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THERE CAN BE NO MISTAKING THE OBVIOUS: HIGH GAS PRICES, NOTWITHSTANDING RECENT DECLINES, ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE THE RULE THAN THE EXCEPTION now and henceforth.

Obviously dictating the importance of sound and practical transportation policy as deemphasises the automobile in favour of alternatives such as rail and bus service to the extent feasable.

The which is the subject of a study which MnDOT (as in the Minnesota Department of Transportation) will be expected to formulate thanks to legislation taking effect from Friday, 1 August--which turns out being part of the same law which bans text messaging while driving and sets further operational restrictions on holders of probationary driver's licences.

No doubt a worthwhile first step for Minnesota's perhaps joining the ranks of states like Illinois, California and North Carolina as are taking proactive steps when it comes to passenger rail thanks to partnerships with Amtrak and Section 403(b) funding (as in the provision of the National Passenger Rail Act 1970 allowing states to fund passenger rail services) ... but then again, the unique characteristics of Minnesota need to be taken into account.

Already, first tenative steps are being taken with the Northstar Commuter Rail line between Minneapolis and Big Lake, with possible later extension to St. Cloud; first services are expected to commence sometime next year.

Other commuter-rail corridors as are under further study are:

• the Red Rock Line (Minneapolis-Hastings-Red Wing);
• the Rush Line (Minneapolis-St. Paul-Forest Lake-Rush City);
• the Dan Patch Line (Minneapolis-Savage-Prior Lake-Northfield); and
• self-named lines to Bethel and Norwood-Young America.

As well, there's been talk of a long-distance commuter line as would operate between the Twin Cities and the Twin Ports, restoring passenger rail links as ended in 1981.

Also worthy of study, IMHO, would have to be:

• extending the Dan Patch Line to its becoming, in effect, a long-distance commuter rail line as would continue past Northfield to Faribault, Owatonna and Austin;
• extending the Red Rock Line to its becoming, in effect, a long-distance commuter rail line continuing past Red Wing to Lake City, Wabasha and Winona;
• regional commuter rail (as it were) that would connect Winona, Rochester, Dodge Center, Owatonna (connecting to the expanded-on Dan Patch Corridor to the Twin Cities and Austin), Waseca and Mankato;
• studying the possibility of reclaiming the Douglas State Trail (itself a former Chicago Great Western railway line) and other former CGW lines between Rochester and Red Wing for a passenger-rail link between the Twin Cities and Rochester (if a bit on the awkward side);
• looking into long-distance commuter-rail potential between the Twin Cities and Willmar, with passenger-rail potential past Willmar to Marshall and Sioux Falls;
• partnering with Wisconsin and Illinois on the possibilities of pooling funds to extend @ least two of Amtrak's Hiawatha Service trains between Chicago and Milwaukee onward to the Twin Cities, not to mention pooling funds for adequate trainsets and track upgrades to permit fast running;
• again in partnership with Wisconsin and Illinois, studying the potential of an overnight train between Chicago, Milwaukee and the Twin Cities as an alternative to auto travel and "cookie-cutter" chain-motel predictability (think the likes of European night-train networks as EuroNight, CityNightLine and TrenHotel); and
• studying the possibilities of reintroducing an international passenger rail link between the Twin Cities and Winnipeg, via St. Cloud, Fargo/Moorhead and Grand Forks (as well as another daily passenger train between the Twin Cities and Fargo).

Done carefully enough, Minnesota could certainly be a shining example for the Midwest to become as much a leader and innovator in passenger-rail development as California, Illinois and North Carolina are already beyond the Northeast Corridor.

Otherwise, what stands in the way?

In any event, MnDOT should exercise its legislative mandate to study passenger-rail possibilities with an eye towards many of the solutions just illustrated. Especially considering where high gas prices bound to get higher may leave us with little or no other options to break automotive dependency.