A decade-long push by local officials and the Mayo Clinic to build a high-speed rail between Rochester and the Twin Cities metro appears to be gaining momentum. The emergence of a potential private investor, North American High Speed Rail Group, means the project could progress quicker than expected without using any taxpayer money.

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North American is now requesting the Minnesota Department of Transportation give it two years of exclusive negotiating rights for portions of multiple area highways, including a lengthy corridor of U.S. 52.

Preliminary plans by the company call for an 84-mile elevated rail from Bloomington to Rochester. Citing internal documents from MnDOT, the Post-Bulletin reported in July that speeds could reach 260-280 miles per hour, "allowing passengers to get between the two cities in as little as 29 minutes."

There is also the possibility of a stop in Dakota County, according to the paper. Once the rail project is finished, North American is interested in building a link between the Twin Cities and Chicago.

Zip Rail on life support

Meantime, the project known as "Zip Rail" — the state's name for the proposed rail project — is now undergoing the first stage of an environmental review process. However, opposition from Republican lawmakers in the state Legislature make it unlikely that any additional public funding will be used for the project once the review is complete.

In a recent interview, Olmsted County Commissioner Ken Brown said now is the right time to hand things things over to North American and allow them to "transition it from a public to private project." He said the group has been involved with discussions for about two years and is "ready for the next step."

If North American is able to move forward with the project, it would be responsible for all future costs. That includes planning, real estate acquisition, construction and maintenance. Brown said the company actually prefers not to use public funding, which could "come with strings attached."

Several municipalities along the proposed route, including Cannon Falls and Zumbrota, have taken steps to prevent a high-speed rail from passing through their communities. However, Brown said there may be opportunities to build construction and maintenance facilities in rural towns along the route. "How would they say no to new jobs?"