The is a
Short Line Railroad in the
United States .
This railroad operates out of the
St. Paul area with service to
Minneapolis ,
Bayport ,
Hugo , and
New Brighton . It is considered a terminal and switching line. It is based out of a
Roundhouse on Cleveland Ave. in St. Paul just blocks south of the
Amtrak station and its main yard is just to the north of the station.
Its lines consist of one to New Brighton, with an interchange with
Canadian National Railway and a small yard. The railroad also runs to Hugo and Bayport on
Trackage Rights . It interchanges with
BNSF Railway at Northtown yard. It also serves east Minneapolis' grain elevators by the
University Of Minnesota as well as the grain elevators on Hwy 55 adjacent to the
Hiawatha Light Rail Line .
The MNNR's roster consists of mainly
Alco and
GE locomotives. With over two dozen locomotives, including one from
Hamersley Iron in
Australia , the roster is diverse and meets the switching and road freight needs. Most units wear a red paint scheme much like that of the
GBW .
The line was formerly known as the
Minnesota Transfer Railroad , which was a unionized transportation entity. Today unfortunately, it is operated on a shoestring budget, which is evident by their lack of infrastructure maintenance. In addition, employees of the Minnesota Commercial Railroad’s predecessor, the Minnesota Transfer Railroad, were protected by a
Collective Bargaining agreement negotiated by railroad
Labor Union s. Today, Minnesota Commercial Railroad employees are without labor union protection, and are strongly discouraged from forming a labor union under the direction of Minnesota Commercial's management team. Unfortunately, due to the railroad operating with absolute minimal cost, employees are paid meager wages, and the company has been embarrassed recently, due to being dubbed the "
Wal-Mart Railroad”. This has been quoted by many in the railroad professionals in the industry, due to the current headlines Wal-Mart has been receiving and the management similarities with the Minnesota Commercial Railroad.
