Rochester, MN
Stop on the proposed 17,000-mile maglev network. Next stop: Saint Paul, MN (71.2 mi).
About Rochester
Rochester is a city in and the county seat of Olmsted County, Minnesota, United States. It is located along rolling bluffs on the Zumbro River's south fork in Southeast Minnesota. The population was 121,395 at the 2020 census, and was estimated at 124,292 in 2025, making it the third-most populous city in Minnesota.
Source: Wikipedia summary (full article). Population and facts as published there.
Cost breakdown (proposal-scale estimates — see math)
| Item | Basis | Estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Terminal construction | Mid-size terminal (parametric range $1-2B) | $1.5B |
| Land acquisition | Regional factor 1× on $200M base | $200M |
| Track: Rochester → Saint Paul | 71.2 mi × $500M/mi | $35.6B |
| Annual operations (share) | Staffing, power, maintenance | $30M/yr |
| Stop total (excl. annual ops) | $37.3B |
Best terminal location (proposed)
The downtown district around the Mayo Clinic campus. Downtown Rochester is dominated by the Mayo Clinic, whose patients and 40,000+ employees already sustain a transit and hospitality ecosystem. The Destination Medical Center redevelopment is adding density around the clinic, and a terminal here serves medical travelers from across the country.
Before / after
Aerial mock-up (illustrative, not an engineering rendering). Left: the proposed site today. Right: with the maglev terminal.
- Owatonna, MN - Steele County city on the I-35 corridor
- Faribault, MN - Rice County city on the route
- Northfield, MN - college town (Carleton and St. Olaf) south of the Twin Cities