By Steve Morris

Elected city and county officials, and others, filled the White Bear Lake City Hall March 14 to discuss a variety of issues dealing with an 80-mile commuter rail line connecting Hinckley to downtown St. Paul.

Referred to as the Rush Line Corridor, the commuter rail line would somewhere adjacent to or along U.S. Highway 61 or I-35. To help make commuter rail a reality and to identify short- and long-term transit improvements, a task force was formed. The Rush Line Task force meets quarterly and works in partnership with federal and state bodies in addition to communities along the corridor.

When the idea was first conceived 20 years ago, the commuter line was to stop in Rush City. However, the line has since been expanded to incorporate Hinckley because of the increase in the number of commuters. The corridor encompasses four counties, 15 cities and a number of townships. In having each city, county and township involved with Rush Line from the beginning, task force chairman and Ramsey County Commissioner Victoria Reinhardt said they were "forward thinking."

Currently, the Rush Line Task Force is in the process of hiring a consultant to complete an alternative analysis study on transit in the corridor. The alternative analysis study will take 12 to 18 months and will look at the different forms of transit available to people along the corridor. Reinhardt said the alternative analysis study needs to be completed in order to obtain federal funds.

In addition to the alternative analysis study, the task force is also working on a bus feasibility study.

Congestion on freeways and interstates is not a problem unique to the people along the Rush Line Corridor. Communities and counties across the state are grappling with issues of mass transit. North Branch City Engineer Julie Dresel, along with others who have a stake in commuter rail, is keeping close tabs on success of the North Star commuter rail project in the western metro area. The North Star commuter rail project aims to connect Big Lake to downtown Minneapolis, with a potential future route to St. Cloud. In 2006, the Minnesota Legislature passed $60 million in bonding for the project. Construction for North Star has begun and its Web site says it may be fully operational in 2009 pending approval of federal matching funds. The total construction cost of the North Star commuter rail is expected to be $307 million, with local governments along the line contributing 17 percent of the cost.

In 2000, the Rush Line Corridor commuter rail was estimated to cost $376 million; adjusted to today's dollars, the number has grown to around $440 million. Obtaining funding is just one of the hurdles for the Rush Line Task Force. Some members of the task force pointed out, at its recent meeting, they are one of many groups who are petitioning at the state capitol for funding.

"The savings to do any projects this year would be tremendous," said a Maplewood city council member.

Support for commuter rail along the Rush Line Corridor seems to be picking up speed. Reinhardt said she hears people want options when it comes to their transportation.

"The capitol has been supportive in the past and we have strong support from local representatives," Dresel said.

She said the city of North Branch supports the Rush Line Corridor. Dresel has been attending the Rush Line Task Force meetings for more than five years with at least one other member from the North Branch City Council. At the March 14 meeting, North Branch council member Thersea Furman was on hand.

In Dresel's opinion, it's a matter of when, not if, for the commuter rail along the Rush Line Corridor.

"I haven't heard anyone speak out against it on the council," she said.

Eric Hanson, a real state agent at Edina Reality in North Branch, said he would like to see commuter rail in the area. From a real estate perspective, he said commuter rail would help stabilize current home values and help negate the effect gas prices are having on the community. Housing prices in North Branch, Hanson said, have been hit particularly hard in recent years because of the increase in gas prices. "I think commuter rail would be a positive addition to the community," Hanson said. "I think it would be heavily used."

It is still too early in the process to tell where the commuter rail would stop, but Dresel and many elected officials hope it stops in their city. She said North Branch is currently evaluating different areas where possible park and rides could be built.

The commuter rail does have the support of local representatives. Two big supporters include State Rep. Jeremy Kalin and U.S Rep. Jim Oberstar. Kalin said the Rush Line is a good thing and it would improve the quality of life for people along the corridor by providing them more time with their families and saving money. "It would provide more choices to people in the community," he said.

Kalin said 70 percent of the workers in Chisago County commute to the Twin Cities. From North Branch, the closest connection to a form of mass transit is 30 miles away in Blaine.

The freshman representative sees commuter busses as the first step toward achieving the ultimate goal - commuter rail. Kalin is the chief author of a bill that would appropriate $1 million for the Rush Line Corridor. If passed, the money would be used toward implementing a commuter bus system along I-35. The proposed commuter bus line would use the freeway shoulder and users would be charged a fee to ride the bus, Kalin said. Kalin is not sure what kind of busses would be used.

"Rail might be a decade away but busses may be three to four years away, or sooner," he said.

Everyone may not be quick to support commuter rail, particularly those who have homes along its proposed route. In its preliminary design, the commuter rail could run alongside three different multi-use trails. One of which is the Sunrise Praire Trail, a 24-mile multi-use trail that runs from North Branch to Hugo. According to Dresel, the commuter rail and the trail can co-exist. She pointed to other cities where such a relationship exists.

When the dust settles, the objective of the Rush Line Task Force remains the same, to get people to and from work and to reduce slow-downs on major arteries. Dresel stressed action must be taken.

"It really needs to be taken seriously by the locals," she said.

Comment from Art Coulson, 3/22/07

A correction: Victoria Reinhardt, chairman of the Rush Line Corridor Task Force, is a Ramsey County Commissioner.