Minnesota rail lines applies for $50 million in improvement to increase speed of ethanol rail shipments from 7 mph

In Minnesota, an article sheds light on the state of rail infrastructure used to move ethanol to national markets. The Minnesota Prairie Line can move ethanol at a maximum speed of 7 miles per hour and ethanol trains are restricted to 30 cars, which requires that they be sent to a staging point near Minneapolis to be joined with 82 other cars in a 112 car train that heads for California and other markets. The restrictions were put in place after a rail snapped last December. The line has applied for $50 million for improvements.

Ethanol trains carrying up to 2.5 million gallons currently transport fuel from the Midwest to eastern and West Coast fuel markets.

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