Meeting tonight on adding stops to Amtrak Empire Builder line

MnDOT wants to increase stops but La Crosse won’t get any for at least 5 years 

Although the Trump White House has talked about cutting out rail passenger service in many parts of the U.S., the Minnesota Dept. of Transportation has a new report suggesting the demand for rail travel is growing.

That report is the topic for a public open house from 5-7 p.m. tonight at the county administrative center in La Crosse.

Praveena Pidiparthi from MnDOT is director of the rail study. She’s hoping to get government funding for the next phase of railroad expansion.

Pidiparthi says the goal is to double the number of Empire Builder, though it will take about five years for stops to increase and at least that long for Amtrak to add stops in La Crosse. She hopes for government funding to pay for the next phase, designs for improved service.

A second meeting will take place Thursday in St. Paul.