “no chance in hell” that Harris would defeat Republican former President Donald Trump on Nov. 5.
Klobuchar, 64, had arrived moments earlier, smiling and wishing “good morning” to her supporters. Once inside, the two took questions for an hour from moderator Blois Olson. Their tone was generally polite with White often interrupting a Klobuchar response with, “rebuttal,” indicated he wanted to respond.
The senator repeatedly raised White’s claims on X, formerly Twitter, that “The bad guys won in World War II” and that there were “no good guys in that war.” She called that stance offensive to veterans.
U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar arrives at WCCO Radio for a debate with Royce White in Minneapolis on Sunday, Oct. 27. (Richard Tsong-Taatarii)
Klobuchar, who is seeking a fourth six-year term, portrayed herself as a pragmatist. She opened by saying that we live in “incredibly divisive times politically” but that she has listened and worked with Republicans to bring down shipping costs, drug prices for seniors and to help veterans and push for more housing and child care.
“Courage in this next few years is not going to be standing by yourself yelling at people,” she said, her opening allusion to White’s rhetoric, which she said is often vulgar.
White, a former NBA player, is a political novice, but a close ally of Steve Bannon, the jailed former chief strategist for Trump and right wing media executive. Last summer, White won the state GOP endorsement to run against Klobuchar.
“Our country’s coming undone at the seams. I think we can change that,” White said in his opening statement. He said he threatens the status quo, decried the “permanent political class” and referred to the two major parties as the “uniparty.”
Other buildings destroyed at Khojir and Parchin likely included buildings where Iran used industrial mixers to create the solid fuel needed for its extensive ballistic missile arsenal, Eveleth said.
In a statement issued immediately after the attack Saturday, the Israeli military said it targeted ”missile manufacturing facilities used to produce the missiles that Iran fired at the state of Israel over the last year.”
Destroying such sites could greatly disrupt Iran’s ability to manufacture new ballistic missiles to replenish its arsenal after the two attacks on Israel. Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which oversees the country’s ballistic missile program, has been silent since Saturday’s attack.
Iran’s overall ballistic missile arsenal, which includes shorter-range missiles unable to reach Israel, was estimated to be ”over 3,000” by Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, then-commander of the U.S. military’s Central Command, in testimony to the U.S. Senate in 2022. In the time since, Iran has fired hundreds of the missiles in a series of attacks.
There have been no videos or photos posted to social media of missile parts or damage in civilian neighborhoods following the recent attack — suggesting that the Israeli strikes were far more accurate that Iran’s ballistic missile barrages targeting Israel in April and October. Israel relied on aircraft-fired missiles during its attack.
However, one factory appeared to have been hit in Shamsabad Industrial City, just south of Tehran near Imam Khomeini International Airport, the country’s main gateway to the outside world. Online videos of the damaged building corresponded to an address for a firm known as TIECO, which advertises itself as building advanced machinery used in Iran’s oil and gas industry.
Some take him up on it and fret when he’s not around.
“It is nice to be missed and be part of the school’s culture,” Arzola said. But mostly, he added, he wants kids to know that police aren’t around just for when the bad stuff happens. He’ll hand out his stickers and bracelets, even a trading card bearing his image. Then, they’ll talk about dogs and family.
School resource officer Al Arzola talks to students in his office at John Adams Middle School in Rochester on Oct. 11. (Leila Navidi/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Two months ago, Rochester played host to a three-day training session for new SROs from across the state — an event organized by the Minnesota School Safety Center. On the final day, the 26 officers learned about surveillance challenges at the other school where Arzola works: Dakota Middle School.
It is a beautiful building with a scenic view. There is a lot of glass, too. Arzola, handling the role of instructor and tour guide, took the group outside and noted how one could look straight through the entrance to the large groups that gather inside. There were no curbs in front, either.
“There is nothing stopping any vehicle whatsoever from going through my front doors,” Arzola told the officers. “Law enforcement wasn’t talked to before this building was made. It was kind of like, ‘Here it is. You’re the SRO. Do what you do.’”
He showed them his office, too, which is separate from the main office and near those of other school support staff members. That makes sense, said Jenny Larrive, SRO coordinator for the Minnesota School Safety Center, given than SROs spend more time connecting with youth than on actual law enforcement.
