Task Force to Study Feasibility of Light Rail in Oakland County

**BrushStart** · November-20-10, 01:28 PM

WA3 has commissioned a task force to study the feasibility of extending light rail from 8 Mile to Maple Rd in Oakland County. Members will include representatives from several southern OC cities.
http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...oakland-county

The study is supported by a recent survey done by the Michigan Suburbs Alliance, which found that the main concern of 76% of 18-35 year old Metro Detroiters is inadequate transit.

http://michigansuburbsalliance.org/

**d'oh** · November-20-10, 02:47 PM

yay.......

**iheartthed** · November-20-10, 03:49 PM

lol @ Michigan Suburbs Alliance...

**RYANGUARD** · November-20-10, 07:55 PM

With LBP fighting these types of things,don't be surprised if this goes nowhere.The bottom line is cost and how is it going to be paid for.It would be wonderfull to have light rail coming across 8 mile but with the economy the way it is,this probably wont go past the "feasibility study."By the way,how much is this feasibility study costing?They aren't doing it out of the kindness of their hearts,as much as everyone would like to think!It would have been great to have the triple decker overpass removed at 8 mile so that light rail wouldn't have this obstacle but the powers that be decided it needed to be re-built.Great minds at work......

**BrushStart** · November-20-10, 08:15 PM

Originally Posted by RYANGUARD

With LBP fighting these types of things,don't be surprised if this goes nowhere.The bottom line is cost and how is it going to be paid for.It would be wonderfull to have light rail coming across 8 mile but with the economy the way it is,this probably wont go past the "feasibility study."By the way,how much is this feasibility study costing?They aren't doing it out of the kindness of their hearts,as much as everyone would like to think!It would have been great to have the triple decker overpass removed at 8 mile so that light rail wouldn't have this obstacle but the powers that be decided it needed to be re-built.Great minds at work......

Woodward Avenue Action Association [[WA3) is paying for the study. I wonder how far things will have to deteriorate around here before any attempt at progress is made... Sad.

**Novine** · November-20-10, 08:22 PM

Why are you knocking the "Michigan Suburbs Alliance"? They generally represent inner-ring suburbs who know they can't rely on L. Brooks Patterson to look out for their interest in getting things done, like light rail, merged transit system and similar efforts. As far as Patterson, who cares what he thinks? Is Oakland County in charge of anything that has to do with anything related to transit? I don't think so. No one needs his permission to do light rail or anything else transit-wise in SE Oakland County.

**Gistok** · November-20-10, 08:46 PM

Originally Posted by RYANGUARD

With LBP fighting these types of things,don't be surprised if this goes nowhere.The bottom line is cost and how is it going to be paid for.It would be wonderfull to have light rail coming across 8 mile but with the economy the way it is,this probably wont go past the "feasibility study."By the way,how much is this feasibility study costing?They aren't doing it out of the kindness of their hearts,as much as everyone would like to think!It would have been great to have the triple decker overpass removed at 8 mile so that light rail wouldn't have this obstacle but the powers that be decided it needed to be re-built.Great minds at work......

I don't think that the overpass is a detriment to light rail... there's creative ways to work around it. Even the I-696 Woodward interchange won't be a problem. When MDOT built that interchange, they added a right of way for mass transit.

**iheartthed** · November-20-10, 09:27 PM

Originally Posted by Novine

Why are you knocking the "Michigan Suburbs Alliance"? They generally represent inner-ring suburbs who know they can't rely on L. Brooks Patterson to look out for their interest in getting things done, like light rail, merged transit system and similar efforts.

I'm not knocking the mission. I'm just amused at the name. Like when they say "Michigan Suburbs" do they mean the suburbs of Grand Rapids? Flint? Kalamazoo? Oh yeah, Detroit.

**Newdetroit** · November-21-10, 08:17 AM

It would be nice if we could just use the existing amtrak rail and have it as a shared line with a commuter train. It goes through Dowtown Pontiac and Royal Oak. It also goes through Ferndale. Moreover, the amtrak line goes through several golf courses and parks...land to convert to pedestrian areas...

**Patrick** · November-21-10, 11:15 AM

How many more studies do we need on light rail? Just do it or don't do it already!

**casscorridor** · November-21-10, 12:41 PM

The Woodward line will never extend past 11 Mile, I am fairly certian. That is the furthest possible terminis. This will cost 500+ million.

Also, does ridership exist to support such an extention? I highly doubt it. Maybe a good alternative would be to use improved bus service [[that feeds into the light-rail) to build up ridership until the rail can be extended.

**Lowell** · November-21-10, 01:18 PM

This would truly be a win-win for all communities along the Woodward Corridor if this happens. Add a ferry from the foot of Woodward to the foot of Ouellette and we would be on our way.

**Magnatomicflux** · November-21-10, 02:38 PM

Originally Posted by Lowell

This would truly be a win-win for all communities along the Woodward Corridor if this happens. Add a ferry from the foot of Woodward to the foot of Ouellette and we would be on our way.

I LOVE the idea of bringing back the ferry. Is it too much to ask that they be replicas of our oldies?

I don't think Windsorites do too much in downtown Detroit unless there's an event since there's not much shopping to be done. But bring lightrail into it, and the Windsorites that work or go to school in the Metro area, such as Nurses would be all over it. The potential of so much foot traffic coming off a ferry onto Woodward just might spark more investment in the core as well.

lilpup · November-21-10, 06:36 PM

Originally Posted by Newdetroit

It would be nice if we could just use the existing amtrak rail and have it as a shared line with a commuter train. It goes through Dowtown Pontiac and Royal Oak. It also goes through Ferndale.

used to be one - it was discontinued due to lack of demand

**Detroitnerd** · November-21-10, 06:43 PM

Originally Posted by lilpup

used to be one - it was discontinued due to lack of demand

Thanks to the massive subsidies showered upon auto-centric modes of transportation, including freeways, roads, oil and gas subsidies, and the attendant change in travel patterns. Oh, but that's the whole story. Let's just stick to this one little part of the story to rationalize doing the same thing over and over again. Nothing to see here, folks ...

**Magnatomicflux** · November-21-10, 06:56 PM

Originally Posted by lilpup

used to be one - it was discontinued due to lack of demand

True, but this is a bit different. SEMTA was using massive freight engines and were pulling 3 to 5 car trains. That costs lots of money to pull around empty cars. Electrify that line and 1 or 2 car LRV and it just might work this time.

**Todd_Scott** · November-22-10, 11:24 AM

Originally Posted by Lowell

This would truly be a win-win for all communities along the Woodward Corridor if this happens. Add a ferry from the foot of Woodward to the foot of Ouellette and we would be on our way.

Here's more information on potential Detroit-Windsor ferry service.

**iheartthed** · November-22-10, 11:43 AM

Originally Posted by Detroitnerd

Thanks to the massive subsidies showered upon auto-centric modes of transportation, including freeways, roads, oil and gas subsidies, and the attendant change in travel patterns. Oh, but that's the whole story. Let's just stick to this one little part of the story to rationalize doing the same thing over and over again. Nothing to see here, folks ...

It was also very unreliable from what I hear. If you only run one train per morning into the city and schedule it at 10am then of course no one will use it.

**Detroitnerd** · November-22-10, 11:44 AM

Originally Posted by iheartthed

It was also very unreliable from what I hear. If you only run one train per morning into the city and schedule it at 10am then of course no one will use it.

I would not be surprised if that was the point of scheduling it like that. ...