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4.5. SR 09-21-1998"ity of iver Item# t~.5. MEMORANDUM TO: FROM: DATE: Mayor and City Council Scott Harlicker, Planning Assista~{ September 21, 1998 SUBJECT: Update on Northstar Corridor Project At the September 3rd meeting of the Northstar Corridor Development Authority, one of the main agenda items discussed was the public involvement activity of the Major Investment Study (MIS). A series of three public workshops are scheduled for mid October. One wokshop will be held in St. Cloud, one in Fridley and one at the Sherburne County Government Center. The workshops will be held in the evenings, probably from 6 pm to 9 pm. Each workshop will follow the same format. A 15 minute presentation is scheduled for 6:15, 7:15 and 8:15. Information booths will be set up; each booth will have information on a specific aspect of the Northstar Corridor. Notices will be published in the local papers and media releases will also go out to area radio and television stations as well as area newspapers. A short video will be available to show on local cable networks. I will find out the exact date of the Sherburne County Government Center meeting at the next meeting of the Authority, which will be on Thursday October 1st. The Commuter Rail Feasibility Study was also discussed. One item that will be of special interest to Elk River is the need for a central maintenance facility. The study has identified the need for a central maintenance facility located midway along the corridor. Elk River has been tentatively identified as a possible location. The facility would be located to the west of the Elk River station, would require about 20 acres immediately adjacent to the BNSF mainline and as close as possible to the station. Highway access will also be needed. Given these parameters, it will be difficult to find a suitable site in Elk River. A possible alternative may be a site in eastern Big Lake Township. Additional information on this item is included in the packet. A preliminary service plan was also presented. A copy of the service plan has been attached. Included in that plan were preliminary timetables that BNSF will use in their capacity modeling. The preliminary schedule includes weekday departure times from Elk River at 6:15 am, 6:48 am, 7:18 am, 12:44 13065 Orono Parkway · P.O. Box 490 · Elk River, MN 55330 · TDD & Phone: (612) 441-7420 · Fax: (612) 441-7425 Northstar Corridor Update September 21, 1998 Page 2 pm, 4:43 pm and 5:23 pm. Arrival times at Elk River at 8:57 am, 2:17 pm, 5:12 pm, 5:42 pm 6:17 pm and 6:57 pm. These times are subject to change and are intended to present a general concept as to the scheduling of the commuter trains. We were also informed that the Authority has funding through 1999 and are still in the running for full funding through TEA-21 legislation. \\elkriver\sys\shrdoc\planning\scott\ncdasept.doc NORTHSTAR CORRIDOR DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY Regular Meeting Minutes July 9, 1998 The Northstar Corridor Development Authority met on July 9, 1998, at the Sherburne County Government Center in the City of Elk River, Minnesota. The following members, alternates and citizens were present Jean M. Keely, Chuck Lenthe, Gary Erickson, Mary Beth Christi~ason, David Loch, Gerry Donlin, Mary Richardson, Tim Yantos, Dan Erhart, Jerry Newton,' Steve Billings, Lewis Stark, John Norgren, Gary Hammer, Ken Paulson, Bab Haarman, Richard Monk, Scott Harlicker, Paul McCarron, Patrick Cairns, Donald Hanson, Carl Yellick, Duane Grandy, Don Jolly, Jim Dickinson, Terry Nagorski, Rick Speak, A1 Seppelt, Stephanie Eilers, Ken Stevens, Jim Barton, Brian Roper, Elliot Perovich, Dick Wolsfeld, Dan Meyers, and Elizabeth Colburn of BRW, Inc., Kary Tillmann (for Lynn George) ..The following members and alternates were absent: o Chairperson Donlin called the meeting to order at 4:37 p.m. A motion was made by John Norgren, seconded by Duane Grandy and carried unanimously to · approve the Northstar Corridor Development Authority minutes from the meeting held on June 4, 1998, as presented. Dick Wolsfeld, BRW, discussed the general purpose and need subject areas of the Major Investment Study. The following issues were discussed: Corridor Mobility Roadway Congestion Number and Severity of Accidents Containment of Sprawl Economic Development Travel Choices Intermodal Connections Air Quality Freight Service Improvements There were no additions/comments by the group. Northstar Corridor Development Authority Regular Meeting Minutes of July 9, 1998 Page 1 Discussion was held regarding station locations and the importance of those