5.3. SR 11-19-2001 - Laserfiche WebLink

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PROJECT: MnfDOT OFFICE OF PASSENGER RAIL PROJECT SUMMARY Updated October 31, 2001 Northstar Corridor Rail Project DATA: An 82 mile corridor from Downtown Minneapolis to St. Cloud/Rice along Trunk Highways 10 and 47. The proposed Northstar Corridor Commuter Rail line would use existing rail tracks owned by Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway and include 11 stations. The commuter line is expected to carry 9340 passengers per day upon opening in December 2005 and 10,829 by the year 2020. The rail line would have intermodal connections to bus transit and to the planned Hiawatha Light Rail Transit (LRT) line. The LRT connection, called the Multi-modal Connection, consists of a four-block extension of Hiawatha LRT to reach the Downtown Minneapolis commuter rail station. With the exception of the Downtown and Northeast Minneapolis stations, all of the stations would have park and ride facilities. HISTORY: At the request of the 1997 Minnesota Legislature, Mn/DOT initiated the Twin Cities Metropolitan Commuter Rail Feasibility Study. In January 1998, Phase I of the study identified the Northstar Corridor as one of the seven corridors with potential for success. In January 1999, Phase II recommended the Northstar Corridor as the priority corridor. In the Commuter Rail System Plan, completed in January 2000, the Northstar Corridor was identified as the Stage 1 Corridor in Tier 1 staging. ESTIMATED PROJECT CAPITAL COSTS: $294 million in fiscal year 2006 dollars; $270 million for the commuter rail portion and $24 million for the Multi-modal Connection. Funding for the commuter rail capital costs will be split 50% Federal, 40% State, and 10% Local (county~_~_ Multi-modal Connection (LRT extension) capital costs will be split evenly between the Federal- govermnent and State of Minnesota. ESTIMATED PROJECT OPERATING COSTS: Annual operating and maintenance costs are proposed to be split as follows: approximately 30% ($4.4 million in fiscal year 2007 dollars, the first full year of operation) from passenger fares, 35% ($5.4 million) from FTA Section 5307 Preventative Maintenance grants, and 35% ($5.2 million) from the State of Minnesota General Fund. MILESTONES / PROPOSED SCHEDULE: June 2001 March 2002 June 2002 Summer 2002 Early 2004 Spring 2004 End of 2005 Preliminary Engineering & New Starts submitted to FTA Environmental Record of Decision State funding Begin Final Design Full Funding Grant Agreement executed & approved Construction begins Service opens PRIMARY CONTACT: Mike Schadauer 651/282-5366 WEBSITE: http ://www.northstartrain.org The Northstar Corridor Development Authority created this website.