Copyright 1999 Star Tribune
Star Tribune
(Minneapolis, MN)
December 18, 1999, Saturday, Metro Edition
SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 1A
LENGTH: 1632 words
HEADLINE:
Commuter rail, the other line, is taking shape;
A St.
Cloud-to-Minneapolis line could be in operation by 2003.
BYLINE: Laurie Blake; Staff Writer
BODY:
While the public spotlight has been focused
on the Twin Cities area's first light-rail line, work on the region's first
commuter-rail line has been chugging ahead quietly.
Now, after three years of study and
design, the proposed 80-mile Northstar line is about to pull into view for
serious scrutiny.
The plan is to run
18 passenger trains a day on existing freight tracks between
St. Cloud and Minneapolis. Four counties, 15 cities and four townships along the
route are pushing the project with hopes of starting service by 2003, the same
year light-rail service is expected to begin along Hiawatha Avenue in
Minneapolis.
The Northstar would require
$223 million in public funding and approval by the Burlington
Northern Santa Fe railroad, which owns the tracks. And because
commuter rail proponents are counting on $89
million from the state, the project's fate is expected to be sealed in the
upcoming legislative session. "A lot now
hangs on what the public decides to do with respect to supporting the project,"
said DJ Mitchell, assistant vice president of passenger operations for
Burlington.
Although Burlington officials
are open to sharing Minnesota tracks with passenger trains _ the company already
shares tracks in other cities _ the railroad will not complete negotiations
until project financing is secured, Mitchell said.
The prospects for state funding are unclear.
Gov. Jesse Ventura mentioned the project in his inaugural speech, but the
administration hasn't decided what transportation funding to recommend.
Northstar officials have hired a lobbyist but have not identified legislators
who will push for funding. And Transportation Commissioner Elwyn Tinklenberg,
who likes the Northstar proposal, said his own goal is to establish a fund for
transit projects _ much like the gasoline tax dedicated to road improvements _
so transit improvements can be freed from project-by-project political approval.
Northstar proponents say they are
optimistic that legislators will recognize the need to plan for coming growth
and traffic congestion.
"Some people are against
everything and some people are afraid of change," said Anoka County Commissioner
Paul McCarron, a leading commuter- rail proponent. "But I think that under close
examination they will see that this would serve the greater good.
"It will move a maximum number of
people with a minimum amount of cost _ less cost than expanding the roads or
putting in light rail," he said.
The
Minnesota Transportation Department has ranked the Northstar as the state's most
promising commuter-rail line. Studies have begun on two others: the Dan Patch
line from Lakeville to Minneapolis and the Red Rock line from Hastings to St.
Paul.
.
Relief for Hwy. 10
Work on the Northstar began when it became
clear that the area northwest of Minneapolis would not be a choice for light
rail, McCarron said. The line was conceived as an alternative to Hwy. 10, which
is jammed with commuters at rush hour and is expected to become more congested
as the area northwest of the Twin Cities grows. Now, Hwy. 10 carries an average
of 68,000 cars a day in the city of Anoka, according to the Transportation
Department.
In addition to its use by the work force, supporters say,
the train would allow students to live at home and commute to the University of
Minnesota or to St. Cloud State University. And some are looking forward to
taking a commuter train to downtown Minneapolis to connect with the Hiawatha
Avenue light-rail line en route to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International
Airport.
Ridership estimates forecast 9,340
rides a day in 2003, or about 2.8 million rides a year.
John Weaver, an Anoka City Council member, thinks
ridership would grow as the frustration increases with delays on Hwy. 10. "This
will be a marvelous relief valve that we need," Weaver said.
The popularity of the project has astounded
Sherburne County Commissioner Betsy Wergin, chairwoman of the Northstar Corridor
Development Authority, the joint powers board overseeing the project. Wergin
said she was initially a skeptic. "What I hear when I go everywhere is, 'You've
got to do this,' " she said.
.
