from the latter city, and the city attorney of Bowbells. The public officials testified on behalf of the people in their communities as to the need for continuance of the trains, especially to those communities which would be left without any form of public transportation upon discontinuance of the trains. Several officials of civic organizations, hospitals, and schools located at other points on the line testified as to the needs of those establishments. Included among the business people who testified were several florists, jewelers, morticians, bankers, clothing store owners, farmers, garage owners and car salesmen, housewives, retirees, a theater owner, hotel owner, and a dental surgeon. The majority of those in business need the trains for the express and mail services. Typical shipments requiring special and expeditious handling are blood samples, special hospital foods and specimens, prescriptions, other special foodstuffs peculiarly subject to spoilage, currency, machine parts, grain samples, and items of a similar nature. Some of the witnesses have members of their families to require rail transportation on a regular basis to out-of-State or other city hospitals for treatment. A publisher of a weekly paper at Kenmare uses the trains for the transportation of photo engraving stock and mail. A new Army installation is in the process of being established and it is anticipated that over 200 students will finally attend classes at this installation. Its construction is expected to require 2,000 workmen within 1 year of October 1961, and 1,700 men for the installation of technical equipment. A newspaper publisher in Harvey serves an area of about 40 miles, and furnishes other newspaper publishers on the line with plastic newspaper plates from an electronic engraving machine. Removal of trains Nos. 13 and 14 would result in delay in the transportation of such plates, in some cases as much as 24 hours. The carrier alleges that the stations between St. Paul and Glenwood would be served by its trains Nos. 9 and 10 should the instant proposal be approved. In addition, the majority of these stations, including Glenwood, would be served by a busline operating three schedules daily east and west. The stations between Carrington and Minot for the most part would also have busline service, one schedule daily east and west. Another busline operates between Minot and Portal, one trip daily east and west. The Central Greyhound Busline operates one scheduled bus from St. Paul-Minneapolis but serves only one other point in common with the Soo Line; i.e., Valley City. The Northern Pacific Railway's train from the Twin Cities serves Valley City as the only common point beyond the Twin Cities. The Great Northern Railway's train from the Twin Cities similarly serves Minot in common with the Soo Line. While for certain stretches the Northern Pacific and the Great Northern parallel the route of trains Nos. 13 and 14, the substitute service would be in one instance about 10 and in the other 40 miles from the closest connection. One airline provides service into Minot from the St. Paul-Minneapolis airport. With the exception of the aforementioned cities, the communities between Glenwood and Portal, a distance of 429 miles, would have no rail passenger service. There would be no public transportation at all between Glenwood and Carrington, a distance of 232 miles. While there are some black-top or hard surfaced roads in the area followed by the trains, there are several lengthy stretches where gravel or dirt roads provide the most direct means of travel between towns, such as between Carrington and Valley City, a distance of about 66 miles, and between which points six towns are located. Carrington and Valley City can be reached over an improved road but it is somewhat circuitous. Although the carrier represents that the area between Glenwood and the Twin Cities will continue to receive service from trains Nos. 9 and 10, we take official notice of the decision in Finance Docket No. 20400, Minneapolis, St. P. & S. S. M. R. Co. Discontinuance of Service, 307 I.C.C. 125, decided April 2, 1959, wherein the Commission approved the discontinuance of the carrier's daylight trains Nos. 5 and 6 between Minneapolis and Enderlin, a distance of about 258 miles or about one-half the route of trains Nos. 13 and 14. At that time it was represented that the communities between Enderlin and Minneapolis would still receive passenger and express service by trains Nos. 13 and 14. Enderlin is about 136 miles west of Glenwood. Although the area then would be limited to night service, which to some would not be as convenient as the day train, it was considered that the passenger service provided by trains Nos. 13 and 14 would be reasonably adequate. In view of those representations, and the efforts now of the Soo Line to discontinue trains Nos. 13 and 14, and its efforts before the State commission to secure