NLX Meets Downtown Business Leaders Over Luncheon

DULUTH, Minn – The Northern Lights Express has been discussed for years here in the Northland… and Tuesday the project was the subject of an informational lunch downtown.

The NLX Board met with the downtown council to describe the project’s details and share a vision for the future. St. Louis County Commissioner Keith Nelson has been involved with the project for over 18 years. He chairs the NLX Board and says light rail continues to prove that it is THE transportation mode of the future. He says support of the downtown businesses who gathered today is critical for the success of the project.

“It truly is exciting I think to have all of the people who have hung around all these years long enough to see it happening. So I guess we are pumped up for it. It’s going to take some time to build it out once we have the final federal funding in place. Of course, we have already secured the 194 million from the state of Minnesota. We’re just waiting on the federal answer and then things will get rolling,” Nelson said.

St. Louis County Commissioner Annie Harala was on hand and says the project reminds her of the little engine that could. No one has given up on its potential. She says the ease of getting from one point to the other will have a practical and an economic impact.

“For Duluth it’s the ability to bring people in and send people out. I’m excited to be able to testify at the Capital. Leave at breakfast and be home by dinner. I have friends that are veterans who need care in the Twin Cities. They’ll be able to use this. And the people who want to go to college up here. It’s easy to get back and forth. Beyond tourism, economic development is going to be really helpful with this project,” she said.

And with an estimated price tag of one billion dollars, federal funding is essential to the project’s completion.