Train stations are destinations that attract residents, entrepreneurs, and visitors. Northern Lights Express (NLX) stations, with bus and paved trail connections, promise to create transit-oriented development, bringing prosperity to communities all along the proposed Twin Cities-to-Twin Ports NLX corridor.
Passenger train stations also encourage business and housing developments that increase the property values of entire neighborhoods. Sometimes the increased property values of existing structures and new developments surpass the cost of construction of entire passenger lines.
Thus, NLX promises to be a wise investment, increasing the economies of Northeastern Minnesota and Northwestern Wisconsin.
According to the American Public Transportation Association in Washington, D.C., in 2018, Americans took 9.9 billion trips on public transportation, an increase in ridership that is surpassing the growth of the country’s population. Also, property values within 15-minute walks of public transportation average 42% higher than in neighborhoods without access to public transportation.
One example, of many across America, is the Metro Green Line along University Avenue in Minneapolis and St. Paul. The total project budget for the Metro Green Line was $957 million. It was funded by federal, state, and local sources. According to the National Association of City Transportation Officials, neighborhoods along the Green Line have experienced more than $3 billion in commercial and residential development. Also, more than 14,000 housing units have been constructed or are planned within a half mile of the line.
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Another example is a study documenting new construction near Dallas Area Rapid Transit light rail stations in Texas. The study demonstrates just how productive and important the stations are to the overall North Texas economy, generating billions of dollars in revenue, taxes, and jobs. Researchers from the Economics Research Group at the University of North Texas reviewed 81 development projects completed within a quarter mile of the light rail stations with a total property value of $5.138 billion between 2016 and 2018.
Here in Minnesota, too, within the NLX corridor, stations promise to help create transit-oriented development. NLX is expected to generate $150 million in increased property values. That would increase state and local tax revenue by about $15 million in the first year of operation. This would create numerous economic and community benefits for many businesses, individuals, and families.
James Patrick Buchanan of Duluth is a lifelong passenger-train supporter and advocate.
The Trust Project
