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Commuter rail study urges phased construction Page 1 of3 \~~;~, ;~~' f I >":C~:",'",':~',:,,:::~,~::~::,;::,_;::,,'.f,,;::.':'~>":~~';~:":','::,':'::::'~"";~'>~i:~"'.:':1~":':'~""::::"i:'1 Published Tuesday, December 15,1998 Commuter rail study urges phased construction . startribmle.mm .~ Laurie Blake / Star Tribune A commuterrail route from downtown Minneapolis through Anoka County to Ramsey has emerged from two years of study as the place to start if commuterrail goes forward in the Twin Cities area. The Minnesota Department of Transportation and two advisory committees said in a report released Monday that if commuterrail is implemented, it should be done route by route to reduce the initial investment and allow for performance evaluation. It puts the route known as the Northstar Corridor at the top of the list for implementation. The $1 million report will be delivered to the 1999 Legislature. While not constituting an endorsement of commuterrail, it lays out a phased financial and operational plan that the Legislature could use if it decides to invest state money in passenger service for commuters on tracks now used by private railroads to move freight. The Northstar Corridor is served by the Burlington Northern Sante Fe railroad from Minneapolis to St. Cloud. The state studied the 30 miles of rail to Elk River and has concluded that service initially should extend only as far as Ramsey. Capital costs of implementing commuterrail service on the 23-mile Ramsey route would be $195 million in 2003 dollars. About 3,400 people would ride that line each day, according to the state study by Parsons BrinckerhotT consultants. Ranked second for implementation is the 18-mile Hastings to St. Paul route, which would cost $178 million in 2003 dollars and have about 2,300 riders a day. In third place is the 31-mile route Lakeville to Minneapolis route, which would cost $282 million in 2003 dollars and carry about 4,700 people a day. The $655 million total cost of these routes includes all system costs and the cost of a connection between Minneapolis and 5t. Paul. In 2005, annual operating expenses for the three lines are estimated http://www2.startribune.com!cgi-bin/ stOnLine/ article?thisSlug= RAIL 15&date= 15- Dec-98&worllmm&vord=c