More Rapid Trains to Ann Arbor & Chicago

[renf]

As the attached White House link indicated, the federal government will appropriate $244 million to improve rail facilities between Pontiac and Chicago with renovated or new stations in Troy and Dearborn.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/files/docu...0Revisions.pdf

[Russix]

Were the stations renovations that pressing? I tend to place priority in speed and frequency options as I usually like to get out of the station as fast as possible.

[bailey]

Russix, they need to prepare for the oncoming crush of rail riders.

[dtowncitylover]

Troy?! I hope they mean Birmingham. Or am I missing something?

[noggin]

Dont you guys get it? The Port of Detroit got a brand new building on the Detroit River that cost $7m. That was paid by the US government through Levin getting set aside money for a 10 person office when there are plenty of empty buildings in downtown Detroit.

Who cares. It comes from the feds, nobody has to actually pay for it.

[Detroitnerd]

Troy, like a lot of places that were designed solely for the auto [[think Tysons Corners) are trying to remain relevant by boosting their transit component. There was a story a while back about their efforts to create a transit center. Yeah, too bad it doesn't have a real downtown to gel around, and it'll likely be a park-and-ride sort of stop, but they are gonna try what they can and see what sticks.

[Rocko]

The Dearborn station is too small for the current passenger count as it is the 3rd busiest station in Michigan after Ann Arbor and Kalamazoo. Troy and Birmingham are going in on a joint station to replace the bus shack Birmingham current has. If you're wondering if stations are inadequate, check out the Birmingham one: http://www.marp.org/?p=860. You tell me if you think that's adequate. And they say Troy in the article because the land the new station will be built on is on the Troy side of the tracks [[the GTW Holly Sub. divides the two communities there)

Battle Creek's station is built primarily out of non-slip steel decking [[a wonderful architectural material) and could use a facelift. They tore out a track in front of it and made a temporary asphalt platform extension, which doesn't work so well. A renovation is in order and the money would be well spent here.

[DetroitPlanner]

Troy?! I hope they mean Birmingham. Or am I missing something?

Everyone knows Birmingham's in Troy!

This is a station being developed by both Cities, but will be moved from the B'ham side of the tracks to the Troy Side. There will be additional space there for a kiss and ride, buses, and parking.

[French777]

hahaha Detroitplanner! Birmingham Chrysler and Jeep Now in Troy! lol

Anyway, so is the New Center Station getting no improvements?

[DetroitPlanner]

Anyway, so is the New Center Station getting no improvements?

How can you improve on that Masterpiece?

Actually all of this may still be too preliminary to tell all of the details. I'd love to see some of these dollars end up as operational improvements in the Milwaukee junction [[AKA New Center).

I am glad that there are major improvements being made in IN and IL along this route. Once you got out of Michigan, that is where many of the foul-ups were.

[rbdetsport]

Wow. THANKS FEDERAL GOVERNMENT! You really helped us out. NOT!

[Sandhouse]

One of the "high-speed rail" grants that Michigan didn't get was for operational improvements to the railroad between Dearborn and the New Center station. This is needed for the Ann Arbor commuter trains, so if that program is to start the money will have to be found elsewhere.

The two projects that benefit Detroit-Chicago train travel the most aren't in Michigan. These are improvements to railroad junctions in Indiana and Chicago that will reduce unpredictable delays to trains entering Chicago from the east. This will make it more convenient for Michigan residents to go and spend money in Chicago. Benefits to Detroit are less clear.

[dtowncitylover]

Everyone knows Birmingham's in Troy!

This is a station being developed by both Cities, but will be moved from the B'ham side of the tracks to the Troy Side. There will be additional space there for a kiss and ride, buses, and parking.

Oh that thing. Ok it sounded like they were building an entirely new station for Troy. But yeah, the Bham-Troy Transportation Center, ok.

[DetroitPlanner]

The two projects that benefit Detroit-Chicago train travel the most aren't in Michigan. These are improvements to railroad junctions in Indiana and Chicago that will reduce unpredictable delays to trains entering Chicago from the east. This will make it more convenient for Michigan residents to go and spend money in Chicago. Benefits to Detroit are less clear.

