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Greetings, Do you ever wonder how much quicker your commute could be if you could climb aboard Northstar Commuter Rail tomorrow? Or how much money you could save compared to driving your car? Or what your local Northstar station would look like? Now you can get answers to all of these questions by checking out Northstar's new online cost calculator. Go to the cost calculator now: Northstar Cost Calculator Just choose starting and ending stations to find out how much time and money you can save by riding Northstar Commuter Rail when it is scheduled to open in 2009. You can then watch brief animations of Northstar's planned route from Big Lake to downtown Minneapolis or the proposed local stations. Since you last heard from us, we've been busy working on operating agreements with BNSF Railway, whose existing tracks Northstar trains will use when it is scheduled to begin operations in late 2009. We've also been working closely with the Federal Transit Administration to get all of the documentation in place to start construction this year. Three bid packages are getting ready to go out: the four-block LRT extension and station in downtown Minneapolis, the commuter rail stations and the commuter rail maintenance facility in Big Lake. Part of my role as the new chair of the Northstar Corridor Development Authority (NCDA) will be to keep you updated this year about federal approvals and construction. As a member of the NCDA for the past decade, I'm looking forward to stepping into this leadership role and helping transform Northstar from a plan on paper to an operating commuter rail system. Help us build excitement for Northstar and the cost calculator – forward it to your friends and neighbors. Forward the calculator here: http://ga3.org/northstar/join-forward Dan Erhart |
