(The following editorial appeared on the Rochester Post-Bulletin website on September 2, 2009.)
ROCHESTER, Minn. — Regardless of where you stand concerning coal trains, the Southern Rail Corridor near Rochester and rail traffic in general, last week was eventful.
When Dakota Minnesota & Eastern Rail Corp. announced that it was abandoning its attempt to acquire land through condemnation proceedings in Wyoming, many foes of the of the railroad’s $6 billion upgrade probably cheered. After all, some local residents have spent more than a decade fighting DM&E’s plan to daily bring coal trains through the heart of Rochester.
Now, even with DM&E’s owner, Canadian Pacific Railway, calling the shots, it appears that it will be years before the coal train debate rears its head again. For those whose goal was to prevent a dramatic increase in train traffic through Rochester, this is a victory.
But for some, there might be a “glass-is-half-empty” aspect to this development. Without the imminent prospect of fully loaded trains carrying coal to eastern power plants, it might be a bit more difficult to argue that a rail bypass south of Rochester is worthy of federal stimulus dollars.
Supporters of the Southern Rail Corridor will doubtless argue that shipments of ethanol, anhydrous ammonia and other hazardous materials still pose a threat to the Mayo Clinic and the thousands of people who work downtown, and that point remains valid. However, given that Canadian Pacific just spent millions of dollars upgrading the DM&E line, making it safer and capable of handling heavier loads at higher speeds, it will be a difficult argument to make.
Perhaps this is for the best. The argument about coal trains has always had a somewhat hypothetical quality, and the expenditure of hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars shouldn’t be based on the mere possibility that someday, coal trains might come through Rochester.