Greetings,

As you know, the Northstar project has achieved many significant milestones over the past several months. Significant victories such as the BNSF Railway agreement in principle and the state's approval of the remaining $60 million to complete its share of construction costs have given the Northstar Corridor Development Authority (NCDA) the green light to work toward final design and secure federal funding for construction. We're hopeful that the Federal Transit Administration will approve a 50 percent federal funding match in time for construction to begin in 2007.

As we prepare for Northstar Commuter Rail's debut in 2009, you will begin to notice some new milestones:

• Completion of final designs for the project
• Utility work in downtown Minneapolis to make way for the four-block Hiawatha Light Rail line extension
• Construction of accessible stations and park-and-ride lots along the Northstar Corridor
• Construction of a downtown Minneapolis intermodal station that will allow Northstar passengers to easily connect to the Hiawatha Light Rail transit line and other transportation

As always, we will keep you updated on the progress of the project and other commuter rail news through these e-mails and the web site
(www.mn-getonboard.com).

Thank you for your hard work during this legislative session. You're playing a key role in making the state's first commuter rail line a reality.

Duane Grandy
NCDA
Chair