In late September, MRCOG will submit a request to the Federal Transit Administration to enter into Project Development, which will allow us to further flesh out details such as who owns and operates the system, how it is financed, and the roles of each stakeholder group (UNM, CNM, etc.). Project Development will also allow us to create more detailed ridership and cost estimates and begin some of the engineering work. After that, the project can compete for federal funding to build the system. If funding is granted, the project could open to riders as early as fall 2017.