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Northstar Rail to help alleviate traffic congestion

Posted Online: 11/13/02

By Rachel Weddig

Since the funding stopped short the last Minnesota Legislative session for the Northstar Commuter Rail, proponents for the commuter rail have been busy visiting communities in hopes of informing and drawing support from area residents, so in return, so this time around the Legislature will appropriate funds.

Recently, Paul McCarron, Chair of the Northstar Corridor Development Authority (NCDA) and Jeff Dehler, Public Information Specialist for Anoka County, visited Cambridge to talk about the Northstar Rail and how it will affect area residents.

The NCDA is a joint powers board of 30 counties, cities , townships and regional railroad authorities along the corridor.

The commuter rail is proposed to run 82 miles along Hwy. 10 and Hwy. 47, from Rice/St. Cloud to Minneapolis. The rail will have 11 stations located in Rice, E. St. Cloud, Becker, Big Lake, Anoka, Coon Rapids/Riverdale, Coon Rapids, Fridley, Northeast Minneapolis and downtown Minneapolis.

The planning for a commuter rail began in 1997 when the Minnesota Congress approved $350,000 for planning activities.

"In 1997 we began looking at what we knew was going to be a problem," McCarron said. "We had the third fastest growing corridor in the United States. We wanted to look at a more economical way to use the private railroad tracks and use those in conjunction with government owned depots."

The commuter rail would run on already existing freight tracks and is expected to cost about $302 million (in 2007 dollars), of which $123 million would have to come from the state, McCarron said.

The commuter rail would run nine trains in the morning and nine trains during the evening and there would also be a few midday and weekend trains. Parking would be free in all stations.

McCarron explained people riding the trains would be able to work by phone or laptop and if someone needed to carry their bicycle on, that also wouldn't be a problem.

McCarron and Dehler feel even though the commuter rail doesn't run through Cambridge, overall Cambridge residents would benefit.

They feel the commuter rail is more cost-effective than upgrading and building new roads, so it would allow for state funds to be used elsewhere, such as improving Hwy. 95.

"Cost avoidance would be a real benefit to the city of Cambridge," Dehler said. "Also, it would overall benefit the economy, because the economy is driven in part by transportation."

McCarron pointed out it would cost about $10 to $50 million per mile to upgrade existing roads or build new ones. Northstar rail will cost $3.7 million per mile to build and and will be operating four years after construction begins.

According to information from the NCDA, Northstar is expected to bring in:

-- $1.2 billion in new development.

-- Nearly 1 million square feet of industrial development.

-- $2.2 million square feet of office space.

-- 427,000 square feet of retail.

-- 6,000 low and high-density housing units for a wide spectrum of income ranges

-- 13,000 new jobs.

Another economic benefit is the Northstar rail would serve the world's leading medical technology company, Medtronic, whose new $139 million corporate headquarters is located in Fridley. Medtronic currently has 6,000 employees and 5,000 annual visitors.

It's also been pointed out that the Northstar rail would reduce congestion by carrying the equivalent of 1 1/2 lanes of traffic during times of peak usage.

McCarron explained surveys done regarding the Northstar rail show residents, as well as Gov. Jesse Ventura and President George Bush, are in favor of implementing a commuter rail. In the 2002 budget, Bush included the Northstar project and Ventura also made full-funding for the Northstar rail a top priority of his administration.

However, McCarron said the funding for the Northstar rail denied in Minnesota House conference committees and it didn't reach the House floor for a vote.

McCarron encourages people with questions about the Northstar rail to check out its website at www.mn-GETONBOARD.com. and encourage local legislators to support state funding.

"Transportation and education are the two most important issues legislators face; you need highly educated people and you have got to be able to get people from place to place," said McCarron.