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<br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />SUMMARY <br /> <br />The State of Minnesota's Northstar Corridor consists of nearly thirty cities, towns and <br />counties stretching some 70 miles along the east and north shore of the Mississippi River <br />between Minneapolis and the cities of St. Cloud and Rice. The Northstar Corridor <br />connects the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area (3.2 million persons in 1995) and the <br />St. Cloud metropolitan area (100,000 persons in 1995), and is one of the most rapidly <br />growing urban/suburban corridors in the nation. Among the challenges which this rapid <br />growth poses is the growing need for transportation alternatives. The Northstar Corridor <br />Commuter Rail Feasibility Study, undertaken in the context of an overall Major <br />Investment Study, is evaluating the potential contribution of a passenger rail service to <br />improved public mobility in the corridor. <br /> <br />This interim report summarizes the technical work completed to date. Among the interim <br />conclusions reached by this technical analysis are the following: <br /> <br />· A service concept of nine round-trips per weekday in the Corridor (five between <br />Minneapolis and St. CloudlRice, two between Minneapolis and Elk River and two <br />between Minneapolis and Anoka/Ramsey) meets the initial service policy <br />objectives of the Corridor for commute, reverse-commute and non-work trips; <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Such a service could be accommodated on the tracks of the Burlington Northern <br />Santa Fe Railway in the Corridor, provided that a package of railroad capacity <br />improvements, to be agreed upon through negotiations between the railroad and <br />the Northstar Corridor Development Authority, could be implemented; <br /> <br />· The capital cost of such a system, including the capacity improvements, rolling <br />stock, maintenance facilities, stations, park-and-ride lots and other elements, is in <br />the range of $146 million to $175 million; <br /> <br />· The annual gross operating cost of such a system, excluding offsetting fare <br />revenues, is in the range of $9.5 million to $10 million; <br /> <br />· Although subject to further refinement, it appears that more than two million trips <br />per year would .be taken on the Northstar Commuter Rail system and that <br />ridership would average 7,000 to 8,000 boardings per day depending upon the <br />year in which ridership was being analyzed; <br /> <br />· As shown on the following summary comparison chart, the projected per-mile <br />capital and operating costs, ridership levels and per passenger operating costs <br />which have been calculated to date indicate that the Northstar Corridor rail service <br />would fall well within the cost and performance range of other, comparable new <br />commuter rail services nationwide; <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Preliminary evaluation of these characteristics of the projected service strongly <br />suggest that the Northstar Corridor passenger rail service is a feasible <br />transportation solution. <br /> <br />Draft Commuter Rail Technical Feasibility Study <br />December 1998 <br /> <br />1-1 <br />Summary <br />