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Michigan’s Budding Romance With Modern Passenger Rail


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#1 CNJRoss

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Posted 10 May 2015 - 06:14 AM

RustWire.com, 5/9:

 
Michigan’s Budding Romance With Modern Passenger Rail
 

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If you have ever ridden an intercity passenger train or a local streetcar, a commuter train, light rail system, or even a subway, you may have noticed the intoxicating feeling generated from riding the rails – the simple pleasure of watching the world pass by as you roll across or under the landscape. Perhaps this feeling is strongest when traveling on an intercity passenger train, but it is there nevertheless. Recently, my wife and I rode the rails across Canada, from Windsor to Toronto to Winnipeg to Edmonton to Vancouver. The glory days of railroading may not be as they once were, but it is clear that all forms of rail travel are a vital cog in any successful multi-modal transportation network. It also had an unexpected effect, in that rail travel invites human interaction unlike any other form of transportation.

 

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That does not mean passenger rail transportation is not playing a role here. All three AMTRAK routes in our state (Bluewater, Pere Marquette, and Wolverine) have strong and supportive ridership; we are thankfully participating in high-speed improvements to the Chicago-Detroit corridor; the M-1 Light Rail project is under construction along Woodward Avenue in Detroit; and the People Mover system continues to ply its elevated route around downtown Detroit. Other passenger rail routes being discussed include intercity services linking Detroit, Lansing, and Grand Rapids; extending service to Traverse City, commuter service between Ann Arbor, Detroit Metro Airport, and downtown Detroit; and commuter rail service between Ann Arbor and Howell. But, to really make a difference, Michigan needs to stop talking and start acting, by applying additional planning efforts and funding sources towards all modes of passenger rail transportation.  .  .  .

 

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#2 CNJRoss

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Posted 30 May 2015 - 05:01 PM

Great Lakes Echo, 5/26/15:

 
Transportation experts eye four major proposed Michigan rail routes

Michigan’s transportation organizations are studying planes, trains and automobiles.

 

More options for public transit could play a huge role in the state’s competitiveness in attracting and retaining people young and old, Michigan transportation experts say. They’ve recently launched four studies to assess the feasibility of new Michigan rail routes.

 

The studies will assess traffic flows, taking into consideration automobile, bus and air traffic, said Elizabeth Treutel, a Michigan Environmental Council policy associate.

 

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#3 CNJRoss

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Posted 01 August 2015 - 10:23 PM

Battle Creek (MI) Enquirer, 7/29:

 

Track fixes to allow 110-mph Amtrak travel through B.C.

 

Amtrak trains that travel through Battle Creek will hit speeds of 110 mph within three years, Michigan Department of Transportation Office of Rail Director Tim Hoeffner said.

 

“Whether it be roads or airports or railroads, transit systems are expensive infrastructures,” Hoeffner said in a phone interview Tuesday. “These are some complicated systems. Really, what we’re doing is upgrading the existing route.”

 

MDOT has long sought to cut the trip on Amtrak’s Chicago-to-Detroit line to four hours from five-and-a-half. In recent years, the project has moved forward, with construction across the state to upgrade the rails for accelerated speeds.

 

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