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Frequently Asked QuestionsNorthern Lights Express
Page | 1Updated 10/2016
To sign-up for NLX Project updates:
www.mndot.gov/nlx and click on Connect with us in the lower right
corner of the home page.
ABOUT NLXThe Northern Lights Express is a proposed high speed intercity pas-senger rail project to provide rail service between Minneapolis and Duluth. NLX service would operate on approximately 152 miles of ex-isting BNSF railway track.
The NLX Project is being managed by the Minnesota Department of Transportation in consultation with the Federal Railroad Administra-tion, and with cooperation from the Minneapolis-Duluth/Superior Passenger Rail Alliance, Wisconsin Department of Transportation, and local communities.
NLX CORRIDOR MAP
NORTHERN LIGHTS EXPRESS PROJECT
What is the Northern Lights Express?The Northern Lights Express is a proposed high speed intercity passen-ger rail service that would operate between Minneapolis and Duluth on approximately 152 miles of railroad track within an existing BNSF railway track.
What agency is responsible for the planning and implementation of the Northern Lights Express?Planning and implementation of the Northern Lights Express is being man-aged by the Minnesota Department of Transportation in consultation with the Federal Railroad Administration and with cooperation from the Minne-apolis-Duluth/Superior Passenger Rail Alliance, Wisconsin Department of Transportation, and local communities.
What is the purpose of the Northern Lights Express?The purpose of the Northern Lights Express is to provide fast, convenient and affordable intercity passenger rail service between Minneapolis and Duluth that will provide an alternative to travel by automobile, bus or plane.
What is high speed intercity passenger rail service?High speed intercity passenger rail service operates between two distinct metropolitan areas on shared or dedicated rights of way at speeds equal to or greater than 90 mph. Service is provided throughout the day.
How does intercity passenger rail service differ from commuter rail service?Commuter rail service, such as Northstar Commuter Rail, is local short dis-tance passenger rail service operating on existing rail corridors between a central city and adjacent suburbs with schedules oriented toward provid-ing service inbound to the central city in the morning and outbound to the suburbs in the afternoon.
What is the Northern Lights Express Project?The NLX Project includes all activities that need to happen in order to be-gin NLX Service including planning; environmental review; engineering; design; procurement of equipment; and completion of all necessary agree-ments and construction of the infrastructure, including stations, required to implement daily train service.
Where are proposed NLX stations going to be located?Stations are proposed for Minneapolis, Coon Rapids, Cam-bridge, Hinckley, and Duluth in Minnesota and Superior in Wisconsin.
How fast will NLX travel? Wherever possible, track will be improved to allow a max-imum speed of 90 mph for passenger trains. Actual speed will vary by location based upon track geometry, adjacent land use and other factors.
How long will it take to travel between Minneapolis and Duluth on NLX?Travel time between Minneapolis and Duluth is anticipat-ed to be around 2½ hours.
How frequently will NLX run?It is anticipated that there will be four roundtrips sched-uled at convenient times throughout the day, allowing riders to travel and conduct business in Minneapolis or Duluth as part of a single-day trip. The final determination of NLX’s schedule will be based on the Financial and Rid-ership Study, which will be completed by the end of 2016.
How much will it cost to ride NLX?Fare estimates for NLX are part of the Financial Plan. Al-though ridership forecasts and preliminary revenue pro-jections were completed in December 2015, final revenue projections and a complete financial analysis will not be completed until the end of 2016.
What are the benefits of this high speed intercity passenger rail project? NLX will provide an alternative to car or air travel that is convenient, less stressful and allows passengers to work, socialize, read and activities while traveling. NLX would also provide a transportation option for those unable to drive or for those who prefer passenger rail because of the convenience.
How will the travel time of NLX compare to car or air travel?NLX travel time is anticipated to be comparable to car travel and comparable to air travel when time for security, boarding and disembarking is included.
Will new railroad tracks be built for NLX?NLX will operate primarily on existing track owned by the BNSF Railway. New track may be needed to extend exist-ing sidings, create new sidings or create double track sec-tions. Any new track will be alongside existing track and within the existing BNSF right of way.
