A Rail Line From Detroit To Ann Arbor Is Right In Front Of Our Faces

[royce]

While reading the "Where Detroit Transportation Goes From Here?" thread, someone mentioned that the hold up with a commuter line to and from Detroit and Ann Arbor deals with the freight lines not making tracks available to passenger trains. On this forum several years back I brought up the idea that some of our freeways could allow commuter train traffic.

On almost a daily basis, I travel from the westside of Detroit to Downtown and to the eastside of Detroit using the Jeffries [[I-96) and the Fisher [[I-75) freeways. On a few occasions recently I have traveled to Ann Arbor using I-96 to M14. Given the fact that the Jeffries for a good portion is wider than the Grand Canyon, it would seem possible that a commuter train could actually fit in the left lane of the Jeffries and continue along the Fisher [[which is also very wide) and stop in Downtown Detroit at Woodward. Another commuter train could travel from that spot to Ann Arbor using the Fisher to the Jeffries to M14 and ending on Main Street, at say Liberty.

Obviously M14 would have to be widened and the commuter train would have to become a subway under Main Street to make that portion of the route work, but given the fact that it's taking forever to get a rail line going on regular rail lines, maybe this far-out there idea might make sense sooner than waiting for forever. In my opinion, freeways like the Jeffries, Fisher, Reuther, and Chrysler could be the answer to "rail rapid transit." One day when the world runs out of gas, the freeways maybe exactly where you'll put the new rail lines. Something to think about.