5. EDSR 09-11-2006 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Appendix E: Relevant News Articles (cont.) Copyright 2006 Star Tribune All Rights Reserved Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN) August 25, 2006 Friday Metro Edition SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 1B LENGTH: 480 words HEADLINE: Northstar rail gets another big OK; The commuter line from Minneapolis to Big Lake has one last hurdle -the final funding agreement -which could come in May. BYLINE: Laurie Blake, Staff Writer BODY: Commuters in the Twin Cities' northwestern suburbs are now just three years away from being able to park their cars at a station and take the train to work. The metro area's first commuter rail service, the Northstar, between Minneapolis and Big Lake, was cleared by the Federal Transit Administration on Wednesday to move to final design. While there's one final step remaining, this a sure sign that the $307.3 million project is a go, said project director Mark Fuhrmann. The Northstar is now expected to clear the last hurdle, a final funding agreement with the federal government, in May 2007, Fuhrmann said. Service on the 40-mile line would begin in 2009. Wednesday's decision was the latest in a series of key developments that have boosted the Northstar line in the past few months. In May, project officials reached a tentative agreement with the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad, on whose freight tracks the line will run. In June, Gov. Tim Pawlenty signed the state bonding bill that included $60 million for the Northstar project, to add to the $37.5 million approved by the state last year. The project is expected to be an alternative for commuters Coming from Sherburne, Anoka and northern Hennepin counties, they now use the increasingly congested Hwy. 10. Five trains will run to Minneapolis from Big Lake in the morning and five the reverse direction in the evening, with one round-trip reverse-commute trip a day. On weekends -six trains -three to Minneapolis and three back to Big Lake -will be regularly scheduled, and other trips may be planned for special events in downtown Minneapolis, Fuhrmann said. What's next? Project officials will finish design plans and take bids on the purchase of trains, stations and a maintenance base in Big Lake and on extending the Hiawatha light-rail line four blocks to connect with