Senator Zach Duckworth (R-Lakeville) and Representative Jon Koznick (R-Lakeville) have come together to present a bill that funds a much-needed freight rail car storage facility in Lakeville. 

Progressive Rail currently operates a track in Lakeville that has been storing rail cars on derelict tracks. This has led to both the tracks and cars falling into disrepair. The site has been left in poor condition and has not only marred the landscapes behind housing communities in the city but has also presented substantial safety concerns for residents.

Rail cars are often shuffled from one track to another for storage purposes, and in the process, tend to block the entrances and exits of surrounding neighborhoods. This presents issues for residents, first responders, school buses, and anyone traveling in the vicinity. With the use of trains decreasing, these cars are randomly moved along unused tracks solely for storage purposes.

“This issue has been adversely affecting families and communities in Lakeville for nearly an entire decade, and it is unacceptable that their concerns have gone unanswered for so long,” said Duckworth, who presented the Senate File today in the Senate Transportation Committee. “This is a safety concern for families and their kids, and it has presented undue challenges for transportation in and around the rail track. The community has dealt with this hazardous situation long enough, and it’s time we take care of the problem.”

This bill appropriates $750,000 from the rail service improvement account to the Commissioner of Transportation for a grant to the city of Lakeville for planning and engineering of a freight rail car storage facility. These funds would allow the rail cars to finally be stored elsewhere, where they no longer present a risk to the community.

Rep. Koznick, who authored the legislation in the House said that he is pleased to advance a solution to the parked train cars problem affecting the city.  

“Not only is the issue of parked train cars a nuisance and blight issue in the city, but it is a serious safety issue as well,” said Koznick. “Having lived in a neighborhood that becomes blocked during the movement of train cars, I’ve seen this impact firsthand. When this happens, trains can prevent emergency services from getting to residents in need. Additionally, I have worked with the City of Lakeville and am encouraged by the prospects of a future rail storage facility in Air Lake Industrial Park and the broader economic opportunities such a facility would create for the community.”  

The Senate File was laid over in the Senate Transportation Committee.