What approaches and activities have we undertaken to advance this project

Overview

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Starting Point (Vector)

1)   Related via video and in-person meetings with the management of companies that might benefit from using a reopened Great River Railroad to begin assessing future traffic volumes.

2)   Pinpointed the cost of rebuilding the GTR, applying a rail-industry knowledgeable approach to selecting and acquiring materials, contractors, engineering, and project management.

3)   Stimulated local, regional, and state-level support among elected leaders and professional staff.

4)   Built a contact database of 148 and counting relevant stakeholders whose input and support are desired to build a successful GTR rail operation.

5)   Designed a safe, efficient, and economical start-up rail operation based on the likely beginning volumes, sparse local population, and flat terrain.

6)   Created a realistic, user-friendly financial model of the GTR's construction, start-up, operation, maintenance costs, and potential revenues.

7)   Identified the questions that must be pursued to establish an investor-grade business and economic development plan that will fully inform a go-/no-go investment decision.

8)   Visited the U.S. National Archives in College Park, MD, and acquired copies of the 1916 GTR Railroad Valuation Maps that specify the boundaries of the GTR’s Right-of-Way. Fourteen valuation maps are in Exhibit C of this report.

9)    Conducted a thorough Google Maps search, identified all GTR public grade crossings, and cross-referenced them with the U.S. Department of Transportation Rail Crossing Inventory database. The detailed list is in Exhibit D of this report.