4.1. SR 09-16-2002 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Comparison of Commuter Rail to Busways May 24,2002 A busway is an excellent form of transit. It cannot, however, provide the level of service or the cost-effective operations of commuter rail. Unfortunately, there are few corridors that have the substantial rail infrastructure in place to be used for commuter rail like Northstar. The Northwest Corridor can be effectively served by bus service that is a combination of busway and road improvements. The Northwest Corridor provides an opportunity to compare bus service to the excellent service available by commuter rail. The table below illustrates how Northstar commuter rail provides a quicker trip than effective bus service like that proposed for the Northwest Corridor. In addition, commuter rail is able to provide reliable service in a broad range of weather conditions. Service Characteristics---Northstar Commuter Rail and Northwest Corridor Bus Distance Station Tdp Average Transit Route (miles) Stops Duration Speed Before (minutes) (miles/hour) Mpls Northstar Commuter Rail-' Elk River to Downtown BNSF tracks 29.9 5 45.0 39.9 Minneapolis Northwest Bus--Rogers to 1-94 24.3 0 48.9 29.8 Downtown Minneapolis Northwest Bus Rogers to Cty 81, Hwy 100, 1-394 24.8 13 49.4 30.1 Downtown Minneapolis Northwest Bus--Rogers to Cty 81, Broadway, 21.5 19 55.1 23.4 Downtown Minneapolis Washington Northwest Bus--Rogers to Cty 81, Broadway, 21.2 19 52.6 24.2 Downtown Minneapolis Lyndale Northwest Bus--Rogers to Cty 81, Broadway, 21.0 18 53.0 23.8 Downtown Minneapolis Freemont Northwest Bus--Rogers to Cty 81, Broadway, 22.3 19 57.8 23.1 Downtown Minneapolis Penn Northwest Bus--Rogers to Cty 81, Lowry, 22.2 19 56.6 23.5 Downtown Minneapolis Washington Sources; Northstar Corridor Preliminary Engineering, June 1, 2001 Northwest Corridor Busway Study, Scoping Report, February 1, 2002 Operating Costs Bus service operating costs are higher than commuter rail operating costs. This is largely a function of the number of workers required to operate the vehicles. Buses have one operator to move a 50-seat vehicle. Northstar commuter rail will have one operator and one conductor to move a 600-seat train. The operating cost per passenger mile reflects this. Nationally in 2000, bus systems generally operated at $0.50 to $0.60 per passenger mile. Northstar commuter rail will operate at $0.27 per passenger mile in 2000 dollars.