Twin Cities: 'Dan Patch moratorium' bans talk of south metro commuter rail [View all]

'Dan Patch moratorium' bans talk of south metro commuter rail

by Sasha Aslanian, Minnesota Public Radio
April 29, 2013


ST. PAUL, Minn. — Buried deep in the Senate transportation bill at the Minnesota Legislature is a dead horse -- actually, a rail line named after him. The Dan Patch line, named for a famous early 20th century race horse, carries freight between the Twin Cities and Northfield.

The idea of bringing back passenger service along that route is so controversial that lawmakers passed a special law to halt discussion of it more than a decade ago.

The Dan Patch rail line snakes through St. Louis Park, Edina and Bloomington, before connecting south to Savage, Lakeville and Northfield.

The rail line has been in operation since the early 1900s. The president of the company that started the train service, M.W. Savage, also owned Dan Patch. His plan was to use the railroad to bring passengers to the town of Savage so they could view his famous horse. The rail line became known as the Dan Patch line and was used as a promotion for the horse. ....................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/04/28/news/dan-patch-commuter-rail-line-moratorium