Toledo commences study to resume Toledo-Detroit passenger rail

[Bham1982]

Yes, please!
"I personally won't ride it" doesn't mean there isn't demand.

Right, but the fact that there's no congestion between Detroit and Toledo, and no appreciable commuting patterns, does mean there's no demand.

[Scottathew]

Right, but the fact that there's no congestion between Detroit and Toledo, and no appreciable commuting patterns, does mean there's no demand.

I know quite a few people that live in\near Toledo and work in Downtown Detroit. They complain of congestion a lot.

I wouldn't say there's "no demand". It's worth looking into doing a study to see if the demand is there.

[MrMichigan]

I know quite a few people that live in\near Toledo and work in Downtown Detroit. They complain of congestion a lot.

I wouldn't say there's "no demand". It's worth looking into doing a study to see if the demand is there.

Agreed. And don't forget the folks from that area who fly out of DTW.

[dtowncitylover]

Right, but the fact that there's no congestion between Detroit and Toledo, and no appreciable commuting patterns, does mean there's no demand.

Uhhh no, demand doesn't only occur because of congestion. Demand also comes from the ability to have choices. And when there's only one choice because this backasswards state refuses to leave the 1950s, the demand is muted and therefore people like you like to claim "there is no demand" because we aren't given choices. Having the choice between driving and taking a train in which both will get me there on time, connects to where I want to go, and are both similar in cost, I will always take a train. But because MDOT refuses to promote and invest in transit infrastructure, we're SOL.

This what I mean when I say people in SE Michigan are brainwashed. It's so infuriating to see how complicit we are to settle for basically a C- standard of living.

[Bham1982]

Uhhh no, demand doesn't only occur because of congestion.

Actually, no. Relative transit usage is almost entirely a function of congestion, and has almost nothing to do with "transit choices". Given there is no congestion in this directional, transit makes little sense.

Moreover, commuter rail is overwhelmingly a white collar professional-oriented service, and that's the least professional-oriented corridor radiating out from Detroit. It's essentially the worst corridor possible [[and I'm not sure even the best, the Grand Trunk Line, makes any sense, given it shut down for lack of ridership when Detroit had far more jobs than today).

[Richard]

Right, but the fact that there's no congestion between Detroit and Toledo, and no appreciable commuting patterns, does mean there's no demand.

There was no demand for the automobile or houses in the burbs until it was created,I think adding transportation options is a good idea that would benefit both cities.

Rail is the most cost effective per mile way to move people and let’s them enjoy the scenery along the way.