![]() ![]() Currently, the state records about 45 crashes per year, of which five involve fatalities. In the early 1990s, over 100 automotive crashes per year occurred at rail crossings in Minnesota. The safety of road users at Minnesota's 4,000-plus railroad grade crossings has improved in recent decades. Rail grade crossing safety project selection It is estimated that this appropriation will fund the installation of approximately 10 lower cost grade crossing improvements. The legislature also appropriated $2 million for implementation of safety improvements at these grade crossings specifically along crude-by-rail corridors. The 2014 Minnesota Legislature directed the Minnesota Department of Transportation to conduct a study of highway-rail grade crossings improvements for rail corridors carrying unit trains of crude oil and other hazardous materials. Crude by rail / rail safety improvement study Minnesota has 4,444 route miles of railroads serviced by 21 railroad companies. Rail provides critical options to shippers in terms of market access, modal economics, and service. The freight rail system is particularly critical in providing efficient connections to markets beyond state borders, throughout North America, and to the world through the seaports on the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, and the Great Lakes. Many of the state’s major industries rely on the rail system for efficient delivery of goods. Minnesota’s freight railroads form a critical part of the State’s multimodal transportation system. The plan will identify priority rail corridors, programs, and projects that offer effective improvements or expansion for passenger and freight travel in and out of Minnesota. Now in process for its federally mandated five-year update, the Minnesota State Rail Plan will provide an overall vision for effective use of the state’s freight and passenger rail network and its future development. About Railroads in Minnesota State Rail Plan ![]()
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