locations to the planning process. The following points of analysis are used to determine station locations: 1 -- Impact on travel time 2 -- The potential direct impaci on freight traffic of BNSF 3 -- Local Planning Activities At this time, the committee needs to identify station locations and then take those suggestions to local units of government to see if those identified stations will work out. It should be noted that none of the station locations decided on by the committees are cast in stone. It could be that stations may need to be removed, or possibly even added, within a mile or two of where one has been identified. Individual areas/units of government will decide exact stop location. Target is to have results of the analysis by the end of the year. The potential station locations as identified by the Local Use Forum were presented by BRW. Discussion was held regarding whether the committee would be voting on general proximity of the stop or if the location given was relative to particular locations. BRW stated that the recommended locations were the best consensus on where stations ought to be for analysis. Then local units of government will decide on preferred location and recommend back to NCDA. The Chair called a recess at 5:34 p.m. and reconvened the meeting at 5:42 p.m. 5. The committee voted on recommended the following locations to be studied: a) A motion was made by Duane Grandy, seconded by Patrick Cairns and carried unanimously to approve the recommendation for the City of Rice station location near CR 2. b) c) A motion was made by Duane Grandy, seconded by Steve Billings and carried unanimously for the City of St. Cloud station locations at East St. Cloud, South of Wye West to downtown and a second location at downtown St.~X~ml~between 1 lth and River. A motion was made by Richard Monk, seconded by Lewis Stark and carried unanimously for the City of Clear Lake station locations at Highway 10 and 24 and a second location at Highway 10 and 70th Street. d) A motion was made by Ken Paulson, seconded by Gary Hammer and carried unanimously for the City of Becker station location at Hancock'. Northstar Corridor Development Authority Regular Meeting Minutes of July 9, 1998 Page 2 o e) A motion was made by Jim Dickinson, seconded by John Norgren and carried unanimously for the City of Big Lake station location at Highway 25 and Eagle Lake Road. A motion was made by Scott Harlicker, seconded by Terry Nagorski and carried unanimously for the City of Elk River station location near_ .?mctar' Avenu%cn Wc3t side g) A motion was made by John Norgren, seconded by Dan Erhart and carried unanimously for the Cities of Anoka and Ramsey joint station location near the Vo-Tech College on border between Ramsey and Anoka. h) A motion was made by Jerry Newton, seconded by Paul McCarron and carried unanimously for the City of Coon Rapids station location at Foley and Coon Rapids Boulevard. I) A motion was made by Jerry Newton, seconded by Paul McCan'on and carried unanimously for the City of Fridley and City of Columbia Heights joint station location at 61 st Avenue. J) A motion was made by Paul Ostrow, seconded by Gary Erickson and carried unanimously for NE Minneapolis station location at Broadway and 18th on Central. k) A motion was made by Paul McCarron, seconded by Gary Erickson and carried unanimously for downtown Minneapolis station location at 5th Street and 5th Avenue. Public Involvement Update -- The third newsletter recently was sent out. All should have received a copy. The public update should be used when taking information back to the local units of' government. A presentation was made to St. Cloud Metro Transit local officials. Discussion was held regarding the 1999 budget. There was a recommendation by the Executive Committee that the 1999 budget be approved as presented in the total amount of $200,000. The budget is on file in the Sherburne County Administrator's Department. A motion was made by Paul.McCarron, seconded by Jerry Newton and carried unanimously to approve the 1999 Northstar Corridor Development Authority budget of up to $200,000 with contributions to be made by the counties of Anoka, Benton, Sherburne and Hennepin as allocated according to population along the corridor. Northstar Corridor Development Authority Regular Meeting Minutes of July 9, 1998 Page 3 10. 