What is the BNSF Railway?The BNSF Railway is a private railroad company that pro-vides primarily freight rail service over tracks that it owns, leases or shares with other railroad companies. Although most of the rail traffic on BNSF tracks is freight, BNSF does provide passenger rail service in such places as Chicago and Seattle. BNSF also operates the Northstar Commuter rail service that travels between Minneapolis and Big lake in Minnesota under contract to Metro Transit.
What other facilities will be required to operate NLX?NLX will require a layover facility in Duluth and potentially one other location to park trains overnight. NLX will also require a light maintenance facility to perform routine maintenance and minor repairs. A location for the light maintenance facility has not been determined.
What is the anticipated cost to construct, operate and maintain?The total cost to establish reliable, daily, high-speed in-ter-city passenger rail service on this route, including infra-structure improvements and train equipment is estimated between $500 million and $600 million. Once the North-ern Lights Express train is operational, current estimates put operating and maintenance costs at $17.5 million per year for the first five years. Revenue from fares is expected to cover most of this cost, with an anticipated subsidy of between $3 million and $5 million per year, for the first five years, and will drop over time as ridership grows.
Who will pay for the construction of the NLX Project? Funding for final design and construction of the NLX Project and future operation of NLX Service will not be determined until the completion of the preliminary engi-neering and environmental review of the Project, which is anticipated in early 2017. Future funding may come from public sources (federal and state), private investment or a combination of the two.
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Who will own and maintain NLX?The BNSF Railway will retain ownership of the track that NLX would use. MnDOT will own and maintain facilities constructed specifically for the NLX Project. In some cases, MnDOT may lease facilities owned by other public agen-cies. MnDOT will also own and maintain the locomotives and coaches.
What is happening right now? MnDOT is currently conducting preliminary engineer-ing and preparing the Tier 2 project level environmental review. This phase of the NLX Project is anticipated to be completed by early 2017.
What happens after preliminary engineering and environmental review is complete? Upon completion of preliminary engineering and the Tier 2 environmental review, the project will be eligible to ap-ply for federal funding by the beginning of 2017 to enter into final design and construction.
When would construction of NLX begin?The initiation of final design and construction depends upon the availability of funding.
When will NLX service begin?If funding is available when needed, service could begin as early as 2020.
Page | 3
HINCKLEY LOOP FEASIBILITY STUDY
What is the status of the NLX Hinckley Loop Feasibility Study?The feasibility study completed for the NLX Project in 2007 suggested that providing a direct connection to the Grand Casino Hinckley could increase overall NLX ridership and revenues. The Hinckley Loop was a proposed route studied by MnDOT and examined whether relocating a planned station from downtown Hinckley to the Grand Casino Hinckley, two miles east, would add substantial rides and revenue to the overall system.
The study was completed in early 2016 and, despite the projected increase in rides and revenue, the study recom-mended that the Hinckley Loop Option be deferred due to the 15% increase to the overall project costs that it would add and reduction of the benefit-cost ratio. MnDOT has recommended that the NLX project move forward with the Hinckley station located in downtown Hinckley.
STAKEHOLDER/PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT
Who are NLX Project stakeholders? NLX Project stakeholders are interested in the outcomes of the project. Stakeholders may include: residents, business owners, property owners, future riders, elected officials, members of organizations with an interest in the project, and local, state and federal agencies.
How will people know that their concerns are being heard?Project staff will track changes made to the project’s de-sign and budget due to stakeholder input on the project. This information will be shared on the project website as the NLX Project and NLX Hinckley Loop Study proceed.
Will future meetings for the NLX Project or Hinckley Loop Study offer time for staff and project sponsors to dialogue with stakeholders, property owners, and other people interested in the project?Yes. Project staff will use a number of formats for public meetings to facilitate a range of activities and conversa-tions. Regardless of format, staff will always be available to answer questions and discuss the project with attendees.
