Believe it or not.... Ann Arbor / DTW / Downtown Detroit Rail still making progress

[corktownyuppie]

The sheer volume from DTW to Ann Arbor for students or DTW to Detroit for business travelers is huge. Throw in football Saturdays, where 100,000 people pile into Michigan Stadium and pay $20-$50 for a parking spot...I'm glad to see that this isn't dead.

http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/in...t_rails_d.html

[ASR89]

December update:
http://www.semcog.org/A2D2UpdateDecember2011.aspx

[Hermod]

Portable station lifts have been obtained for the five stations to be used by the Ann Arbor-Detroit commuter rail service. In addition, all cab cars and coaches will be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act [[ADA). The United States Access Board and an Ann Arbor ADA group have tested and provided feedback regarding the portable station lift and cars at this early point in their refurbishment.

If these are anything like the Rube Goldberg monstrosities AMTRAK uses here n Deerfield Beach, you add twenty to thirty minutes of station delay every time you have a wheelchair.

[Bham1982]

The sheer volume from DTW to Ann Arbor for students or DTW to Detroit for business travelers is huge. Throw in football Saturdays, where 100,000 people pile into Michigan Stadium and pay $20-$50 for a parking spot...I'm glad to see that this isn't dead.

http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/in...t_rails_d.html

I doubt college football would have any impact on rail ridership. If it would, you would see it in the existing Amtrak service.

Michigan Stadium is nowhere near the Ann Arbor Amtrak station, and Downtown Detroit/Dearborn are nowhere near the major concentrations of U-M alums.

Also, I have never paid anywhere near those rates to attend a Michigan game. $50 parking? You can park for $5 or $10 a few blocks away. And even $50 parking would be much cheaper than four or five round trip train tickets + shuttle bus.

And, of course, college football is all about tailgating. Even where there's good transit [[such as at Yale).

[DetroitPlanner]

Until a secure operating source is found, the Mitrain's Huron Express is planned to be used for events such as Football and Baseball games, parades, fireworks, Greefield Village special events. This has always been the plan. The issues of actually starting this service for the last year or so has been stuck squarely in federal beauracracy with the FRA who has drug its feet on environmental and testing.

This project has always been independant of the Woodward Light Rail. Its original purpose was two fold, as a train to the airport and one to connect WSU with U of M and eventually MSU.

Bham, the current Amrak service runds 3 trains per day. These times are not conducive for sporting events. The first train is far too early, the second arrives in A2 during the games, and the third won't leave until very late on Saturday. This train will augment the current Wolverine with additional trips that are not dependant upon the main Amtrak hub's timetable in Chicago.

[ghettopalmetto]

I doubt college football would have any impact on rail ridership. If it would, you would see it in the existing Amtrak service.

Michigan Stadium is nowhere near the Ann Arbor Amtrak station, and Downtown Detroit/Dearborn are nowhere near the major concentrations of U-M alums.

Also, I have never paid anywhere near those rates to attend a Michigan game. $50 parking? You can park for $5 or $10 a few blocks away. And even $50 parking would be much cheaper than four or five round trip train tickets + shuttle bus.

And, of course, college football is all about tailgating. Even where there's good transit [[such as at Yale).

So, just because this service may not be used so much on the several football Saturdays each fall, does that mean the entire project should be scrapped???

[corktownyuppie]

So, just because this service may not be used so much on the several football Saturdays each fall, does that mean the entire project should be scrapped???

Agreed. Driving into [[and out of) Ann Arbor on game day is a huuuuuuge pain in the ass. I'm not saying that 100,000 would ride the train. But it would not be a stretch to believe that 20,000 would park and ride. It's also not a stretch to say that another 20,000 would be coming from out of town via DTW.

And, seriously, since I've been a season ticket holder in 1996, I've never paid less than $20 to be within a 10-15 minute walk from the stadium, so I'm open to hearing about what I've been missing.

[Danny]

Wait until bureacracy blocks that Detroit to Ann Arbor transit line. It would scrapped in no time.

[lilpup]

The Amtrak runs into and out of Ann Arbor have good ridership, often selling out on the weekends. A2-DTW-Detroit runs could do pretty well. Even now there are dedicated flat rate bus and shuttle runs from A2 and DTW.

Ann Arbor's Amtrak station is two miles from the football stadium - easily walkable but taxis and buses are available. I'm sure if there's enough demand a game-day shuttle would get started. Game-day shuttles are already available from various points around town, particularly from the hotel clusters.

[Flintoid]

This would be huge. Allowing people in Ann Arbor to quickly get to Detroit and vise versa is very important. Also, connecting DTW to the city is incredibly important.

[casscorridor]

I don't understand why Snyder keeps talking about having buses to Ann Arbor. He seems to be talking out of his ass. Why can't he support EXISTING projects and services instead of trying to scrap everything and start over [[i.e. starting a third bus system rather than supporting the existing ones or working toward their cooperation)? A lot of thought has gone into these two projects [[commuter rail and light rail), and they will serve the region best, and can be expanded. Bus from Detroit to the Airport and then all the way to Ypsi and Ann Arbor is just not practical. Why not use the existing rail lines, and support and existing project to have service to/from Ann Arbor, the Airport and Detroit? Maybe its the Snyder is just plain stupid, or many hes is intentionally trying to destroy any hopes of quality transit for our region.

