Derail Detroit Rail, Opinion Options

[KevinKorell]

Opinion in Detroit, MI News, 6/4/12:

Business supporters of the Detroit M-1 rail project are relentless in their pursuit of more federal dollars from the U.S. Transportation Department for a ground-level train traveling up Woodward Avenue to Midtown. But for a city with Detroit's problems, proceeding with such a plan smacks of the grandiose.

No matter how the numbers are cooked, this "dream" train would be a nightmarish investment of taxpayer dollars.

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[amtrakwolverine]

if it only runs 3 miles then yeah it is a waste. Expand the people mover instead.

[KevinKorell]

if it only runs 3 miles then yeah it is a waste. Expand the people mover instead.

Not sure, since the People Mover could be doomed. Downtown Detroit was depressed long before the current recession, and the ride basically encircles nothing. True there are casinos, hotels, some office space in the Renaissance Center, but I don't know if the People Mover has enough potential ridership to continue drawing passengers, even if it's extended up Michigan Avenue. And for 3 miles it may be the wrong technology. Certainly if cooler heads prevail and plans are dusted off to run rail transit further up Woodward Avenue, now you've got a People Mover rather than light rail, the latter of which is more easily extended.

Here is our thread about the People Mover.

[AlanB]

The big problem with the People Mover is that it was built to circulate people around downtown who were to arrive via light rail. Light rail that never got built. Everyone loves to declare the People Mover as a failure of transit, since it has little ridership, but everyone forgets why it has no ridership. Namely the fact that they never built the rail lines to feed it.

[KevinKorell]

Amtrak's move from the old MC Depot to its current New Center location didn't help either. It's now in a marginally safer neighborhood, but safe and efficient transit between there and downtown locations is missing. And I remember back in the 1980's when predecessor transit agency SEMTA ran commuter trains on the GTW tracks (now owned by one of the Canadian RR's) between Pontiac, Birmingham, Royal Oak, and the Detroit end of the line was right next to the entrance to the Rensaissance Center.... which in turn has access to the People Mover.

[amtrakwolverine]

If they could extend the people mover to the current detroit amtrak station like there have been talks it could help. Also if the semcog commuter rail ever gets off the ground. testing right now.