11. There was a question as to where Stearns County fits in. There has been discussion with Gerry Donlin and local officials to see if they want to be involved in the project. Cairns commented that if the majority of the ridership is in the St. Cloud area, a portion of the funding should come from them. David Loch, Tim Yantos, Ken Stevens, Stephanie Eilers, Mary Richardson, provided update of the Project Management Team's recent trip to Chicago to evaluate the rail system. An update was provided regarding the informational Land Use Forum held on June 26. No action taken. There was no other business. The next meeting was scheduled for August 6, 1998 at 4:30 p.m., at the Sherburne County Government Center. A motion was made by Ken Paulson, seconded by John Norgren and carried unanimously to adjourn at 6:12 p.m. Betsy Wergin, Chairperson H:kADMNDATA\COMMITTE\CORKiDOR\ 1998~MINUTESkNORTHSTA\070998.DOC Date Northstar Corridor Development Authority Regular Meeting Minutes of July 9, 1998 Page 4 NORTHSTAR CORRIDOR PASSENGER RAIL SERVICE PRELIMINARY PASSENGER RAIL SERVICE MAINTENANCE FACILITY LOCATION " Prepared for the 'NORTHSTAR CORRIDOR DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY ,"~LTK Engineering Servic'es 21 August 1998 (nst98-10.) Maintenance and servicing of the cars and locomotives for a passenger rail system of the type envisioned for the Northstar Corridor must reflect the characteristics of the service plan as well as the realities of the availability of real estate convenient to the railroad line itself. A "Preliminary Passenger Rail Serx)ice Plan" has been prepared and submitted to the Authority. As the conceptual service plan which has been developed is only preliminary at this time, the implications of that plan for the location of the maintenance facilities should be regarded as very tentative. An operating simulation of the service pattern has not yet been run, so that the -, accuracy of the running times is still an open question. Similarly, demand forecasts have not been developed, so that the fleet size is still at issue. The service plan itself has only now been submitted to the Authority for review, so that its acceptability as a concept is still not established. Finally, other than conclusions reached through ~vindshield surveys, the actual availability of land has not been determined. However, if the initial service plan concept is taken as a starting point, some preliminary conclusions can be reached. The service concept provides for both an "intercity" type of service, with morning, midday and afternoon trains in both directions from both St. Cloud and Minneapolis, running every day (weekdays, weekends and holidays) between the two ends of the Northstar Corridor. On weekdays, there is superimposed on the through trains a set of peak-hour "commuter trips" which operate only between Minneapolis and ~lk River or Ramsey, slightly short of halfway between the Twin Cities and St. Cloud. For purposes of economical operation, the initial timetable has been designed to permit this entire service to be operated with only three sets of equipment, and, as noted in the "Preliminary Plan," based on an assumed use of bi-level equipment in push-pull mode, this might require a total fleet of four locomotives, four cab cars, and seven coaches. These figures are highly preliminary, and subject to modification for several reasons, not the least of which is the need to balance fleet size with projected ridership. Under the example timetables, no trains lay overnight at Minneapolis. This is primarily because of the nature of the "commuter" part of the-business, in which trains originate in suburban areas and operate to the CBD in the morning, and back out in the evening. It also reflects the reality of real estate demand, which produces high prices in downtown areas, thus discouraging semi- industrial uses such as railroad maintenance facilities. Trains will lay over for varying periods during the day at the Downtown Minneapolis station, and one or two off-line storage tracks and the ability to provide minimal between-trip cleaning and servicing will be required. These functions cannot take place on the mainline, ~:s the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad requires the tracks for its own fi'eight operations during the day. In the morning, one train will originate at ,St. Cloud (or Rice, if that is chosen as the northern terminus). That train is one which makes the last through trip outbound from Minneapolis at 5:35pm, arriving in St. Cloud at 7:00pm. The service concept provides for a daily rotation of equipment from train to train, so that a different trainset will be laying over at St. Cloud each weekday night. That trainset is one which originates at Elk River that morning, makes a couple of commute trips, and then one and one-half St. Cloud round trips. That trainset is thus accumulating mileage during the day so that it will require cleaning and