Safeguards sought before rail merger

Mayo Clinic wants Canadian Pacific Railway to meet some conditions before it expands a nearby line.

By MARY LYNN SMITH, Star Tribune

Last update: March 4, 2008 - 9:09 PM

In an effort to make a controversial railroad project more palatable and safer as it winds through Rochester, Minn., officials at the Mayo Clinic want conditions imposed on the Canadian Pacific Railway's acquisition of the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad.

Canadian Pacific may carry out a coal train project the DM&E planned that Rochester and Mayo officials have opposed because of a possible tenfold increase in train traffic through Rochester. But even without the expansion, rail traffic probably will increase -- and so will shipments of hazardous materials, according to the Rochester Coalition, which was formed to oppose the project.

Mayo filed the proposed mitigation measures on Wednesday with the U.S. Surface Transportation Board, which is reviewing the railroad merger.

Mayo Chief Executive Officer Glenn Forbes said the DM&E, which has one of worst safety records in the rail industry, will be a safer railroad because of the merger. But "accidents happen, even to safe railroads," he said.

The trains run within 100 feet of the Mayo Clinic. Officials there said an accident could put thousands of people at risk, including patients in critical health and more than 30,000 doctors and staff.

The 10-year railroad controversy began when the DM&E proposed a major expansion through parts of southern Minnesota and South Dakota to haul coal from Wyoming's Powder River Basin. Last year, the DM&E lost its request for a $2.3 billion federal loan to finance the project, but the merger with Canadian Pacific could put it back on track.

Federal regulators previously ruled that it would require mitigation only if the expansion proceeded. But Mayo officials said the additional safety conditions are needed even without the expansion because an increase in hazardous material shipments pose an "unacceptable risk" to the community and the hospital.

Conditions include notifying Rochester emergency services of hazardous cargo, speed limits for hazardous cargo traffic, limits on the number of through-traffic trains through Rochester, sound barriers and fencing for bike paths and pedestrian crossings.

Mary Lynn Smith • 612-673-4788

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