[lilpup]

AATA might not be self-supporting, but it runs on time and has decent service [[as does the University's bus system). Why the hell can't Wayne/Oakland get their shit together and run any systems competently?

[Novine]

"Snyder is just plain stupid, or many hes is intentionally trying to destroy any hopes of quality transit for our region."

I don't think Snyder is stupid or anti-transit. But who does he have in his administration that has the first clue about transit issues? Someone in MDOT? In the Governor's office? He probably thinks he's doing the right thing and doesn't realize the damage he's actually doing.

[lilpup]

Light rail would be the damaging path - another white elephant in the making - hideously expensive and not flexible

[casscorridor]

Light rail would be the damaging path - another white elephant in the making - hideously expensive and not flexible

you are clearly confused

the BRT will NEVER get off the ground, at least not that absurd M-59 route! and even if it does, the cost would be in the BILLIONS

LRT will create 3 billion in spin-off/transit-oriented development! for only 500 million in investment. YEAH, REAL EXPENSIVE

[DetroitPlanner]

I don't understand why Snyder keeps talking about having buses to Ann Arbor. He seems to be talking out of his ass. Why can't he support EXISTING projects and services instead of trying to scrap everything and start over [[i.e. starting a third bus system rather than supporting the existing ones or working toward their cooperation)? A lot of thought has gone into these two projects [[commuter rail and light rail), and they will serve the region best, and can be expanded. Bus from Detroit to the Airport and then all the way to Ypsi and Ann Arbor is just not practical. Why not use the existing rail lines, and support and existing project to have service to/from Ann Arbor, the Airport and Detroit? Maybe its the Snyder is just plain stupid, or many hes is intentionally trying to destroy any hopes of quality transit for our region.

Snyder never said anything about BRT in his infastructure speech. He does support improvements in the Detroit/Chicago corridor of which Ann Arbor is on. He wants to start an RTA, increase revenues, and improve rapid transit on several corridors. The Mitrain/Huron Express is in the Michigan Avenue corridor. Much money has already been spent on it. Muchof the work is done [[unlike Woodward). The only thing missing is operating funds. It seems to me that he wants that instead of buses.

[dtowncitylover]

So this seems like a good thread to revisit Ann Arbor-Detroit commuter rail. There's been a few updates since the last post. I think this is a more feasible project than light rail due to the fact more people would be able to use it. Below is the link and they still tell us they're finding events in which to run the trains, but that remains to be seen. It would be nice to expand one day to Pontiac or even Flint or Toledo or Port Huron.

http://www.semcog.org/AADD.aspx

Does anyone have any inside information?

[DetroitPlanner]

Ripping open an old thread for some new news.

http://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,4616,...9750--,00.html

Be on the lookout for some nifty railcars next week.

[dtowncitylover]

Ripping open an old thread for some new news.

http://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,4616,...9750--,00.html

Be on the lookout for some nifty railcars next week.

Very exciting news for the most part. This is something visible people will see and it's progress to regional transportation, even though it is just a test.

[Sandhouse]

If you go to Owosso and walk along the path along the south side of the river between M-71 and Gould Street, you can see at least 16 ex-CB&Q gallery cars that have been heavily rebuilt for the Detroit - Ann Arbor service. A very startling sight. The cars look good from the outside, considering that these are the nation's oldest gallery cars; the very first stainless-steel gallery car is in this set somewhere. I presume there must be locomotives, too. This must have cost well over $20 million; I can't imagine where in the state budget the money came from. It will take a major change to the gasoline tax rate and the road/transit funding formula for the Snyder administration to find the money to pay to run this. The Governor is serious about this, and about the RTA bus-rapid-transit scheme. Stand by for an interesting legislative session starting next January as these issues get debated.

[DetroitPlanner]

Sandhouse, those cars were purchased and renovated by Jenny, not Rick. FRA [[Federal Railroad Administration) and the private railroad owners move at a snails pace through the approval process.

[dtowncitylover]

And here's the update from the test...

http://www.annarbor.com/news/ann-arb...-rail-cars-pa/

Don't read the comments, they are just as bad as the old Free Press section.

[wolverine]

This is great news to hear a test was completed! I like riding the Metra Trains and I'm sure people in Michigan will enjoy them too. Heck, maybe they'll have the same privileges as Metra and you can crack open some beers on your way to the game! Sounds more fun than dealing with traffic.

[bibs]

The West Detroit Connection project was announced in May of this year with construction to begin later this year. This project called for building a seperate passenger rail line from Dearborn to Detroit and it was schedule to start later this year. Haven't read anything in the news about it and I can't find any updates on Semcog or the net. Anyone have any updates on this project?

[ASR89]

http://a2docs.org/assets/files/2012/...e_11-05-12.pdf

According to the link, construction will begin on the West Detroit Connection project in early 2013.