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High Speed Rail Implementation - An Update on
Passenger Rail Planning Activities in
Minnesota. 
presented by Minnesota Department of
Transportation March 2, 2011
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Presentation Overview

• Federal High Speed Rail Program Update
• State Rail Plan Implementation
• Passenger Rail Development Activities Update
• Governance and Funding Project
• Questions

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National High Speed Rail Network 6 Yr. Plan

• Goal Passenger rail system featuring high speed
  rail service to 80 of Americans within 25 years
• Announced Feb. 15th, 53 billion, 8 billion
  FFY12 split between new projects and upgrades
  to existing service
• Develop three types of corridors
• Core express - backbone of the national system,
  speeds of 125- 250 mph
• Regional crucial regional service laying
  foundation for future higher speed service,
  speeds of 90-125 mph
• Emerging- emerging rail corridors with access to
  the larger national and intercity network, speeds
  up to 90 mph

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State Rail Plan

• Awarded 2010 National Transportation Planning
  Excellence Award
• from the U.S. DOT and the American Planning
  Association in July 2010

• First statewide freight and passenger rail plan
  developed in Minnesota
• Extensive public involvement
• Submitted to FRA in February 2010

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• Priority Passenger Rail Projects Identified in
  the State Rail Plan
• Develop a robust intrastate and interstate
  passenger rail system in Minnesota
• High speed service (up to 110mph) between the
  Twin Cities Milwaukee-Chicago, Twin Cities and
  Duluth Twin Cities and Rochester
• Enhanced conventional passenger rail service (up
  to 90mph) from the Twin Cities to St. Cloud,
  Moorhead, Mankato, Eau Claire, and between Mpls.
  and St. Paul
• Advance projects incrementally and simultaneously
  as demand warrants and funding is identified

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Phase I Projects (2010-2030) Phase II
Projects (Future Expansion) Other Freight
Lines
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Milwaukee to Twin Cities High Speed Rail Corridor
Development Work
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Passenger Rail Development Activities Update

• Twin Cities to Chicago HSR Corridor
• Awarded ARRA funds late February 2010
• 1.2 million Tier 1 Environmental Impact
  Statement (EIS) Milwaukee To Twin Cities
• Negotiations with FRA
• statement of work, public involvement plan,
  contract issues
• information prepared by the MWRRI
• Cooperative agreements with Wisconsin and FRA

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Twin Cities to Milwaukee High Speed Rail Corridor
Tier 1 EIS Study

• Tiered EIS objective is to evaluate potential
  intercity passenger rail route alternatives at
  the corridor level and will result in a service
  development plan for the corridor. (FRA Notice
  of Intent, November 2010)
• Alternatives to be evaluated and analyzed in the
  EIS
• No Build alternative
• Steel wheel on steel rail high speed train service

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Fourteen Routes Being Evaluated as Build
Alternatives
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Tier 2 Environmental Impact Statement

• For the selected alternative identified in the
  Tier 1 EIS
• Determine what best meets the purpose and need
• Identify environmental consequences and measures
  necessary to mitigate environmental impacts in
  site specific detail
• Prepare draft EIS
• Public and agency review and comments
• Prepare and submit to FRA final EIS

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Twin Cities to Chicago Project Timeline

• Milwaukee to Twin Cities Segment
• Tier 1 environmental documentation 2010 - 2011
• Tier 2 EIS / Preliminary Engineering 2011 - 2013
• Design/ Construction 2013 2015
• Twin Cities to Chicago Service begins - 2015 -
  2016
• Subject to funding availability, successful
  negotiations with railroads, securing necessary
  federal approvals, minimal environmental
  mitigation factors, ability to secure necessary
  R/W, identified operating and maintenance
  funding, equipment availability, and continued
  legislative support.

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Northern Lights Express

• The Northern Lights Express - to re-establish
  regional passenger rail service from Duluth to
  Minneapolis
• track and signal improvements
• modern rail trains with speeds up to 110 mph.
• travel time for the 155-mile route of
  approximately two hours 17 minutes each way.
• four to eight round trips per day

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Northern Lights Express

• Current Status
• In 2008 the FRA, State and NLX Alliance provided
  a funding to prepare environmental documentation.
  
• Work began in 2009 and will be complete this
  summer
• Preliminary engineering, design work could begin
  this fall
• Service could commence in 2014-15

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Rochester HSR Corridor

• State Rail Plan identifies need for new
  connection to Rochester
• Implement 110 mph service between Rochester and
  the Twin Cities via a green field alignment.
• Project development timeline is substantially
  longer to completed
• Environmental work will be comprehensive
• Extensive R/W required.
• Access into suburban Metro and to MSP will be
  complex
• Initial discussions on process and project
  requirements have occurred with the FRA.

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Passenger Rail Facilities

• St. Paul Union Depot
• Multimodal hub
• Amtraks return 2012
• Minneapolis Transportation
• Interchange
• Multimodal facility
• Adjacent to the Twins Stadium
• Completed by 2014

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Governance and Funding Project
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Governance and Funding

• No formal governance structure or sustainable
  funding sources for passenger rail in Mn.
• What structure is necessary to build and operate
  a nine-state system?
• What are the roles of the various interests
  (local, county governments, railroads,
  advocates)?
• What funding options exist to implement state
  supported services?

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Governance

• Governance model unique to Minnesota
• Statutory, constitutional regulatory issues
• Roles of internal partners
• State design, build, secure equipment, rail
  negotiations
• RRAs and local governments advocacy, momentum,
  station area planning and economic development
• Relationship to partner states of the MWRRI
• Cross route subsidization, shared equipment

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Funding

• Capital vs. operations and maintenance
• No federal operating assistance
• Funding tools and strategies
• Best practices
• Methods currently
• Necessary legislative actions
• Interim funding strategy

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Governance and Funding

• Passenger Rail Forum -Workshops on 11/8,12/13,
  and 3/7
• Mn/DOT Mgmt. Team input
• Summary documents, Final Report
• New administration / legislative leaders briefing
• Work completed by 3/1/11

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Questions?
Questions ?