(The following article by Bob Shaw was posted on the Pioneer Press website on May 9.)
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The state has reached a $107.5 million deal with Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad that will allow Northstar Commuter Rail trains to run on its track between Minneapolis and Big Lake.
“This is a huge success,” Bob McFarlin, assistant to the commissioner of the state Department of Transportation, said after the deal was announced Monday.
“Until today’s announcement, we were sitting across the table from them. Now we have joined each other. Now we have a common vision.”
The agreement is among the railroad, the state and the Northstar Corridor Development Authority, which includes officials from counties along the proposed route.
According to plans, the federal government will pay half of Northstar’s $307 million cost. The state will pay one-third of the total cost, and the remainder — about one-sixth of the price — will be paid by counties along the line.
Although several other hurdles remain, the agreement means the rail line is one step closer to offering commuters an alternative to driving.
In a news release, Gov. Tim Pawlenty said, “The Northstar project is on track and on time. Northstar means more transportation capacity and less congestion for commuters in one of the fastest growing areas of the state.”
McFarlin said several other hurdles must be cleared for the commuter line to progress:
• The state Legislature needs to contribute $60 million this session.
• By the end of the year, the state must apply for an agreement with the federal government for a grant to cover the feds’ share.
• The state must ask the federal government for an exemption to efficiency rules regulating such transportation projects.
McFarlin said commuter projects in other states have been granted waivers from standards enacted by the Federal Transit Administration. The federal rules are more stringent than those used when the Northstar project was being developed, he said.
In the agreement, the railroad promises to upgrade the track and improve signals.
The agreement specifies five trips each morning from Big Lake to Minneapolis and five back to Big Lake each afternoon.
Two “reverse commute” trains will be allowed — leaving Minneapolis in the mornings and leaving Big Lake in the afternoons.
The agreement specifies six stations in Big Lake, Elk River, Anoka, Coon Rapids, Fridley and downtown Minneapolis.
If all goes according to plan, service on the railroad could begin in 2009.