If you are looking at a home with a railroad track nearby it can be important to know the frequency and speed of trains using the track. You can ask the sellers, but their answer may or may not be accurate…honest answers often reflect more their response to the trains rather than accurate information.
Minnesota Department of Transportation compiles information on Minnesota's 4,538 route miles of railroads serviced by 22 railroad companies. Those railroad companies are divided into three classes, based on operating revenues and status defined by the U.S. Surface Transportation Board. Click here for more MN DOT railroad information.
MN DOT also compiles maps with railroad volumes and speeds. Click here or on the map below for a 'zoom-able' version of the Twin Cities freight railroad map below with primary railroad usage. Other maps are also available, or contact MN DOT (see 'Rail Data') or the railroad using the line for more information.
We have an elevated railroad track hidden in the trees behind our home. Most of the time I don't even know it's there, but every once in a while a slow train rumbles by…doesn't bother me at all, I kind of like the ambiance it gives…I find it rather picturesque. People have asked me how often the trains go by…I guessed maybe once or twice a day. In checking it out on the map I find the frequency is 3 times a day (used to be 4 times, which really surprised me!). I was right on the rumbling…its speed is only 10 mph.
Sharlene Hensrud, RE/MAX Results - Email – HomesMSP.com
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