Duluth, MN (Northland's NewsCenter) -- Securing federal funds for the high–speed railway between Duluth and the Twin Cities may be in jeopardy.
The concern comes after the change in the Eighth District Congressional Seat.
Congressman Jim Oberstar has long been a supporter of The Northern Lights Express, a high–speed train between Duluth and the Twin Cities.
As chair of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Oberstar has set up meetings with the Federal Rail Commission to emphasize the economic value the train would bring to the region.
Now that Oberstar has been defeated by Republican Chip Cravaack, Northern Lights Express officials plan to send a letter to Cravaack to get him on track with the project.
"If he is a supporter of job creation and economic development it's our hope we can win him over through an education process, get him to better understand all the positives potential that high–speed rail has," said Steve Raukar, Northern Lights Express.
The Northern Lights Express rail project has been in the works for about two and a half years.
Currently officials are going through initial planning procedures like the environmental impact statement and route analysis in order to be eligible for federal funding.
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