Amtrak adds Thruway service to Rochester, MN

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Hopefully this new service (or these new services, if counting St. Paul-Rochester and La Crosse-Rochester) and the Newton-Wichita-Oklahoma City service are indications that Amtrak is looking for opportunities to expand Thruway services.

Of course, I'd also like to see other states follow California's lead and set up Thruway networks around state-supported corridor service.
 
My Fargo brother in law thinks these Rochester links were set up by Mayo Clinic after Winona became unstaffed. Same GO outfit also runs a shuttle from MSP airport.
 
My Fargo brother in law thinks these Rochester links were set up by Mayo Clinic after Winona became unstaffed. Same GO outfit also runs a shuttle from MSP airport.
You could be right? Also, I think Mayo wants to get things looking good ahead of time with their DMC goal.
 
My Fargo brother in law thinks these Rochester links were set up by Mayo Clinic after Winona became unstaffed. Same GO outfit also runs a shuttle from MSP airport.
Interesting theory and it sounds as though Amtrak is trying a "right-sized" service (i.e. vans) which may not be luxurious but are probably far more cost-effective than a full-size bus.

Also interesting that if you're headed to/from the west, it looks as though Amtrak/com allows you to connect in either LaCrosse or St. Paul. The former gives you more time on the train but means a far earlier departure from Rochester (or later arrival). It would seem to be a useless connection for most travelers, for whom connecting in St. Paul would be far more logical.

Also, the van connection is listed as "No checked baggage". I wonder if Amtrak will allow people to short-check their bags to MSP or LSE and then self-transfer them to the van. That would probably make far too much sense for Amtrak to actually allow.
 
La Crosse would be useful for travellers from the east since it still handles baggage (I checked) whereas Winona does not. I'm sure Mayo wants to find out. Brother in law plans to use the St Paul service next month.
 
Cleveland Clinic is less than 15 minutes from the Amtrak station, and with the awful arrival/departure times taxi service would suffice.
 
Trainman mentioned 'DMC' as if we all knew what it meant. Aha Google did know. It's Rochester's city plan: "Destination Medical Center"

http://www.postbulletin.com/news/special_report/dmc-mission-statement-and-goals/article_d6e4994a-47e1-546d-a8b5-169d120c8bc4.html
Yes, acronyms on this forum are quite rampant. God help the newbie who's trying to figure these out. Is it that much of a bother to type out words these days?
I feel that we have been here before, and not to far back...
 
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