tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008568241665831715.post492937348531375872..comments2024-01-25T07:47:23.112-06:00Comments on Hi / Zeph / 400: Minnesota's intercity buses and air competitionMike Hickshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15257599090818492294noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008568241665831715.post-5110721425583465662013-03-04T15:53:40.285-06:002013-03-04T15:53:40.285-06:00I'm late in replying, but here it goes...
Wit...I'm late in replying, but here it goes...<br /><br />With Monticello, I was referring to the rails on the south side of the river which currently terminate at the nuclear plant. They would need to be rehabilitated, but it's probably easier to do that than to rebuild other lines. It may be best to give that a yellow marker.<br /><br />I appreciate the comments for the other routes. We'll see if I ever update the map or not...Mike Hickshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15257599090818492294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008568241665831715.post-22984780541310968972013-01-16T16:32:43.117-06:002013-01-16T16:32:43.117-06:00A few quibbles with your map's representation ...A few quibbles with your map's representation of rail service:<br /><br />Monticello and Big Lake seem far enough apart to not be in the same territory for "rail stop", especially considering the (lack of a) public transit landscape there.<br /><br />Fergues Falls is on a 40mph (freight speed) rail line that only goes towards Fargo. Perhaps worthy of a yellow marker instead.<br /><br />Same with Mahnomen, especially if you're including Alexandria as a yellow marker. The only line is that same CP line running north/south.<br /><br />I do realize that even the markers are outdated now. Bus service now goes down roughly along US 12 and MN 7/5 from Willmar to Minneapolis now, among other changes.jebrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06680926453155750187noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008568241665831715.post-46480614843415228632011-07-16T08:43:24.328-05:002011-07-16T08:43:24.328-05:00Thanks for the link, Alex. It'll be interesti...Thanks for the link, Alex. It'll be interesting to see what happens.Mike Hickshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15257599090818492294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008568241665831715.post-89041685398921612042011-07-15T15:52:04.982-05:002011-07-15T15:52:04.982-05:00Did you see this article?
http://minnesota.public...Did you see this article?<br /><br />http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/07/15/delta-drops-flights-to-small-citiesAlexhttp://gettingaroundmpls.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008568241665831715.post-14188475847677974142011-04-26T19:25:35.525-05:002011-04-26T19:25:35.525-05:00Yeah, and it turns out that at least two of the da...Yeah, and it turns out that at least two of the daily flights to Hibbing continue on to Thief River Falls, which is also a subsidized service.<br /><br />The strangest thing for me is that Hibbing/Chisholm and Thief River Falls are both pretty close to other larger airports. Thief River Falls is around 55 miles from Grand Forks, while Hibbing is around 65 miles from Duluth.Mike Hickshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15257599090818492294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008568241665831715.post-28622022867733892012011-04-26T09:04:36.879-05:002011-04-26T09:04:36.879-05:00I'm not suggesting it be discontinued, but it ...I'm not suggesting it be discontinued, but it seems strange that the fares would be so high even with subsidy. Also the requirement of more than one flight per day seems wasteful.<br /><br />Actually, I would suggest that airline subsidies be discontinued until there is some regulation of aircraft emissions. Seems wrong to subsidize in any way the most polluting form of transportation.Alexhttp://gettingaroundmpls.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008568241665831715.post-80451804028268204282011-04-25T14:22:32.860-05:002011-04-25T14:22:32.860-05:00Yeah, there was some discussion about cutting it. ...Yeah, there was some discussion about cutting it. As much as I'd like to pick on the airlines, the subsidy adds up to $200 million for the whole program (according to news reports, anyway), which was working out to $74 per passenger in 2006 according to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essential_Air_Service" rel="nofollow">Wikipedia article</a>.<br /><br />The article also says there are 10 subsidized routes from MSP, and Chisholm/Hibbing is one of them ($2.9 million per year on that route). Flights between Eau Claire and Chicago are also subsidized ($1.7 million per year).Mike Hickshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15257599090818492294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008568241665831715.post-55594643204989174302011-04-25T09:08:51.842-05:002011-04-25T09:08:51.842-05:00I had a boss who was a former pilot for Mesaba - h...I had a boss who was a former pilot for Mesaba - he had some good stories about flying those red-headed stepchild routes. I'm pretty sure the federal government is still subsidizing small-town flights (it would be interesting to see if this subsidy was on the Republicans' chopping block). I don't know which of the cities on your list are subsidized but I would think at least Hibbing would be. One cute fact about the subsidy - it requires at least two round trips daily.Alexhttp://gettingaroundmpls.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.com