How do we learn about the project and future meet-ings or provide feedback?Please sign up for project email updates including upcom-ing meetings under “connect with us” on the NLX website at www.mndot.gov/nlx. You can also email the project at [email protected], or visit the project website for more information. Feedback on the project can be submitted via email, on the website or by phone: 651-366-3194.
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RAILROAD GRADE CROSSINGS
What are rail grade crossings?Rail grade crossings are locations where a roadway cross-es railroad tracks at the same level rather than crossing above or below the tracks. A rail grade crossing can either be on public or private land. Public crossings are roadways under the jurisdiction of a public agency, such as a state, county or city highway/public works department. Private crossings are where the roadway is privately owned;for example, a residential driveway, an access road to an industrial plant or a roadway on farmland.
How many rail grade crossings are in the NLX corridor?In the NLX corridor, there are 125 public and 44 private rail grade crossings.
Will the NLX Project impact rail grade crossings?The rail grade crossings in the existing BNSF corridor were originally designed for freight trains traveling at relatively slow speeds. For passenger trains traveling at speeds up to 90 MPH, like NLX, crossing warning devices, and possi-bly the roadway, will need to be upgraded to maintain rail, roadway, and pedestrian safety.
How can rail grade crossings be improved?Grade crossing improvements depend on the characteris-tics of the crossing. The most effective grade crossing im-provement is to provide grade separation, but this is only practical where traffic volume is high. MnDOT will also study where a crossing can be closed, but this will only occur where other reasonable routes to cross the tracks are available and access to property can be maintained in some other way.Other grade crossing improvements include installing warning devices. The NLX Project is considering active warning devices: automatic gate systems, flashing-light signals and advanced warning flashers. These active warn-ing devices along with passive devices, such as signs and pavement markings, help communicate to drivers and pe-destrians on how they should react at a grade crossing.Specific types of grade crossing systems include dual gates with flashers either with or without a non-mount-able median and a four-quadrant gates system with gates on both the right and left sides of the road to block the entire roadway. Medians are effective in discouragingmotorists from driving around dropped gates.Dual gates with flashers is the minimum investment being recommended for NLX project crossings. Grade crossing warning devices will be recommended during the Tier 2 Project Level environmental review phase of the project, which will conclude in spring 2017.
Additional Questions or Comments?
www.mndot.gov/nlx [email protected]
Francis LoetterleNLX Project Manager
RAIL CROSSING TREATMENTS
FLASHING LIGHTS & GATES Flashing-light signals with audible device
Post mounted or cantilevered over roadway For roadways:
Automatic gate arm for each direction of travel, extending to roadway centerline
For pedestrians: Automatic gate arm on each end of the
pedestrian crossing, extending across the width of the sidewalk or path
Crossbuck sign (Railroad Crossing sign)
POST & CANTILEVER MOUNTED
PEDESTRIAN VERSION
POSTMOUNTED
Roadway
RAIL CROSSING TREATMENTS
TWO GATES Flashing-light signals Automatic gate arm for each
direction of travel Crossbuck sign
(Railroad Crossing sign)
RAIL CROSSING TREATMENTS
TWO GATES WITH MEDIAN Flashing-light signals Automatic gate arm for each
direction of travel Crossbuck sign
(Railroad Crossing sign) Four-foot-wide raised concrete
median
60-100 ft
RAIL CROSSING TREATMENTS
FOUR GATES Flashing-light signals Four automatic gate arms - two for
each direction; one gate before the tracks, and the other after the tracks
Crossbuck sign (Railroad Crossing sign)
LAKE SUPERIOR
ST. LOUIS
C ARLTON
PINE
DOUGLAS
K ANABEC
ISANTI
ANOK A
HENNEPIN
WI S
CO
NSIN
MIN
NESOTA
35
35
65
Duluth
Superior
Hinckley
Cambridge
Coon Rapids-Foley
Minneapolis
Building a Stronger Economy and Intercity
Connections with High-Speed Rail
The NLX Project is a proposed high-speed intercity passenger rail project that would provide service between Minneapolis and Duluth and is being
managed by the Minnesota Department of Transportation in consultation with the Federal Railroad Administration and with cooperation from the
Minneapolis-Duluth/Superior Passenger Rail Alliance, Wisconsin Department of Transportation and local communities.
