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-aft Status Report on the Northstar Commuter Rail Project. June 7, 2001 <br /> <br />completed by Mr. David Mahle, BRW and reported on April <br />12, 1999. The conclusions reached were that the BNSF <br />Feasibility Study indicated more capacity upgrades than <br />should be required to accommodate BNSF freight growth <br />and the proposed commuter rail schedule. It was, therefore, <br />recommended that further simulation analysis by a separate <br />independent consultant be completed in order to assure <br />NCDA of the modeling results and required capacity <br />improvements. <br /> <br />On May 6, 1999 the NCDA retained Mainline Management, <br />Inc. to review all assumptions and inputs used by BNSF for <br />its simulation work and to independently simulate and <br />analyze BNSF current and projected future freight <br />operations as well as the proposed commuter rail service. <br /> <br />MLM reviewed BNSF results through state of the art <br />computer simulation using the Railway Analysis & Interactive <br />Line Simulator (RAILS). During review of the BNSF <br />Capacity Analysis, MLM disagreed with a number of BNSF <br />assumptions regarding freight operation and dispatching <br />methodology. <br /> <br />Consequently, BNSF, upon internal review of their own <br />March, 1999 Capacity Analysis decided that several <br />modifications to their initial study analysis and simulation <br />needed to be made. In essence, the study area was <br />expanded; delay at Northtown yard was arbitrarily increased; <br />and the refueling and inspection scheduled to move to <br />Minor, North Dakota, would be retained at Northtown. <br /> <br />(b) <br /> <br />Results: <br />(i) The BNSF issued a revised Capacity Analysis <br />Reports dated August 27, 1999, which documents the <br />revised assumption and expands the March, 1999 list <br />was expanded to twenty-nine improvements required <br />to implement the 2003 Freight/Amtrak and Commuter <br />Rail System. Also, BNSF identified a total of thirty-six <br />capacity improvements that would be required by <br />2018 FreightJAmtrakJcommuter Rail system. See <br />report BNSF August 27, 1999. The report provides <br />documentation for a June 30, 1999, BNSF memo <br />summarizing the analysis and providing a <br /> <br />Northstar Corridor Development Authority <br /> <br /> <br />