The railroad industry faces stiff competition from publicly subsidized trucks and barges. Despite the inherent cost and operating advantages of railroads, trucking companies continue to handle a large percentage of the freight volume in Minnesota. Residents of our state need to get behind the formation of a state/national freight transportation policy. Such a policy would contain the following elements:

• A way to allocate costs fairly to the motoring public to recover the true costs of highway maintenance and river channel dredging.
  
  
• A conceptual way of thinking where residents of our state view freight railroads as an integral part of our state transportation system.
  
  
• Articulate to state policy makers that it makes sense to preserve freight rail corridors, especially in growing urban areas of the state, where freight volumes moving via rails reduce highway congestion, safety hazards, and energy consumption per ton/mile of freight transported.
  
  
• Achieve equity in funding to railroads to overcome decades-old public subsidies to the trucking and barge industries, which have diverted traffic away from railroads, increased maintenance costs for highways, and caused a large demand for foreign oil in our state.

The Minnesotan Regional Railroads Association works with its members to provide advocacy for the railroad industry. Legislative work done by the Minnesota Regional Railroads Association has included work on issues such as:

• Crossing safely

• Funding for railroad information

• Regulating issues

• Trespass laws

• Whistle bans and noise regulation

For more information on the members of the Minnesota State Legislature, the Minnesota House and Senate Transportation Committees, Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton or the members of the United State Congress, please see the following links:

• The Minnesota Legislature
• The Senate Transportation Policy & Finance Committee
• The House Transportation Policy and Finance Committee
• The Office of the Governor of Minnesota
• United States House of Representatives
• United States Senate

For information on specific areas of state law or plans, please see these sites:

• Compilation of State Laws and Regulations Affecting Highway-Rail Grade Crossings - October 2009
• MN State Rail Plan Resources Technical Memorandum (planning)