servicing at night in St. Cloud. In addition, on weekends, one trainset performs all of the Northstar Corridor work, so that having left Elk River on a Friday morning, it sees productive service fairly continuously until Monday evening. When there are three-day weekends, this train will be out for yet another day's service. Consequently, it is probable that fueling capability will be required in St. Cloud. As has been noted in the "Preliminary Plan," with a Downtown St. Cloud station, it is assumed that -, trains could continue a short distance to the west (less than one mile) to the BNSF's former Great Northern Railway yard, where it appears that there would be ample space to store, clean, service and fuel one trainset. As Elk River, pending more accurate running time simulations, is the center of the system from the point of view of originating and terminating trains, it is recommended that a Central Shop be located there. The actual requirements for site and shop size will depend on further analysis, as the actual size of the fleet is still not known, and since preventive maintenance requirements vary depending upon the choice of rolling stock. Push-pull trailer coaches will require little work other than periodic inspection and replacement of worn materials relating to trucks, brakes and · ancillary car systems (batteries, HVAC, lights, etc.) All control units - locomotives, cab control coaches, and self-propelled cars~ if any - are subject to federal rules requiring periodic (30-day) inspections of devices related to safe operation. Refueling, cleaning, washing, watering cars, and so forth, would also be routine activities. Realistically, repair functions would also have to be planned for. The example timetables prepared are also only those which might reflect service at startup, tentatively in 2003. As the Northstar Corridor is growing rapidly, and may be expected to continue to grow, it is a reasonable assumption that the passenger rail fleet will grow also, and that the maintenance needs of this eventually larger fleet will have to be accommodated at the Central Shop. Given that there are still many unknowns, a preliminary concept of maintenance site requirements in this area would be for a site of about 20 acres, immediately adjacent to the BNSF mainline, and as close as possible to the Elk River station. Preferably, this site would be to the west (north) of Elk River. In this way, trains originating at Elk River can pull out of the Central Shop yard and directly onto the mainline, operate to the Elk River Station, then simply continue on their way to Minneapolis; trains will not have to change direction and occupy the BNSF mainline for any longer than is absolutely necessary - thus minimizing the impact on railroad freight operations. Similarly, when going out of service at Elk River, trains would make their last passenger stop, then simply continue onward in the same direction, and leave the mainline at the turnout leading to the Central Shop - thus quickly getting out of the way of following traffic. The Central Shop site should also, if possible, be organized to permit, at least in the long run, direct access to the west, so that trains may be sent directly to or from the St. Cloud end of the line. This may become more important as the corridor grows, and more service is developed farther out on the corridor. Highway access for cars and trucks associated with this facility must also be provided, and shoulcl be considered when making a decision on site location. Conceptual Service Plan - Rotation of Trainsets The example schedules provided in the "Preliminary Passenger Service Plan" have been designed, in part, to permit the regular rotation of trainsets through the Central Shop at Elk River. Every night, two trainsets and all o'f the spare equipment will be at the Elk River shop, and one set will lay overnight at St. Cloud. The St. Cloud set is different every week night, so that equipment can cycle through the shop for optimum maintenance scheduling. As has been noted, on weekends and holiclays, the St. Cloud trainset may be out for several days. It is assumed that this practice will be acceptable from the point of view of scheduled maintenance, provided fueling and servicing of that set can take place in St. Cloud. If not, periodic "swapping" of that set with one from the Central Shop can be arranged, although that will require a deadhead move between St. Cloud and Elk River. _Example oI' Weekday Trainset Rotation Monday Tuesclay Wednesday Thursday Friday Trainset A From Elk From St. From Elk River: #2, #1 Cloud: #6, River: #4, #7, #8, #5, #12, #3, #10, #9, #14, #13, Repeat