$196.5M Finalized for Michigan High-Speed Rail Funding
Funds released Wednesday to the Michigan Department of Transportation are moving construction forward for the Dearborn-Chicago high-speed rail route.
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The U.S. Department of Transportation announced Wednesday that U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has awarded a $196.5 million grant to the Michigan Department of Transportation for track and signal improvements between Dearborn and Kalamazoo.
These improvements will allow for speeds up to 110 mph on 77 percent of Amtrak’s Wolverine and Blue Water services between metro Detroit and Chicago, resulting in a 30-minute reduction in travel time between those destinations.
“This is an important investment that will reduce travel time, improve reliability and on-time performance, and attract more passengers,” said Secretary LaHood in a statement. “We are creating jobs in Michigan, building our rails with American-made materials and growing the regional economy.”
Michigan Sens. Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow celebrated the approval–and the jobs and opportunities it will create for southeast Michigan.
"Construction of new high-speed lines will create jobs and generate more business activity in Michigan," Sen. Stabenow said in a statement. "This effort will not only boost our economy, it will provide residents with more transportation options."
"This funding will help move Michigan and the nation forward by making high-speed rail a part of our economic infrastructure," added Sen. Levin. "Our economic competitors around the world have long enjoyed the benefits of high-speed rail service between their cities. They have demonstrated that high-speed service can create jobs and promote economic growth, and that it can provide a more energy-efficient alternative."
In addition, MDOT is designated to receive $150 million DOT grant later this year to purchase this 135 mile segment of track, when grant conditions are met. This will allow for the implementation of 110 mph service along the corridor that will bring improved passenger service, ensure capacity for freight operations through double tracking on the busiest freight segment and deliver long-term economic benefits to the State of Michigan.
Rose Bogaert
12:25 pm on Thursday, October 6, 2011
Just one more boondoggle for taxpayers to subsidize. Just how many people do they think will ride this thing.
David Gifford
5:10 pm on Thursday, October 6, 2011
Amtrak is reporting record numbers of riders this year and with the cost of flying going up, more people will be likely to take the train. I think this is a good improvement but I don't think our trains should be owned by the government. I think it is time they put it back in to private hands. I would take it but I don't want to drive to Dearborn to get on. I would rather drive to Pontiac, but I don't want to leave my car in Pontiac so it sounds like there isn't much of a choice.
David Gifford
5:20 pm on Thursday, October 6, 2011
Personally I wish they would make the line between Ann Arbor and Pontiac into an electric commuter train that runs a dozen times daily. Not only would that feed the new train station they are building in Ann Arbor, it would be a huge step in getting Metro Detroit on rails. Not to mention it could help decongest some of our highways and roads!
Frank Lee
9:53 pm on Thursday, October 6, 2011
The government should quit subsidizing roads and airports and then see how many people use high speed rail. Automobile transport is the least efficient, most expensive and the highest publicly subsidized method of public transport there is. Where there is reliable efficient rail it is used, ever heard of Chicago or New York.
Jessica Carreras
4:33 pm on Friday, October 7, 2011
Interesting comments about getting more people to use railways to get around. Do you think it would require a marketing campaign to get people to see the benefits? I feel like many might be reluctant to use trains because so much in current times, it's a foreign concept!
What do you think?
David Gifford
11:42 am on Monday, October 10, 2011
It will take more than a marketing campaign to get people to see the benifits of rail. The overall cost of driving and flying (fuel, parking) has to reach a price point that they are unwilling to pay. The current rail system needs a serious update as well. You can't take a train to the east coast without taking it to Chicago from Detroit first. That will come with more riders and more revenue.
Rose Bogaert
6:39 pm on Friday, October 7, 2011
It would require more than a media campaign. It would require a miracle.
Frank Lee
9:36 pm on Sunday, October 9, 2011
How is commuting by train a foreign concept? It is used every day in the US by millions of people in New York Chicago and the bay area. Commuter rail works extremely well in densely populated areas, thousands of people commute between Chicago and Detroit every day completing the trip by rail is a no brainer but this proposal is not high speed rail.
bitsy08
9:07 am on Friday, September 7, 2012
Have wanted to travel by rail for a long time and finally took the train to Ann Arbor. One thing I did notice was that the cars needed some serious updating and cleaning. If you're going to look out the window, wash it. Also, when comparing flying to riding the train, the prices weren't that cheap by train and the time invested(for a serious train trip) makes it a non-contender. I would really like to take the train but the other factors weigh against it.