(The Associated Press circulated the following story on January 19.)
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Cutting the size of the proposed Northstar commuter rail line in half may not save much money because little was done to reduce the rail and signal upgrades needed to handle increased traffic on the tracks.
The Northstar Corridor Development Authority and Burlington Northern Santa Fe disagree on how much it will cost to prepare the tracks for commuter rail — with the difference estimated at as much as $75 million.
Both sides have been redoing their numbers since last month’s decision to end the line at Big Lake instead of Benton County. However, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported that documents associated with the negotiations show that all but one major improvement — a $30 million new stretch of track from Big Lake to Becker — would fall within the shorter line.
Burlington Northern earlier put rail and signal upgrades at about $134 million, while Northstar estimated the cost at $59 million. Revised numbers based on the shorter line are expected soon.
If the railroad’s figures prove more accurate, Northstar’s price tag could be well above its current $265 million estimate. And if the cost grows too much, it would damage a critical cost-effectiveness rating Northstar needs to secure federal funding.
Northstar spokesman Jeff Dehler said the rating should stay safe even with some additional costs, but added that “this stuff is kind of fluid.”
Northstar officials say negotiations with Burlington Northern will fare better if the Legislature approves Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s request to borrow $37.5 million for the project. Until then, Northstar will try to pare down the railroad’s improvements.
“This is a traditional negotiation where they start high, and we start low, and we go from there,” Dehler said. “We don’t want to give them extras Northstar doesn’t need.”
Burlington Northern spokesman Steve Forsberg said if his firm had needed to fix anything along its tracks, it already would have done so. The upgrades it wants are needed to support added commuter traffic, he said.
“The costs are what they are,” Forsberg said. “We’re not pulling them out of thin air.”
In the Seattle area, Sound Transit opened commuter rail service in 2000 between that city and Tacoma. Like Northstar, the line stretches 40 miles over Burlington Northern tracks. It took nearly $350 million to upgrade the rails and signaling over that distance. Sound Transit had budgeted about $220 million.
Another extension of the service cost Sound Transit $30 million more than it had expected.
After months of tense talks, the final price wound up closer to Burlington Northern?s figures.
State Rep. Bill Kuisle, a Rochester Republican who is chairman of the House committee that oversees transportation funding, plans to hold a hearing on Tuesday on Northstar. He hopes to shed light on any potential roadblocks or cost overruns that may be looming over the project.
“In all honesty, I think Burlington Northern is closer to what it’s going to cost to do this right,” Kuisle said. “Burlington holds all the cards. It’s their tracks.”