Minnesota Business: Q+A with Author John Diers on passenger rail and the Saint Paul Union Depot

After a career of working in public transportation, Diers is revisiting his love of the rails with his book St. Paul Union Depot.

Diers_uniondepot coverJohn Diers has a deep connection with the passenger trains of Minnesota. As a boy in the '40s, he rode the streetcar to the Saint Paul Union Depot, where his grandfather worked. Now, after a career of working in public transportation, Diers is revisiting his love of the rails with a new book: St. Paul Union Depot, released earlier this month. (He also authored Twin Cities by Trolley, published in 2007.)

By focusing on our state capital’s grand rail hub, St. Paul Union Depot tells the broader tale of passenger rail in Minnesota and nationwide. The book is full of insightful statistics and fascinating stories of what was once a booming industry.

Minnesota Business spoke to Diers about the Union Depot's construction, slow decline, and present revival.

Read the full article.

Published in: Minnesota Business
By: Tom Johnson