Repeat #11, then then then Monday Tuesday overnight at overnight at overnight at St. Cloud. Elk River Elk River Trainset B From St. From Elk From Elk Cloud: #6, River: #4, #7, River: #2, #1, #3, #10, #9, #14, #13, #8, #5, #12, Repeat Repeat then then #11, then Monday Tuesday overnight at overnight at overnight at Elk River Elk River St. Cloud Trainset C From Elk From Elk From St. River: #4, #7, River: #2, #1, Cloud: #6, # 14, # 13, #8, #5, # 12, #3, # 10, #9, Repeat Repeat then # 11, then then Monday Tuesday overnight at overnight at overnight at Elk River St. Cloud Elk River In this example, Trainset B would have operated the service the previous weekend, then will have two nights in the Central Shop at Elk River. The following weekend, service will be provided by Trainset C. The overall effect of this rotation will be to average the scheduled mileage over all of the equipment, rather than concentrating wear and tear disproportionately on fewer cars and locomotives. 4 Stearn~ MN 95 VVdght ~ Sherbum Be~a' Township Big Lake .... t-- '- Townahip .~ Hennepi~ W F f $ i,~nti I~Jms To'*~ship ~. 1:~3~Lsey Anoka B~/ne POTENTIAL STATION LOCATION T. FL 10 Multi-lViodai Transportation Corridor Development Project 6/15/98 NORTHSTAR CORRIDOR PASSENGER RAIL SERVICE PRELIMINARY PASSENGER RAIL SERVICE PLAN - Prepared for the NORTHSTAR CORRIDOR DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY LTK Engineering Services 21 August 1998 (nst98-09.) 1. Corridor Description The Northstar Corridor's rail component consists of approximately 65 miles of track connecting the heart of the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area with the City of St. Cloud. It includes all of the communities along the east and no~:th bank of the Mississippi River between North Minneapolis and St. Cloud: Columbia Heights, Fridley, Coon Rapids, Anoka, Ramsey, Elk River, Big Lake, Becker, and Clear Lake. Beyond St. Cloud the railroad line continues on to reach Sauk Rapids and Rice, which are also in the study area. The line serves parts of the counties of Steams, ,,Benton, Sherburne, Anoka, and Hennepin. The main rail line serving the corridor, and the only line linking the core of the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area with St. Cloud, is a mainline of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad (BNSF). Field observations indicate that the BNSF mainline is built and maintained to high standards. The line is CTC-equipped between the Northtown Yard (north of Minneapolis)and Coon Creek Junction, in the City of Coon Rapids, and between Big Lake and the west. The intermediate section has automatic block signals. North of Northtown Yard, the line is double- tracked, except for the 10 1/2 mile section between Big Lake and Becker. The line has heavy Class IV track, with continuous welded rail for the most part. Between Coon Creek Jct. and St. Cloud, passenger train speeds are 75mph or greater, with the exception of some crossovers and a few other restrictions. 2. Present and Historic Service AMTRAK's westbound transcontinental Empire Btdlder, en route to Seattle, is scheduled to cover the 63 miles between Midway Station in St. Paul and St. Cloud in 90 minutes without an intermediate stop, an average speed of 42mph. A disproportionately large share of the 90 minutes is consumed threading the few miles between St. Paul and the north end of the Northtown Yards between Minneapolis and Fridley. The daily Empire Builder is presently the only rail passenger service on this line. Originally, this stretch of railroad was a joint line of two of BNSF's predecessors - the Great Northern Railway and the Northern Pacific Railroad. In relatively "modern times", most of the passenger service, and almost all of the service performing any local work between St. Cloud and the Twin Cities, was performed by the Northern Pacific. Great Northern, having its own direct western transcontinental mainline via Willmar, and its own secondary route to St. Cloud via Monticello, operated only a few through trains over this line. In 1960, Northern Pacific's Mainstreeter was scheduled for the Minneapolis (Hennepin Avenue) - St. Cloud run of 65 miles in 77 minutes, including one stop in Elk River; average speed: 5 lmph. Interestingly, purely local coach trains continuing to International Falls, Bismarck and Mandan covered the 65 miles to St. Cloud in 78 minutes, with scheduled stops in Anoka and Elk River, and flag stops in Big Lake, Becker and Clear Lake. Freight service is heavy on this line, with 35-50 trains per day. 3. Service Assumptions As demand forecasts have not yet been run for this service, it is being