Operational improvements in Chicago are a benefit to Detroit riders. More than once I have barrelled along in Western Michigan only to get caught up by switching frieght trains in IN or IL. Its pretty frustrating that the last ten miles of the trip take longer than it takes to get from Battle Creek to that point.

[DetroitPlanner]

Oh that thing. Ok it sounded like they were building an entirely new station for Troy. But yeah, the Bham-Troy Transportation Center, ok.

This will be a new station. The current B'ham station is entirely inadequete; it looks like a phone booth behind a condo.

[professorscott]

I am not surprised we did not get much money for rail improvements because we have done nothing to convince the federal government we are serious about implementing transit. We still do not have a regional transit authority; a great many communities in two of our core counties choose to have no public transportation at all; we do not have a dedicated regional source of funding sufficient to pay for any improved transit.

The fed is going to try to put its money where it thinks it will actually do some good, and in Michigan we have done nothing to convince them that we have our act together. Our much-touted Ann Arbor "commuter" rail to Detroit is now going to start out providing a whopping two, that's right, count them, two round trips daily. Whee! And we're surprised the fed isn't shoveling money at us.

[pffft]

This will be a new station. The current B'ham station is entirely inadequete; it looks like a phone booth behind a condo.

The "station"? It's a plexiglas shield, like a bus stop. You stand up on the platform and wait for the train.

The Birmingham station was the wonderful big Tudor building that some bonehead sold and is now that restaurant. Did they think nobody would use trains anymore?

As someone who's caught the Chicago train after standing in the freezing cold in that plexiglas "bus stop" I can tell you, it's no station.

[DetroitPlanner]

The "station"? It's a plexiglas shield, like a bus stop. You stand up on the platform and wait for the train.

The Birmingham station was the wonderful big Tudor building that some bonehead sold and is now that restaurant. Did they think nobody would use trains anymore?

As someone who's caught the Chicago train after standing in the freezing cold in that plexiglas "bus stop" I can tell you, it's no station.

I know it makes me glad I live in the Ghetto where the train stations are at least heated.

[Ray1936]

Hey, believe it or not, Las Vegas doesn't even have a train station. I considered a train ride back to Detroit once, but would have had to drive 70 miles to Kingman, Arizona, to catch the LA - Chicago train. Still might do it some day.

[Whaler]

Ray..I have been aboard From Det-Chi. To see the kids many times.. Fun Time... Meet People in the Bar Car...The California Zephyr..Fun but expensive

[Rocko]

The improvements in IL and IN will not only benefit the Wolverine Chicago-Pontiac route, but several other Amtrak routes as well, including the Blue Water, Pere Marquette, Capitol Limited and Lake Shore Limited. Hopefully this will mean increased timekeeping for all those routes. It's a sight to see an Amtrak barreling down the Amtrak owned corridor west of Kalamazoo at 95mph. They're planning to get up to 100 or 105 later this year.

Ray - take the plunge and do the LA-Chicago route, you won't regret it. Amazing that a train going over 2000 miles can stay on schedule the whole way, yet Michigan's silly 5 hour route to Chicago cannot sometimes. Of course, BNSF is known for prioritizing Amtrak trains better than just about any freight railroad, a holdover from Santa Fe. Raton Pass, the Mississippi River, Cajon Pass....the Southwest Chief is a beautiful route. I've taken the train from Dearborn to LA 4 times now and would do it a hundred more times if had the money and the time.

Interesting side note on the Birmingham station. The old Depot, the GTW tudor station, was the only station west of Johnstown, PA to have high-level loading platforms at one time. For a period of 10 years [[1983-1993), no passenger trains operated between Detroit and Pontiac. I too wish that the Birmingham station was being renovated from the screwy lodge themed restaurant back into the train station, but a new joint depot is better than a misplaced SMART shack next to the train tracks. Seriously, I used to go and check up on the little shelter every now and then to be sure it was still there, post an Amtrak timetable for passengers to read, and even shovel the platform a time or two during the winter.

[French777]

I just read from the DetroitNews that a second round of high speed rail stimulus is coming out later this year. less than 8 billion it would be only 2.5 billion.

http://detroitnews.com/article/20100...re-train-funds