If there was a lightrail to St. Cloud or if one gets built... (Minneapolis: insurance, how much)

[Radical_Car]

... how much do you think it would cost to go from St. Cloud down to Minneapolis?

[marmac]

I believe your terminology is wrong.

--light rail--is the Hiawatha line.

--light rail--will never extend to St Cloud.

The Northstar currently runs from the metro to Big Lake, and that might be extended to St Cloud.
That runs on ordinary RR tracks and is not considered --light rail--

[Kid Cann]

Currently the NorthStar Commuter Rail line runs from Big Lake Minnesota to Minneapolis in just about an hour's time. There have been strong advocates for the expansion of the line to St. Cloud and possibly even to Rice.

When it comes to LTR or Commuter rail, heck even Bus Transit, it's all about Ridership. Just like every business runs. You need to have customers cover YOUR cost to make operation feasible. There is no way it will be built even if the numbers equal up to breaking point of where COST TO OPERATE = RIDERSHIP REVENUE... It must significantly be COST TO OPERATE <<<<< RIDERSHIP REVENUE.. OF course this is not taking into effect Federal subsidies, and other government incentives as well as 'Low cost operations and maintenance' associated with rail lines.

However, those ridership costs (the exact cost you are curious about right now) needs to be low enough to the rider to entice them to ride transit, however it must not be too low were you don't break even with Ridership revenue. What is even harder is that prices must be kept low enough to obtain and sustain new riders. Understanding the cost benefit factor for each individual is hard, but that's what studies are for. Looking at property values, average expense of autos and maintenance...etc... So, for example, for a somebody living in Becker, Minnesota who commutes to Medtronic each day in Fridley. They own a Toyota outright, but pay roughly $100 a week in gasoline driving to Fridley and back. of course keeping insurance on the car is a must, so you don't save much that way...So, spending $400/mo on gasoline, or spend $100 for a monthly round trip pass (idk how it works, just guessing).... The trade off of having the freedom of your own vehicle and privacy, etc to being enviro friendly, using mass transit and a safer ride to work is $300. Is that $300/mo worth it to the Toyota owner? Maybe, maybe not. Commuter and Light Rail lines need to find out these trade-offs and do cost-benefit analysis to determine these among residents.

What's your breaking point? How much would you spend per week to use light rail or commuter to work? How high would you go before saying "No, no, no that's too much, for that price I'll just drive myself!"

Thinking back when I lived in Maple Grove. Lets say there was a line going to DT MPLS (I know of the bus, I'm talking LTR or Hard Rail). To drive to DT MPLS, park and get to work is about a 40 min ordeal, but only really cost me about $75 ($300/mo) a week in gas and parking. Compare that to the $40 a week ($120/mo), that $180 I save isnt worth not having my car, having to deal with restrictions of transit, and losing my privacy, I'll glady pay an extra $180 for that....

Then again, there are users who would use the lines just once and while or for special occasions and that makes the equation really difficult to predict and plan.

I think looking at Prices from Big Lake to MPLS and back would be a great indication of what it might cost from St. Cloud to MPLS. I wouldn't imagine it would be very expensive.

[marmac]

By the way--------if that guy is driving from Becker to Fridley and using $100 gas a week, he sure as heck isn't driving a Toyota Corrolla !

$100 will buy around 37 gallons of gas and 35 mpg would get him about 1300 miles.

That comes out to a comute of 260 miles roundtrip a day.

Sure as heck Becker to Fridley is not 130 miles.

Heck, I've made the trip from my farm in central Minnesota (35 miles NW of St Cloud) to the parking ramp at Uof M and it's only 103 miles.

[gearedtowardssalad]

Light rail is only for urban settings, mainly because it's relatively slow and runs on electricity. A light rail line that long would be unrealistically expensive, like we're talking astronomical figures. Heavy rail would be a realistic idea.

[future_minneapolitan]

Originally Posted by marmac

By the way--------if that guy is driving from Becker to Fridley and using $100 gas a week, he sure as heck isn't driving a Toyota Corrolla !

$100 will buy around 37 gallons of gas and 35 mpg would get him about 1300 miles.

That comes out to a comute of 260 miles roundtrip a day.

Sure as heck Becker to Fridley is not 130 miles.

Heck, I've made the trip from my farm in central Minnesota (35 miles NW of St Cloud) to the parking ramp at Uof M and it's only 103 miles.

Do people in Minnesota really use the word "heck" this much? It would frighten me if they did...

[DaPerpKazoo]

Uh, no.

[marmac]

Originally Posted by future_minneapolitan

Do people in Minnesota really use the word "heck" this much? It would frighten me if they did...

Is that all you find wrong with my post ?

[gearedtowardssalad]

Originally Posted by future_minneapolitan

Do people in Minnesota really use the word "heck" this much? It would frighten me if they did...

Do people from wherever you're from really make generalizations about a state based on a post on an online forum?

[Radical_Car]

Originally Posted by marmac

I believe your terminology is wrong.

--light rail--is the Hiawatha line.

--light rail--will never extend to St Cloud.

The Northstar currently runs from the metro to Big Lake, and that might be extended to St Cloud.
That runs on ordinary RR tracks and is not considered --light rail--

Woops!

I meant the run that runs to Big Lake, lol.

If it ever does happen ill probably be graduated and moved out in college in the twin cities or something.