assumed for purposes of beginning this evaluation that beyohd Elk River, the Northstar Corridor may best be served by an "intercity" pattern of all-day passenger service. "Commuter rail" service, typically, consists of largely peak-period, unidirectional trains oriented to people making work trips to the CBD in the rush hour. This initial service concept assumption is based on a couple of observations. One is that St. Cloud itself is, at 65+ miles, beyond the distance at which a large number of peak-hour work trips destined to the Minneapolis CBD are likely to be generated. A second is that St. Cloud, while not large, and not apparently a "bedroom community" for the Twin Cities, is a university city and regional service center, generating trips for a variety of purposes. University towns, especially, tend to generate more passenger traffic per capita than other cities their size (examples which come to mind are Davis and San Luis Obispo, California, and Eugene, Oregon). This kind of passenger traffic is not typically oriented primarily to peak travel periods alone. It represents a combination of trip purposes and times, suggesting that a diversity of potential travel times · offered to the traveling public will tend to meet needs better than purely commuter-oriented scheduling. Accordingly, mornir4g, midday and evening trips, in both directions, are hypothesized in this concept. The early and late trips, however, are designed to fit into classic "commuter" time slots. Third, it is interesting to not that some "commuter" rail systems now actually serve a market which is not predominantly composed of peak hour, peak-directional trips to and from the regional CBD; San Francisco's Caltrain, Miami's TRI-RA/L, and some lines of the SEPTA "Regional Rail" system in Philadelphia provide examples of this. It is recognized that no decision has been made as whether the northern terminal of the Northstar Corridor rail service will be St. Cloud or Rice. In the example service timetables that are presented here, it has been assumed for illustrative purposes that the service will terminate at a station in Downtown St. Cloud. With n'finor adjustments, however, the concept, will work just as readily with a terminal in Rice. In St. Cloud, the former Northern Pacific station, located on the BNSF mainline, is used by AMTRAK as the passenger station for the single daily Empire Builder in each direction. This station is located on the north/east bank of the Mississippi, across the river from Downtown in a semi-industrial area, in the middle of the wye formed at the junction of the former Great Northern Monticello-St. Cloud line, and the GN/NP joint mainline (also sometimes referred to as the "Elk River" Line). The Great Northern Bridge is still in use, and could be used to take Northstar Corridor trains across the Mississippi directly into Downtown St. Cloud. Here, it would be about a 20-minute walk to the St. Cloud State University campus, and close tO the county courthouse and central business activities of the city. It would also be possible to closely integrate the rail service into the city transit network, in a more intensive way than would be possible across the river. Trains could continue to the GN yard area for layover and servicing, but passengers would be handled downtown. The old station could be retained as an "East St. Cloud" stop for both the Empire B~tilder and the corridor trains, but other than for nostalgic reasons, an East St. Cloud station might be better located where there would be less overlap of station coverage area, readier access to a higher density residential area, and more opportunity for park and ride. If, instead, a terminal in Rice is selected, the present station building may be retained as a St. Cloud station. One of the significant negative factors affecting the development of a commuter or regional rail ,, service for the Twin Cities area, is the fact that the direct rail links between Downtown St. Paul and Downtown Minneapolis have been abandoned, and the tracks removed. This means that in order to serve both Downtowns with one train, and provide a larger menu of potential destinations for the rail passenger market, reversing moves and circuitous routings would be required. An earlier service concept for the Northstar Corridor proposed splitting corridor trains at Fridley into separate Minneapolis and St. Paul sections so that both downtowns could be served. However, for purposes of this study, that feature has been elinfinated from this initial service concept. As is typical for rail systems of this type, it is assumed that a reduced level of service will be provided on weekends and holidays. A chief transportation characteristic of weekend travel, in comparison to weekdays, is reduced peak demand for work trips, this initial service concept assumes that the peak "commute" trips operated on weekdays will not be operated on weekends or holidays, and that the three round-trips (morning, midday and evening) between St. Cloud and Minneapolis will be retained on weekends. 