Last Stop Eau Claire: The Discontinuation of the Twin Cities 400

Abstract

This paper will discuss the history of transportation in the United States from the national, state, and local view. This paper's primary focus is on the Twin Cities 400, a passenger train that ran through Eau Claire from Chicago on its way to Minneapolis. The paper will focus on the process of the discontinuation, the arguments from the city's point of view as well as the Chicago and North Western Railroad Company's point of view, and the ruling by the Interstate Commerce Commission on the proposed discontinuation. The paper will conclude talking about the possible future of passenger railroads in Eau Claire.