Contracting Commuter Rail Services, Volume 2: Commuter Rail System Profiles (2018)

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55 The Northstar Commuter Rail (Northstar) is a commuter rail line sponsored by the Northstar Corridor Development Authority (NCDA). NCDA is a joint powers authority composed of 30 counties, cities, townships, and regional rail authorities in the Twin Cities metropolitan region, established to plan and deliver commuter rail services between St. Cloud and Minneapolis, Minnesota. Metro Transit operates current Northstar service, connecting Big Lake and Target Field in downtown Minneapolis, with a planned extension to St. Cloud. Metro Transit is an operating division of the Metropolitan Council, which is a regional government body that serves as the regional metropolitan planning organization. In addition to Northstar, Metro Transit operates local buses and three light-rail lines in the Twin Cities. The Northstar rail line is 40 miles and makes stops at seven stations—Big Lake, Elk River, Ramsey, Anoka, Coon Rapids–Riverdale, Fridley, and Target Field— along BNSF Railway’s freight rail line through the Twin Cities. It takes around 49 minutes to travel the entire route. Northstar has a fl eet of 6 locomotives and 12 passenger cars and uses a push-pull operation. Five trains run in the peak direction during the morning and afternoon peak hours on weekdays; one train runs in the reverse direction. Three round trips are available on weekends, and Northstar service is available for special events. The Northstar line connects with Metro Transit’s Blue and Green light-rail lines at the Target Field Station. St. Cloud Metro Bus operates the Northstar Link, a commuter bus service from St. Cloud to the Big Lake commuter rail station. Northstar Northstar Commuter Rail Northstar Corridor Development Authority St. Cloud–Minneapolis, MN HISTORY Thirty counties, cities, townships, and regional railroad authorities formed NCDA. FTA authorized NCDA to begin preliminary engineering and awarded Northstar a Recommended rating. Northstar met new FTA New Start cost-eff ectiveness criteria for a phase-one route from Big Lake to Minneapolis. The Minnesota Legislature approved $37.5 million for Northstar; the U.S. Congress authorized $80 million for Northstar in the federal transportation bill the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Effi cient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). The bonding bill approved by state legislators during the 2006 session authorized $60 million for Northstar. NCDA, the State of Minnesota, and BNSF Railway reached an agreement in principle that guarantees Northstar’s operation on the BNSF Railway rail line. The State of Minnesota, NCDA, and BNSF Railway completed negotiations and signed key agreements fi nalizing terms and conditions for commuter rail service. Stearns County joined NCDA. Northstar opened for service on November 16. Construction began on stations in Big Lake, Elk River, Anoka, and Coon Rapids–Riverdale, while work continued on the Target Field Station. Northstar received Full Funding Grant Agreement approval from federal, state, and local offi cials. 1997 2000 2003 2005 2006 2009 2008 2007

56 Contracting Commuter Rail Services, Volume 2: Commuter Rail System Profiles PERFORMANCE STATISTICS Past Trends 2012–2016 Service Data in RY* 2016 Data source: NTD *Report year: for each report year, NTD collects data refl ecting the reporter’s operation in the same fi scal year. Annual Operating Cost: $16,677,279 Total Directional Route Miles: 78 Passenger Car Revenue Miles: 538,172 Unlinked Passenger Trips: 711,167 Annual Total Passenger Miles: 17,608,093 Operating Cost per Passenger Car Revenue Mile Operating Cost per Passenger Passenger Trips per Passenger Car Revenue Mile Passenger Miles per Passenger Trip $30.99$29.47$28.82 $33.07$31.84 20162015201420132012 $23.45 $21.74$21.13 $22.55$23.45 20162015201420132012 1.321.361.36 1.47 1.36 20162015201420132012 24.7625.4125.3225.2525.37 20162015201420132012 Both Metro Transit and BNSF Railway are subject to safety and operational regulations stipulated by the Federal Railroad Administration. Metro Transit also complies with regulations of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the State of Minnesota for federal and state funding assistance. Metro Transit is responsible for developing emergency preparedness plans and implementing service recovery strategies. The agency also takes the primary role in delivering capital programs and reporting to the National Transit Database (NTD). NCDA and the State of Minnesota entered into key agreements with BNSF Railway in 2007. These agreements include a purchase and sale agreement between the State of Minnesota and BNSF Railway that gives the state the right to use BNSF Railway tracks for commuter rail in perpetuity, a joint use agreement between BNSF Railway and the Metropolitan Council that outlines trackage usage, and a service agreement that identifi es terms by which BNSF Railway may commit to train operations. This service agreement is for 10 years and has a 10-year auto-renewal option. Metro Transit and BNSF Railway share responsibilities for Northstar. Metro Transit, the operations division of the Metropolitan Council, owns and maintains rail rolling stock, stations, and facilities. In addition, Metro Transit handles Northstar’s marketing and ticketing. Under the service agreement, BNSF Railway provides locomotive engineers and onboard train crews, and is responsible for train dispatch and infrastructure maintenance. NCDA is made up of elected offi cials and appointees from 30 cities, counties, and regional railroad authorities. Currently, the NCDA board consists of 40 members. Under the cooperation agreement the State of Minnesota, NCDA, and BNSF Railway signed in March 2007, the Metropolitan Council is in charge of overseeing Northstar operation, and Metro Transit manages day-to-day operations. Metro Transit is governed by a 17-member board composed of a chair and 16 members representing the 16 council districts. CONTRACTED SERVICE GOVERNANCE General Contracted Service Informaon Oversight and Responsibilies

Northstar 57 A—Agency; B—Host Railroad (RR); C—Amtrak; D—Independent Contractors (RR or Non-RR) The matrix below illustrates the responsibility for major service functions for Northstar. The capital letters A and B represent the Metropolitan Council in-house staff (Metro Transit) and the host railroad (BNSF Railway), respectively. In this case, C for Amtrak and D for the independent contractor are not applicable. Contracted Service Matrix A B C D Train Operations Maintenance of Infrastructure Maintenance of Equipment Specifi cally: Train Dispatching Services Train Operations Maintenance of Equipment Facilities Maintenance Maintenance of Way Provision of Electric Traction (na) Signals and Communication Positive Train Control Maintenance Station Operations and Maintenance Non-revenue Equipment Provision Safety Management Security Services Environmental Services Management/Oversight Services Materials Management Services Risk Management Assessment Customer Service Functions Marketing Communications Ticketing/Sales Revenue Collection Information Technology Systems Accident/Fatality Investigations/Support Supplemental Work Other (na)