4. Equipment Concept It is assumed that the kind of equipment typically used in "new start" commuter rail operations will be used on the Northstar Corridor. This will consist of bi-level coaches, operating with locomotives in "push-pull" mode. The service described in the following example timetables can be operated with only three trainsets, provided the preliminary running time estimates prove reasonably accurate. As there has not yet been a demand forecast, it is not possible to say precisely what train lengths should be, but given the forecasts initially generated for the MnDOT study, it is assumed that all trains will consist of a locomotive and three cars (two coaches, and a cab car). This suggests a fleet of about seven coaches, four cab cars, and four locomotives (these figures include spares). This fleet size should be considered only an example until demand forecasts have been prepared, and associated schedule refinements written. At that time, a more accurate estimate of the number of coaches, cab cars and locomotives required for the service will be prepared. The reduced weekend and holiday service can be operated with a single trainset. 5. Example Timetables Based on the assumptions and discussion above, the following timetables are presented as an initial service concept. Four timetables are shown: Southbound Weekday, Northbound Weekday, .Southbound Weekend and Holiday, and Northbound Weekend and Holiday. Running times have been estimated from observations taken at the time of the "Commuter Rail Demonstration Project" last year, descriptions of track conditions, comparisons with similar services elsewhere, and historic performance on this line. They appear to be a few minutes shorter than those estimated for the MnDOT study. As the corridor rail operation has not yet been simulated, some adjustments in estimated running times can be expected. CONCEPTUAL SERVICE PLAN - ILLUSTRATIVE TIMETABLES SOUTHBOUND . WEEKDAYS (To follow a train, read down. To read departure/arrival times at any station, read across.) Amtrak N'thstar N'thstar N'thstar N'thstar N'thstar N'thstar N'thstar Stations #8 #2 #4 #6 #8 # 10 # 12 # 14 Iv. St. ',Cloud ..... .......... 6:35am ..... 12:01 4:00pm ..... (CBD) pm Iv. East St. 5:24am ..... ..... 6:39am ..... 12:05 4:04pm ..... Cloud pm lv. Clear ..... .......... 6:55am ..... 12:21 4:20pm ..... Lake pm lv. 12:28 Becker ..... .......... 7:02am ..... pm 4:27pm ..... lv. Big 12:35 Lake ..... .......... 7:09am ..... pm 4:34pm ..... Iv. Elk 12:44 River ..... 6:18am 6:48am 7:18am ..... pm 4:43pm 5:23pm lv. 12:51 Ramsey ..... 6:25am 6:55am 7:25am 7:55am pm 4:50pm 5:30pm lv. 12:56 Anoka ..... 6:30am 7:00am 7:30am 8:00am pm 4:55pm 5:35pm IV. Coon ..... 6:40am 7:10am 7:40am 8:10am l:06pm 5:05pm 5:45pm Rapids Iv. Fridley ..... 6:45am 7:15am 7:45am 8:15am l:llpm 5:10pm 5:50pm arr. NE Minpls. - .... 6:50am 7:20am 7:50am 8:20am l:16pm 5:15pm 5:55pm arr. Minpls. 7:05am 7:00am 7:30am 8:00am 8:30am l:26pm 5:25pm 6:05pm (5th St) (Mdwy) 6 CONCEPTUAL SERV.ICE PLAN - ILLUSTRATIVE TIMETABLES NORTHBOUND - WEEKDAYS N'thstar N'thstar N'thstar N'thstar N'thstar N'thstar N'thstar Amtr~ Stations #1 #3 #5 #7 #9 #11 #13 #7 Iv. 11:40 Minpls. 7:10am 8:15am l:35pm 4:30pm 5:00pm 5:35pm 6:15pm pm ' (Sth St) (Mdwy) Iv. NE Minpls. 7:20am 8:25am l:45pm 4:40pm 5:10pm 5:45pm 6:25pm ..... arr. .... Fridley 7:25am 8:30am 1..50pm 4:45pm 5:15pm 5:50pm 6:30pm ..... arr. Coon 7:30am 8:35am l:55pm 4:50pm 5:20pm 5:55pm 6:35pm ..... Rapids arr. Anoka 7:40am $:45am 2:0Spin 5:00pm 5:30pm 6:05pm 6:45pm ..... arr. Ramsey 7:45am 8:50am : 2:10pm $:0$pm 5:35pm 6:10pm 6:50pm ..... arr. Elk River ..... 8:57am 2:lTpm 5:12pm $:42pm 6:l?pm 6:5?pm ..... arr. Big Lake ..... 9:06am 2:26pm ..... ..... 6:26pm .......... arr. Becker ..... 9:13am 2:33pm ..... ..... 6:33pm .......... arr. Clear ..... 9:20am 2:40pm .......... 6:40pm ......... Lake - St ...... 9:36am 2:56pm ] .......... 6:56pm ..... l:06am Cloud arr. St. Cloud ..... 9:40~m 3:00pm .......... 7:00pm ...... (CBD) . - - - - CONCEPTUAL SERVICE PLAN - ILLUSTRATIVE TIMETABLES SOUTHBOUND - WEEKENDS AND HOLIDAYS Stations Amtrak #8 N'thstar #6 N'thstar #10 N'thstar #12 Iv. St. Cloud (CBD) ........... 6:35am 12:01pm 4:00pm lv. East St. Cloud 5:24am 6:39am 12:05pm 4:04pm lv. Clear Lake ........... 