Proposed Central Corridor LRT line passes key test

Scores well on federal cost-effectiveness index

ST. PAUL (March 21, 2006) – Regional officials said today that a proposed light rail transit line in the Central Corridor has achieved a favorable cost-effectiveness index (CEI), improving its chances to win final state and federal approvals.

Officials of the Metropolitan Council, and the Ramsey and Hennepin Regional Rail Authorities said the proposed LRT alternative has CEI score in the range of $24 to $25 per hour. This index compares the annualized costs for construction and operation of the proposed line with the estimated hours of commuting time saved each year by its users.

The Federal Transit Administration requires a CEI score of under $28 per hour before a project can enter preliminary engineering and $22 per hour before it can receive funding for construction. Further discussion and modifications to the CEI are expected as the project moves forward.

“The cost-effectiveness score for the Central Corridor is amazingly good news,” said Rafael Ortega, chair of the Ramsey County Regional Rail Authority. “Officials working on proposed rail projects in many other parts of the country would love to have a score so strong at this stage in the planning process.”

The 11-mile, $840 million LRT line on University Avenue would link four major centers of activity and generators of trips in the region – downtown Minneapolis, the University of Minnesota, the Midway area and downtown St. Paul. All told, the corridor serves almost 280,000 jobs, a number that is expected to grow to 345,000 jobs by 2030.

The Met Council estimates that the proposed line would achieve 43,000 riders per day by the year 2030.

Peter McLaughlin, chair of the Hennepin County Regional Rail Authority, said the favorable CEI score “represents another major step forward. It will allow us to seek public comment on our draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and complete the selection of a locally preferred alternative for the corridor – light rail or bus rapid transit.”

The FTA is expected to approve the draft EIS shortly, after which it will be released for public review and comment. Regional officials say they plan to hold three public hearings on it within the corridor.

Peter Bell, chair of the Metropolitan Council, said improved transit in the Central Corridor is “an essential element of the Council’s plan to grow transit ridership, slow the growth in traffic congestion and improve mobility. It would allow us to build on the success of the Hiawatha LRT line and the public excitement it has generated.”

In its first full year of operation, the Hiawatha line recorded 7.8 million rides, exceeding pre-construction estimates by 58 percent.

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