Will STL high speed rail line take priority over Detroit's?

[Hardhat]

For what it's worth, this just in from the Granholm Administration.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 27, 2009
Contact: Megan Brown
517-335-6397

Granholm Signs Agreement on High Speed Rail; Eight States Will Work for Funding for Midwest Corridor
Memorandum of Understanding Signed at Chicago Summit

LANSING – Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today signed a memorandum of understanding [[MOU) that establishes a partnership among eight states to work cooperatively to fund the Midwest Corridor, a regional high-speed rail plan that will connect cities throughout the region with frequent, reliable high-speed and conventional intercity rail service. The initiative, which includes a Michigan Detroit-Pontiac-Chicago line, is modeled after the larger vision of President Barack Obama and U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to create a nationwide rail network.

“The Midwest Corridor is a one-of-a-kind partnership that will create jobs for Michigan workers, enhance transportation options for citizens, and provide significant economic development opportunities for communities,” Granholm said. “I am pleased that the Obama administration recognizes the importance of this regional initiative and the extensive planning that has already been done to prepare for this opportunity. Today’s action is another important step in the process to make high-speed rail and the jobs that come with it a reality in Michigan and the Midwest.”

The MOU, signed at the Midwest High Speed Rail Summit in Chicago, establishes a multi-state steering group to provide a single voice in support of the region’s collective high-speed rail priorities. Through coordination, the region hopes to capture part of the $8 billion that President Obama has made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act [[Recovery Act) for high-speed passenger rail, the largest investment that the federal government has made in over a decade.

According to the American Association of Railroads, every dollar spent on investments in our nation’s railroads – tracks, equipment, locomotives, bridges – yields $3 in economic output. Additionally, each $1 billion of investment creates 20,000 jobs.

The state of Michigan submitted its pre-application for Recovery Act high-speed rail funding on July 10; the next deadline for the application process is August 24. Please visit http://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,1607,...8528--,00.html for a copy of the seven pre-applications already submitted for Recovery Act high-speed rail funding.

[dcmorrison12]

You definitely do not want the private sector to build a rail line. They don't have to answer to anyone while planning/designing. They don't have to take in ANY public input, and most likely won't even both to do so. Any decisions they make will be based on personal preference. Take M-1 Rail for instance, it's a great example. They've sidestepped the public completely and designed their own rail line, didn't take in any real public input. I've spoken to M-1 Rail, their media relations department specifically. When asked what studies they did to choose Woodward from Downtown to New Center as the corridor/line lenght and why they chose Modern Streetcar as the transit mode, I was given a direct quote "personal preference." I was dumbfounded.

If you realize how bad of a project M-1 Rail is, you'll understand what I'm saying.

All I can say is, once these DDOT/M-1 Rail negotiations are complete, I really hope the plan looks like what DDOT came up with. It's truly a fantastic plan.