Railroad is cooperating
Burlington has been supportive and
involved in discussions about the project, said McCarron, the Anoka County
commissioner.
The railroad has commuter
trains running on its tracks in Chicago and Los Angeles and will soon add them
in Seattle, the company's Mitchell said.
Besides buying the trains, the capital
costs connected with commuter rail come in the construction of stations and in
the track improvements necessary for safe and efficient sharing of the tracks by
passengers and freight.
Some of the negotiations
between Northstar officials and the railroad focus on what track improvements
are necessary and how much each side will pay.
Burlington would be paid for the
passenger train use of its track but does not expect to make a lot of profit
from the service, Mitchell said.
The
primary concern for the company is that it must be sure that the passenger
service does not get in the way of or delay its freight operations, he
said. Among the opponents of the project are
two Republican legislators from the area that would be served by the rail line.
Rep. Mark Olson, R-Big Lake,
said people support the rail line not because they plan to use it but because
they think it will get other drivers off the road. "I think it's a fun and
exciting thing for us to consider . . .," he said. But when people look at the
facts, support for the project will fade, he said.
Sen. Mark Ourada, R-Buffalo, a member of
the Senate Transportation Committee, said he is skeptical of the benefit
commuter rail would provide for the money. "To my way of thinking we may be much
better off to say, 'Let's spend that on technology and telecommuting capability
so that people don't have to commute at all.' "
.
Service in
2003
Unlike light rail, which runs on its own tracks
and provides frequent, all-day service, commuter rail would run only at rush
hours. The tracks would have to be kept open for freight transportation most of
the day.
But like the proposed Hiawatha
light-rail line, which has received $120 million in state
funding, the Northstar must receive a funding commitment from the state to win
approval from the Federal Transit Administration and $111
million from the federal government.
Though officials wince at the suggestion
that the two projects are competing for funding, both need money from the same
federal transportation fund.
Commuter rail
officials hope to receive a favorable rating for the project from the Transit
Administration in February or March.
The
long-range plan is to connect the light-rail and commuter-rail lines with a
station in downtown Minneapolis behind the Target Center.
In August, the Northstar development
authority hired Shandwick Research International to conduct a telephone poll of
500 residents living within 5 miles of the Northstar line. Seventy-three percent
of respondents said they considered commuter rail a good idea, and 17 percent
said they would use the line to commute to work.
All four counties touched by the
rail line _ Sherburne, Benton, Anoka and Hennepin _ have agreed to pay part of
the 10 percent county share of the project. The county portion would come to
$23 million in 2003 dollars.
Besides its cost, the biggest
concern about the project is who would pay the operating costs _
$13.8 million a year in 2003 dollars. County and city officials
do not want their residents to pay.
The
issue is unresolved. The Transportation Department will present a commuter-rail
master plan early next year that would help the Legislature get a commuter-rail
system going, but it would leave funding an open political question.
_ Laurie Blake can be reached by e-mail at
Gettingthere@startribune.com.
.
More information:
- Phone: Northstar Corridor Development
Authority, 612-323-5692.
- Web:
http://www.brwinc.com/northstar.
- What's
next: Planning meetings will begin in late January or early February to gather
public input on station amenities.
.
Rail projects at a glance
.
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 serves longer trips from
suburban markets and operates primarily from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 6
p.m.
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 the cost of 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.
.
Hiawatha Avenue light rail
What is it?: Light rail runs on its
own tracks, offering frequent service through the day. It uses electric power
carried by overhead wires.
Length: 12 miles.
Anticipated
ridership: X,XXX per day, or X.X million per year by XXXX.
Capital cost:
$548 million in 2002 dollars.
Operating costs:
$9.9 million a year.
Operating cost per rider:
$X.XX
Operating subsidy per rider:
$X.XX
.
Source: Minnesota Department of
Transportation; Northstar Corridor Development Authority
.
Star
Tribune map by Jane Friedmann
GRAPHIC: MAP;
PHOTO
LOAD-DATE: December 20, 1999
