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Like the Twin Cities region, several metropolitan areas including Seattle, California, Texas and New England have invested in commuter rail as an integral part of their transportation system. Many commuter rail projects like Northstar are also moving forward in other states.
- Residents of Denver, CO ($4.7 billion), Phoenix, AZ ($8.5 billion) and Austin, TX ($60 million) overwhelmingly approved ballot initiatives in 2004 to fund new transportation investments that include commuter rail projects in their cities.
- The state of Georgia secured $106 million for a 90-mile commuter rail line from Atlanta to Macon, with
service from Atlanta to Griffin starting in fall 2008.
‚ Nashville, TN is moving forward on their first 32-mile long commuter rail line, connecting Nashville to
Lebanon.
- In several cities that already provide a commuter rail service, demand continues to grow.
- Ridership rates have steadily increased since the Seattle Sounder, a two-line commuter rail system that runs north and south of Seattle, began operation in 2000. The Sounder experienced a 16 percent increase in average weekday boardings from 2003 to 2004.
- Ridership numbers for Caltrain, a commuter rail service that runs from San Francisco to San Jose, experienced more than a 17 percent increase in ridership from February 2004 to February 2005
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