the discontinuance of trains Nos. 9 and 10, we cannot give any weight to the claim that the area between Glenwood and the Twin Cities will continue to be served by trains Nos. 9 and 10. In this connection, it is noted that the president of the Soo Line has stated that the carrier intends to proceed for the discontinuance of trains Nos. 9 and 10 at the earliest possible moment. Suffice it to state, that this area is now being served by trains Nos. 9 and 10 but for what duration such service will continue is uncertain. Insofar as the remaining area on the line, between Glenwood and Portal, is concerned, it is our opinion that the service of the Great Northern and the Northern Pacific is not an adequate rail substitute for service provided by trains Nos. 13 and 14, nor does the airline service, nor the common carrier bus service, fulfill the public's need for the rail passenger service now provided by the Soo Line in the area. Mail is handled on the trains in question only to those towns where there are stops. In Minnesota, such service is to Buffalo, Paynesville, Glenwood, and north to Elbow Lake. However, in the Dakota territory of the run, stops are made at almost every town past Enderlin. In addition, there are star routes, and the operation of the metro mail service which was recently initiated. The metro mail distribution service is a complicated procedure, having as its source a mail distribution center from which star routes fan out to provide connection, in cobweb fashion, between various other centers by trains, star routes, and buses. Since the inauguration of the metro distribution system there has been a shrinkage in volume of first-class mail handled by the Soo Line. No plan of method has been suggested for handling mail now moving on trains Nos. 13 and 14 should they be discontinued. However, as stated in the Great Northern case, supra, we have no reason to believe that the post office would not provide adequate mail service to the affected communities. Discontinuance of trains Nos. 13 and 14 would have virtually no effect on express service between St. Paul and Glenwood as such traffic for those points is presently transported on trains Nos. 9 and 10. Elbow Lake would be the only office affected in Minnesota, since the Railway Express Agency, Inc., does not have authority to serve that point by truck. Such service in Minnesota, however, is predicated on the continuation of trains Nos. 9 and 10, and the agency has not yet explored the possibility of how express service would be provided from St. Paul to Glenwood if trains Nos. 9 and 10 should also be discontinued. Continuing northwesterly to Portal all of the towns would be affected with the exception of Minot, served by the Great Northern, and Valley City, served by the Northern Pacific, since the agency does not have authority to serve any of the towns served by trains Nos. 13 and 14. Negotiations have been entered into with a motor carrier to take care of the Soo Line points between Minot and Portal, and studies are being conducted with a view to negotiations with a motor carrier to serve Soo Line points between Minot and Carrington. Between Carrington and the Minnesota border the agency has been unable to locate any single carrier that serves all of the Soo Line points. The line involved in this proceeding is long, some 561 miles, crossing the State of Minnesota and triangularly bisecting the State of North Dakota, and the trains serve many communities, to many of which they constitute the only passenger train service. Some towns are connected directly only by dirt or gravel roads and have no public transportation except the Soo Line trains. To deprive them of the service of these trains would mean their complete isolation, especially during the severe winter months. As to the remaining towns, we have already found that the service in the area of the Great Northern and of the Northern Pacific lines is not an adequate substitute for the Soo Line's service, nor does the common carrier bus service, nor the airline service fulfill the public's need for common carrier service in the area. In view of the substantial public need for the services of trains Nos. 13 and 14 and the lack of an adequate substitute service, we are of the opinion that the financial losses which may be incurred in the continued operation of these trains will not be sufficiently substantial to constitute an undue burden upon interstate or foreign commerce. We find, affirming the finding contained in our order of October 31, 1961, that operation by the Soo Line Railroad Company of passenger trains Nos. 13 and 14, between St. Paul, Minn., and Portal, N. Dak., is required by the public convenience and necessity and will not unduly burden interstate or foreign commerce. An order will be entered denying the petition of the Minnesota Railroad and Warehouse Commission for dismissal of the proceeding and discontinuing the investigation. |