Northstar Commuter Rail service officially begins Monday

More than a decade in the planning, the Northstar Commuter Rail is officially scheduled to reach its destination Monday morning.

Planning for the 317 million dollar project started in the early 90s, according to lawmakers on the county, state and federal levels.

"We needed a connection all the way to St. Cloud, that was my original plan in 1991," said U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar on Friday night.

Oberstar was one of dozens of lawmakers who gathered to celebrate the project's completion. Other lawmakers in attendance included Minnesota's two Democratic senators, Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken, and several state and county lawmakers -- including Anoka County Commissioner Dan Erhart and Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin, who helped lead the project. Hundreds of project supporters also hopped on board the train's "inaugural ride" on Friday night.

Lawmakers admit the project suffered several setbacks and took longer to complete than expected. Still, they say, this project will be completed both underbudget and ahead of the official schedule.

Beyond that, leaders welcome the chance for another option in the state's transportation system.

"This is the fastest growth population corridor between Chicago and Denver. It needs this investment, you can't accommodate more passenger car traffic in this corridor," Oberstar said.

"Commuters will really have an option now to ride on a line with no congestion, do e-mails on their way in to work. This is one of the most congested corridors we have, so that's going to be a big plus," said Peter Bell, Chair of the Metropolitan Council.

Bell said the project also leads the way for other projects, including the Central Corridor line, that is expected to connect Minneapolis and St. Paul by 2014.

On Saturday, commuters can get an early preview of the service during grand opening events at each Northstar Station. On Monday morning, the service officially begins at all stations from Big Lake to Minneapolis. The stops in between include: Elk River, Anoka, Coon Rapids and Fridley. Tickets range in cost from $3.25 to $7, one-way.

For more information on the Northstar Commuter Rail, go to: http://www.metrotransit.org/northstar/

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