WINONA, Minn. — Senator Jeremy Miller R-Winona, co-sponsored a bill to fund the Minnesota share for improvements to the railroad infrastructure necessary for more frequent Winona passenger train service. The funding would cover upgrades on the Canadian Pacific mainline from to Milwaukee to St. Paul with possible new passenger train stops in LaCrosse, Winona, Red Wing and perhaps Hastings. “There is a significant amount of local support, and of course some opposition, to the Twin Cities-Milwaukee-Chicago second train proposal,” Miller said in a statement. “The second train would be a great addition; however, I’m most excited about the local track and signal improvements that are included in the proposal, which would benefit both freight and passenger rail. A $10 million investment from the state of Minnesota would result in $53 million in rail upgrades, including over $19 million in Winona and close to $21 million in La Crescent. These upgrades would improve safety and I’m told they would also improve switching times in Winona.”
Fellow rail supporters
The cosponsors: Jeremy Mller, R-Winona; Mike Googin, R-Red Wing; and Sandy Pappas, D-St. Paul.
Winona timetable woes
An additional daily Winona passenger train would terminate in St. Paul. and either Milwaukee or Chicago. The single current roundtrip train, Amtrak’s all-reserved seating Empire Builder, makes a whistle stop in Winona. The Empire Builder’s schedule is built around hubs in Chicago and Seattle and the scenic Rocky Mountains, not intermediate points.