The purpose of the NLX is to provide an alternative travel option between Minneapolis and Duluth that is safe,
reliable, and frequent.
NEXT STEPS MnDOT is currently conducting preliminary engineering and completing the Tier 2 project level environmental review. MnDOT is coordinating with Federal Railroad Administration and BNSF Railway to evaluate the bene�t-cost analysis; to be completed in early 2017. MnDOT is preparing a Financial Plan that outlines the federal and state funding required to advance the project and funding of the operating subsidy. Depending on funding, service could begin as early as 2020.
NLX FAST FACTS Will operate between Target Field Station in Minneapolis and the Depot in Duluth Includes stations in Coon Rapids, Cambridge, Hinckley, and Superior Will provide connections to the Twin Cities regional transit system, intercity rail service and other intermodal opportunities. Uses 152 miles of existing BNSF Railway track Provides capital investment in rail infrastructure to improve passenger and freight rail safety Will use modern train equipment to provide four round trips per day operating at speeds up to 90 mph Travel time between the Twin Cities and Twin Ports will be about 2½ hours
FOR MORE INFORMATION
www.mndot.org/nlx
651-366-3194
NLX Northern Lights Express
Safe, reliable,
and frequent
Service could begin as early as
2020
NLX will provide safe, reliable, and frequent service to events and destinations, such as professional sporting events in
the Twin Cities and Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth.
October 2016
SCHEDULE TIMELINE
ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS Improved air quality and reduced fuel consumption Reduced environmental impacts on sensitive habitats and water resources
QUALITY OF LIFE BENEFITS Positive impact on quality of life: improving transportation choices, bringing jobs, fostering new growth, adding money to the local economy, and improving the local tax base.
NLX will result in environmental sustainability bene�ts. Emissions savings and CO2 reductions are in the range of
$47 million resulting in an overall positive impact on the quality of life in the communities it serves.
FREIGHT BENEFITS Upgraded crossings Decreased emissions More e�cient business Bene�ts to shippers Reduced blocked crossing incidents Improved speed, reliability,and safety of freight movements Bene�ts related to freight operations throughout the state
Additional rail capacity will improve freight movement and increast business e�ciency.
GRADE CROSSING IMPROVEMENT BENEFITS Safety bene�ts for auto and freight users Upgraded crossings
Grade crossing improvements reduce crashes for both trains and autos.
FISCAL GROWTH Increased income, retail sales, and property tax base Additional tax revenue in the range of $355 million, over a 40-year period Increase state and local tax revenue about $16 million in the �rst year of operation
Based on a preliminary return on investment analysis, there will be a positive return on investment.
TOURISM INCREASEFoster tourism activity and special event attendance: Vacations in Duluth and Superior area Activities and events in Hinckley area and at the Grand Casino Sports and entertainment at Target Field and in the Twin Cities
NLX will result in tourism revenues of in $378 million, which will support 10,600 total job years and
wages of about $233 million over a 40-year period.
JOB GROWTH Estimated increase of 3,100 jobs annually during construction Average of 380 jobs annually during the �rst 5 years of operation Support and encourage existing and new businesses along the corridor Reliable and cost-e�ective way for employees to get to and from work
NLX will broaden the labor market and connect workers to a wider network of employers.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Economic growth around each of the stations: Target Field in Minneapolis, the Depot in Duluth, and at stations in Coon Rapids, Cambridge, Hinckley, and Superior Increased property values, increased investments, and station-related development
NLX is expected to generate in the range of $136 million in increased property values.
STRONGER ECONOMY
INTERCITY CONNECTIONS
RETURN ON INVESTMENT
QUALITY OF LIFE
More e�cient business$136 million
in increasedproperty
values
Positive impact on
quality of life
Positive return on
investment
3,000+ jobs created
