Copyright 2000 Star Tribune
Star Tribune
(Minneapolis, MN)
February 10, 2000, Thursday, Metro Edition
SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 3B
LENGTH: 798 words
HEADLINE:
Commuter rail plans detailed in report;
First line would link St. Cloud and
Minneapolis. Details of two other routes are being studied further. Next step is
to determine financing.
BYLINE: Laurie Blake; Staff
Writer
BODY:
Having finished more than two years of
study on whether and how to launch commuter rail service, the Minnesota
Department of Transportation on Tuesday outlined detailed plans for such a
project, down to how fast the trains would go, how much the tickets would cost
and who would maintain the tracks.
The
report is the blueprint for Gov. Jesse Ventura's proposal to start commuter rail
as part of a statewide transportation plan that calls for transit and highway
improvements. The Ventura plan in general and commuter rail financing in
particular are expected to be topics of discussion among legislators this year.
"The critical next step is to get the funding in
place," said Al Vogel, director of the Transportation Department's rail and
waterway office. Commuter rail is morning and evening
passenger service on existing freight railroads _ named for the commuters it
would serve.
The Transportation Department's
commuter rail system plan outlines how commuter rail would operate:
- The state would start with sets of
three-car trains, but station platforms would accommodate five- to six-car
trains eventually.
- Service would begin
first on the Northstar line _ between St. Cloud and Minneapolis _ with five
trains in the morning and five in the afternoon. There would be four trains each
in the morning and afternoon on the proposed Red Rock line _ between Hastings
and St. Paul _ and six each in the morning and evening on the Dan Patch line,
which would link Lakeville and Minneapolis. All would offer service only on
weekdays.
- The trains' speed limit would be 79
miles per hour. The average speed on the Northstar line
would be 36 mph; average speed on the Red Rock would be 38 mph and average on
the Dan Patch would be 39 mph.
- Fares would
range from $2 for a 15-mile ride to $10.25 for
a 45- to 70-mile ride.
- The Transportation
Department plans to contract for maintenance of the trains and lines initially,
but might take over those duties if service expansion warrants.
- In outlying areas, stations should be at
least 5 miles apart, the department says. A station would be expected to serve
at least 100 passengers a day.
- Each end
of the rail line would be served by a system of feeder buses. A rail line would
be extended when it would cost more to extend bus service than it would cost to
extend the line.
- If available, the
report urges, the Canadian Pacific Railway's Shoreham yards in northeast
Minneapolis should be bought for central maintenance on commuter rail cars.
If state leaders agree on funding, commuter rail
service would come first on the Northstar route, the report says. Northstar
officials seek $223 million to launch the service: 50 percent
from the federal government, 40 percent from the state and 10 percent from the
counties through which the line would pass _ Sherburne, Benton, Anoka and
Hennepin.
The Red Rock line has second priority
for funding, followed by the Dan Patch. Detailed study has just
begun on these lines.
According to the
report, potential funding sources for commuter rail include the state sales tax
on new vehicles, property taxes, a new sales tax and federal grants. Ventura
favors using some motor vehicle tax revenues for commuter rail plus other
transit and highway improvements.
.
Key facts:
Northstar
commuter rail
.
- What is it?
Commuter rail is passenger train service that operates on existing freight
railroad tracks. In cars pulled by diesel locomotives, commuter rail provides
trips from suburban markets and operates primarily from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 3
p.m. to 6 p.m.
- Route: The Northstar
route would run between Minneapolis and St. Cloud.
- Length: 80 miles.
- Anticipated ridership: 9,996 rides a day
or about 2.8 million rides a year by 2003.
- Capital cost: $223
million _ 50 percent federal, 40 percent state and 10 percent county funding.
- Operating costs: $13.8
million a year, including feeder buses (in 2003 dollars). Passenger fees would
offset some of this cost.
- Operating cost
per rider: $4.95.
-
Operating subsidy per rider: $3.47 in 2003, assuming that
tickets pay 30 percent of operating costs. Source of subsidy has not been
identified.
.
Rail routes
A Minnesota Department of
Transportation report issued Tuesday outlines how commuter rail service would
operate in the Twin Cities region. If funding is approved, service would start
first on the Northstar route from St. Cloud to Minneapolis, followed by the Red
Rock line from Hastings to St. Paul and then the Dan Patch line from Lakeville
to Minneapolis.
.
Source: Minnesota Department of Transportation
GRAPHIC: MAP
LOAD-DATE: February 10, 2000 
