Audio The little engine that could be (story audio) Photos A model for Northstar The Northstar commuter coach Northstar protester Debbie Cocchiarella More from MPR Governor hearing criticism from members of his own party (08/10/2004) Pawlenty finds money to jumpstart North Star rail line (08/03/2004) Resources Northstar Corridor Development Authority Your Voice Join the conversation with other MPR listeners in the News Forum.

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The little engine that could be
by Annie Baxter, Minnesota Public Radio
August 12, 2004

The "Sounder" commuter rail car from Seattle is a model for the Northstar rail line. Northstar officials used it to give a demonstration along the Northstar corridor from Minneapolis to St. Cloud early in 2002. (MPR file photo )

The Northstar commuter rail's prospects have seemed brighter in the past few weeks. Last week, Gov. Pawlenty announced a plan to jumpstart funding for the rail project. Pawlenty met a Sept. 30 deadline to match federal funds for the project. But support for Northstar has also come in a more indirect way. The Hiawatha light rail line in Minneapolis drew twice as many customers as expected in its first month of operation. And that's giving Northstar supporters more confidence about their proposal.

Elk River and Big Lake, Minn. — The Hiawatha light rail line's success is lending credence to something many transportation specialists have been saying for decades. If you build rail transit, Minnesotans will use it.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation's Mike Schadauer says ridership on the Hiawatha line has important implications for the Northstar proposal.

"Surely it helps people see the ridership forecasts aren't exaggerations for these kind of rail projects," he says.

	The Northstar commuter coach

Schadauer fully admits that it's not a straight comparison between the Hiawatha line and Northstar. The lines serve very different communities. But Hiawatha figures are more applicable than the only other comparison they've had -- bus ridership figures, for instance.

The problem there, according to Schadauer, is that bus ridership numbers aren't exactly encouraging, since buses are underused. Schadauer says that's because many people don't see buses as punctual. If they're going to use mass transit, their preference is rail.

"Something that people have consistently told MnDOT in travel surveys is that they would like a predictable timed trip," Schadauer says. "And that's something that rail transit could provide very easily."

The Northstar rail line might give that predictability to commuters in the northern suburbs and beyond. The line is supposed to run from downtown Minneapolis to Big Lake, and ultimately all the way to St. Cloud.

But critics still question who will actually use the train.

It opens the door for jobs in the future. If we're unable to find a job in the Elk River area, we'd be able to go somewhere else to work. - Kristy Boese, Elk River

A lot of the potential customers are probably already using another commuter service, operated by the Northstar Corridor Development Authority, a bus service that's been running for nearly three years. It originates in Elk River and makes a stop in Coon Rapids on its way to downtown Minneapolis.

By 7:30 on a Friday morning, the parking lot in Elk River is nearly full. Mike Cassidy drives 20 miles every day from Princeton to take the bus.

"I've been taking this bus every day, almost every day, since it started. I was there the first day," he says.

Cassidy says the bus commute to Minneapolis actually takes him longer than driving in a car.

"It's still well worth it. Punky (the bus driver) has to drive, I don't," Cassidy notes. "And it saves a lot of money on parking."

Cassidy says he'd be willing to drive even farther to take the Northstar train.

Kristy Boese shares this enthusiasm about Northstar rail. Right now she's studying to be a physician's assistant. She says when she graduates, she'll potentially look for a job that's convenient to the train.

"My husband and I are very excited about it, because it opens the door for jobs in the future," Boese says. "If we're unable to find a job in the Elk River area, we'd be able to go somewhere else to work and do productive things on the way."

	Northstar protester Debbie Cocchiarella

But the Northstar plan has its detractors. Outside her home in Big Lake, Debbie Cocchiarella thumbs through pages of a petition against the Northstar rail line.

"We have almost 600 signatures," Cocchiarella says. "Most of the signatures that we have collected are along the Northstar corridor -- Elk River, Zimmerman, Becker."

Cocchiarella and her husband have organized a group called "No Northstar" to protest the proposal. They're not convinced the Northstar train will relieve highway congestion or use tax dollars wisely.

"We can move more people cost effectively and efficiently with more roads and buses," she says.

Cochiarella says the success of the Hiawatha light rail doesn't alter her view of the Northstar proposal. She doesn't think it deserves such heavy government subsidies.

That's a view held by many Minnesota legislators as well, including some Republicans who have accused Pawlenty of overstepping his bounds in moving the project forward, even though it has not been approved by the Legislature.

Pawlenty's recent move may well secure funding for the initial part of the project. But there's no guarantee the rest of the money will fall into place.

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