The Mayo Clinic has asked the Surface Transportation Board to make certain safety requirements are met in Rochester if a Canadian railroad company is allowed to buy the Dakota Minnesota & Eastern Railroad.

The DM&E has worked for years on a $6 billion plan to rebuild its existing line in South Dakota and Minnesota so it can carry coal east from an expansion into Wyoming.

The Rochester Coalition has worked to have the DM&E build a bypass at Rochester to handle the coal trains and increased traffic. The coalition pursued the point in lawsuits, attempted to block federal financing for the DM&E and supported landowners in western South Dakota and Wyoming who were trying to kill the DM&E project rather than let new track cross their land.

In a new filing, the Mayo Clinic has asked the federal Surface Transportation Board to require the Canadian Pacific Railway and DM&E to carry out a list of mitigating actions before the transportation board approves the Canadian Pacific’s acquisition of the DM&E.

These include overpasses or tunnels on major Rochester streets that cross the DM&E tracks, whistle-free crossings, fencing and soundproofing where the tracks pass near pedestrian areas and the Mayo campus, speed limits on freight trains and a process for consulting with public officials about the movement of potentially hazardous freight.

Most notably, all the requests assume there will be significant rail traffic on the existing DM&E line, possibly including as many as 43 mile-long coal trains daily.

“We fully expect the STB to approve the sale,” Mayo spokesman Chris Gade said. And the Class I Canadian Pacific probably has access to financing for the Powder River Basin project the DM&E never could acquire.

“Given that every sign seems to indicate there will be a PRB (Powder River Basin) expansion, we’re taking steps necessary to ensure the safety of our patients and community. That’s the reason for the recommendations and mitigation for our community,” Gade said.

One of Mayo’s chief concerns is the safety of its patients in the event a railroad accident near the clinic buildings results in an ethanol fire or anhydrous ammonia spill. John Wade, president of the Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce, points out the same concerns exist for nearby downtown Rochester and the tens of thousands of people who work there.

Canadian Pacific declined comment pending the board’s merger approval, according to CP spokesman Mike LoVecchio, but Rochester Coalition leaders acknowledge there has been a sea change in the coalition’s approach to the railroad passing through the heart of town.

“Quite frankly, with the DM&E, we got off on the wrong foot. From then on, everybody planted their feet in the sand. That made it tough to negotiate,” said Dennis Hanson, president of the Rochester City Council. “We want to make sure the new owners know we want to be good neighbors.

“The biggest thing is we want to make sure everybody is familiar with the fact we have everything on the table. We’re willing to talk about everything.”

Canadian Pacific leaders will meet with Rochester Coalition members sometime this spring, Gade said. “That will begin a broader (dialogue) with our community. We will see where that takes us.”

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Information from: Argus Leader, http://www.argusleader.com