6:55am 12:21pm 4:20pm lv. Becket ........... 7:02am 12:28pm 4:27pm Iv. Big Lake ........... 7:09am 12:35pm 4:34pm lv. Elk River ........... 7:18am 12:44pm 4:43pm Iv. Ramsey ........... 7:25am 12:51pm 4:50pm lv. Anoka ........... 7:30am 12:56pm 4:55pm lv. Coon Rapids ........... 7:40am l:06pm 5:05pm lv. Fridley ........... 7:45am l:llpm 5:10pm arr. NE Minneapolis ........... 7:50am l:16pm 5:15pm arr. Minneapolis 7:05am (5th Street) (Midway) 8:00am l:26pm 5:25pm I CONCEPTUAL SERVICE PLAN - ILLUSTRATIVE TIMETABLE~ NORTHBOUND - WEEKENDS AND HOLIDAYS Stations N'thstar//3 N' ,,. ~ thstar #5 N'thstar #11 Amtrak #7 lv. Minneapolis ll:40pm (5 th Street) 8:15 am 1: 35p m 5:35pm (Midway) lv. NE Minneapolis 8:25am 1:45pm 5:45pm ........... arr. Fridley 8:30am 1:50pm 5:50pm ........... arr. Coon Rapids 8:35am i 1:55pm 5:55pm ........... arr. Anoka 8:45am I 2:05pm 6:05pm ........... arr. Ramsey 8:50am I 2:10pm 6:10pm ........... arr. Elk River 8:57am 2:17pm 6:17pm ........... arr. Big Lake 9:06am. 2:26pm 6:26pm ........... arr. Becker 9:13am 2:33pm 6:33pm ........... arr. Clear Lake 9:20am 2:40pm 6:40pm ........... arr. East St. Cloud 9:36am 2:56pin 6:56pm 1:06am arr. St. Cloud (CBD) 9:40am 3:00pm 7:00pm ........... 9 I 94 Steam~ MN 95 Haven i To~)~ip ~ Sherbum9 Becke~ To~ip Wright Tov,~3ship isanti Bums To',',r~ship Ranzsey Anoka -,:~ ~dowr N Hennepii Elaine POTENTIAL STATION LOCATION T. FL 10 Multi-Modal Transportation Corridor Development Project 6/15/98  ST. CLOUD METROPOLITAN TRANSIT COMMISSION WAITE PARK. SAUK RAPIDS. ST. CLOUD MINNES 665 FRANKLIN AVE. N.E,, ST, CLOUD,'MN 5630~>TA (320) 251-1499 * FAX (320) 251-3499 America's Best Sma//Transit System as judged by the American Pub/lc Transit Association ~ 1989-90 J'uly 22, 1998 ~" Ms. Mary I. Richardson Richardson, Richter & Associates 413 Wacouta Street 200 Gilbert Building St. Paul, MIN' 55101-1957 Dear lk .~ardson: At the .]'uly 21, 1998 reg'ular meeting of' the St. Cloud Metropolitan Transit Commission, the attached Joint Powers Agreement Establishing The Northstar Corridor Development Authority was approved, and thus the St. Cloud Metropolitan Transit Commission is formally requesting membership from the NCDA. r understand your next full board Authority meeting is Thursday, August 6~ or 13u', and that our request would be considered at that time. The Commission would also like to formally thank the Authority for inviting the MTC to be on the Project Management Team as an ex-officio member, along with Metro Transit, Metropolitan Council, and the St. Cloud APO. The MTC is committed to the public transit and alternative transportation mission, and is excited about the opportunity to work with others to ensure that our industry continues to address the benefits of.building healthy livable communities with transit. Si cer_ David W. Tripp Executive Director attachment COMMISSIONERS: JERRy LEESE. CHAIR. WOODy BISSETT. VICE CHAIR. CHUCK WINKELMAN. ~REASURER. PAUL L. RINGSMUTH. SECRETARy EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR - DAVID W. TRIPp Schedule mil i ' · Purpos And Ne~ed law An ¥~is · Definil ~n of Alternative F~t~l Work Scope B Jdget Comm MIS ~nd tment ~T~ORTH~T~ "~O~TR/DOR ~I'A approva PE on Comn~ II!11 to Enter uter Rail PE Com III 'ElS on nuter Rail August 2M, 199~ Exhibit A Agenda Item//6b Schedule SCENARIO ELEMENT BASE CASE I 2 3 4 5 ANALYSIS TIME 8/20-10/1/98 10/1-10/30/98. 11/1 - 11/15/98 11/15 - 12/30/98 1/15 - 2/15/99 2/15 - 3/15/99 FREIGHT SERVICE 1998 and 2003 2003 Horizon Horizon/2020 Horizon 2003 COMMUTER RAIL N/A START-UP SERVICE N/A 2020 SERVICE 2020 SERVICE 2020 (NORTHSTAR) (2003) AMTRAK I I 1 1 1 1 ST PAUL - MSP N/A N/A N/A N/A LIKELY 2020 COMMUTER RAIL · SERVICE SERVICE BETHEL - MSP N/A N/A N/A N/A LIKELY 2020 9 COMIvlUTER RAIL · SERVICE SI~RVICE DATE INPUT N/A 8/30/98 (STATIONS- N/A 1 I/1/98 1/I/99 2/15/99 NEEDED FROM SERVICE PLAN) NORTHSTAR PRODUCT* SIMULATION OF IMPROVEMENTS IMPROVEMENTS IMPROVEMENTS REQUIRED TO MEET IMPROVEMENTS EXISTING FREIGHT REQUIRED TO REQUIRED TO FREIGHT NEEDS AND LIKELY REQUIRED TO MEET CONDITIONS TO MEET 2003 START- ONLY MEET COMMUTER RAIL SERVICE 2003 FREIGHT NEEDS DETERMINE UP COMMUTER HORIZON YEAR AND LIKELY 2020 CAPACITY RAIL SERVICE FREIGHT NEEDS COMMUTER RAIL REQUIRED FOR FREIGHT GROWTH SERVICE OTE: Potential modtficat~ons to commuter rail service 0frequired) to mitigate/minimize railroad improvements include varying headways, time of service, geographic length of service, arm reverse commute service. Reducing freight demand from horizon year levels is also possible. Only base case and scenarios 1-3 are within the scope of this Agreement.