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by Dennis Dalman
Every time Jan Sorell and Sartell senior citizens take a train trip to the Twin Cities, Sorell hears the same question and comment over and over again from her fellow seniors.
“Wouldn’t it be nice if Northstar would come all the way to St. Cloud?”
“I can’t wait until this rail line gets extended to St. Cloud.”
That wish – to extend the Northstar Commuter Rail line – will be the subject of a retreat and march from 9 a.m.-noon Saturday, July 25 at St. Augustine Church. A public meeting will take place at the church, starting at 9 a.m. At about 10 a.m. marchers will line up to begin the march across the Division Street bridge to the Metro Bus Transit station. There, starting at 11 a.m., leaders of the rally will hold a press conference.
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Taking a trip to the twin cities soon? Northstar Rail and the Bus Link reach the St. Cloud area daily! Visit northstartrain.org for more information.
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The Transit station is at 510 1st St. S. in West St. Cloud.
St. Augustine Church is at 442 2nd St. SE in East St. Cloud.
People are asked to register for the event. They can do so by going to: www.tinyurl.com/GRIP12.
After the march across the Division Street bridge to the Metro Transit station, the rally’s leaders and participants will host a press conference. The march is sponsored by GRIP/ISAIAH, a St. Cloud-area organization comprised of many faith groups. Everyone in the greater St. Cloud area – and beyond – is invited to attend the rally and march.
“I strongly support it (extension of rail service),” Sorell said. “When it comes to train service, Europe is so far ahead of us.”
Sorell is a founding member of the Sartell Senior Connection. It hosts a wide variety of programs, activities and events. One such activity is the group’s Ride the Rails program during which seniors visit the Twin Cities to go to museums, take in some sightseeing and to eat at a restaurant or two. Each trip is different. The seniors car-pool from Sartell to Big Lake, board the Northstar Rail and arrive later at Target Field. From there they catch a Blue Line or Green Line rail-extension line to where they want to go in Minneapolis or St. Paul.
Big Lake, the northernmost Northstar stop, is 31 miles from St. Cloud. Originally, Northstar planned to operate between the Twin Cities all the way north to Rice. However, because of cost considerations and other factors those plans were scrapped, at least for the foreseeable future. The St. Cloud Metro Bus Service does have a bus connection to the Big Lake terminal via a Park-and-Go lot just south of the St. Cloud Correctional Facility along Hwy. 10. But many Northstar riders, including Sartell seniors, have expressed interest in being able to ride the rails to and from the Twin Cities more conveniently, an uninterrupted train ride.
GRIP/ISAIAH is asking people to sign a petition that states:
“There is a growing need for transit across our region and other parts of Greater Minnesota. Here in the St. Cloud region, the lack of transit means the lack of access to jobs, education, medical and other important services. We need dedicated transit funding to better serve and meet needs of our changing and growing population.
We the undersigned call on the legislature to pass a comprehensive, sustainable, multi-modal transportation package this session to create a connected state where everyone can thrive. We must:
- Fully fund both the fixed-route and dial-a-ride service in the St. Cloud region.
- Create dedicated revenue for safe alternatives for pedestrians and bicyclists.
- Complete the Northstar Commuter Rail to connect St. Cloud to the metro area.”
Those who want to sign the petition can do so by going to: www.tinyurl.com/finishnorthstar.
GRIP/ISAIAH
GRIP stands for the Greater River Interfaith Partnership (of the St. Cloud area). It is one of three components of ISAIAH, which is also comprised of Interfaith Action of Minneapolis and the St. Paul Ecumenical Alliance of Congregations.
The goal of GRIP/ISAIAH is to help its coalition of 100 member-congregations to “live out their faith in biblical justice and the common good.”
The three organizations, alone and together, concentrate on issues of affordable housing, tax-base sharing, education funding, transportation and economic revitalization.
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