Mall site ranked top for NLX station

City prioritizes four sites, has yet to rule any out

The Cambridge City Center is the best spot for a passenger rail depot in Cambridge, according to an independent consulting firm.

After evaluating four sites, Hay Dobbs concluded that the mall site has the necessary infrastructure already in place. The former Ritchart Ford dealership location was ranked second.

Tom Dobbs of Hay Dobbs presented results from the study to the Passenger Depot Location Task Force on Tuesday, March 9, 2010. He stressed that this was not a final decision. “There is a whole body of engineering and planning work that needs to be done moving on from here,” Dobbs stated.

“We’re not eliminating any site. What we’re doing is prioritizing them,” said Cambridge City Development Director Dave Carlberg. He added that as they move forward, planners will evaluate the top two sites.

ABOUT THE STUDY

The study completed by Hay Dobbs was narrow in focus. There were six areas it evaluated: the site area, infrastructure, physical elements, ownership/use/control, financial and local government/community controls. Dobbs explained that the first three areas are relatively objective. Consultants considered whether the sites were contiguous pieces of land, could physically support a platform, had the option of expansion, were linked to roads, trails and sidewalks, were served by city sewer and water, and were on flat parcels.

The second set of criteria was more subjective. Sites were ranked according to how well they fit in with the city’s comprehensive plan, the cost of acquisition, demolition and remediation, and local preferences.

Four sites were considered: the Cambridge City Center, First Baptist Church, Affordable Properties and the former Ritchart Ford dealership. Sites received a rank from one to five on the various criteria, and those ranks were then weighed according to an pre-established set of values. The Baptist Church location and Affordable Properties were ranked close together, at 15.4 and 15.7 points respectively. The former Ford dealership earned 17.6 points, and the city mall 20.15 points.

Dobbs explained that they were primarily considering whether the locations could handle a 600-foot-long, 20-foot-deep platform, ticketing office and 100-car parking lot.

CONCERNS

Local business owner George Johnson questioned whether congestion at Highway 95 and the train tracks was factored into this study. “I feel that it’s a very important factor,” Johnson said. “It’s critical to the community.

Dobbs responded that it was not considered, but will be in a later engineering study. “There will be no funding until it’s looked at,” he said.

He added that a more in-depth study can’t be completed until work has been done to evaluate how many trains per day there will be, what times they will run, and what the size of the trains will be.

Carlberg responded that contrary to the perception out there in the community, these passenger rail trains will not sit on the tracks and block Highway 95 as freight trains do now. Whether the trains are at full speed or still speeding up after leaving the mall, the amount of time the highway will be blocked will be 15 to 30 seconds, added task force chair Bob Guetschoff.

Carlberg said that this initial study did not factor in whether the station would be on the east or west side of the tracks. This decision will be based on the type of platform used, which has not yet been fixed.

Johnson also asked whether the study factored in the requirements of a commuter rail station in addition to the passenger rail station. Dobbs stated that the space needed for either passenger or commuter trains was essentially the same.

WHAT’S NEXT?

The next step in the process is to complete the 18-month preliminary environmental impact statement (EIS). During this stage, potential parcels of land between Duluth to Minneapolis will be evaluated. Noise and vibration, as well as the larger impacts on property values, will be considered, according to Dobbs. A preferred route will be created, and a station design will be drawn up. This will be done by the end of 2010. Next, there will be the draft EIS and then the final EIS.

Dobb stressed that this entire process is a long one. The goal is to have the Northern Lights Express passenger rail line operating by 2012 or 2013.

Hay Dobbs was hired by the larger Passenger Rail Alliance to evaluate potential sites in Hinckley, Sandstone, and Cambridge, as well as at the Grand Casino in Hinckley.

SETBACKS

The Passenger Rail Alliance experienced two setbacks recently, reported Carlberg. On Feb. 12, the alliance met with Burlington Northern Sante Fe (BNSF) officials in Texas. The initial plan was to install a second set of tracks 14 feet from the freight line for a 100 mile-stretch of Northern Lights Express. However, because of the high speed of the trains, BNSF officials said the spacing needs to be 21 feet. BNSF is worried about the safety of its workers, according to Carlberg. “This takes a $600,000 million [project] up to $900,000 million to $1 billion,” said Carlberg, plus the cost of acquiring additional right-of-way.

The NLX board responded by deciding to remove much of the double tracking it had initially planned. This, however, will affect how fast the train can go in certain areas. This puts the ability of NLX to travel between Minneapolis and Duluth in two hours in jeopardy. A study has shown that riders will only take the train if the ride is faster than driving a car.

The second setback was the loss of a $114 million grant to pay for triple-tracking the line from Foley to Minneapolis. The money would also have been used to upgrade the Foley station.

Despite these setbacks, “the group is committed and looking at alternatives,” said Carlberg.