Derrick James from Amtrak’s Government Affairs office gave a presentation during the September 15th Member Meeting.
Amtrak, along with Illinois and Michigan, is applying for funding for a project called Chicago Access / Michigan East that has important implications for the future of Michigan’s train services.
Slides are provided here:
The effort to connect people and businesses in northern Michigan to the rest of the state and country with modern passenger train service reached a huge milestone recently with new funding through state and federal agencies.
In July, Michigan state lawmakers, led by northern Michigan’s Senator Wayne Schmidt, included $1
million to advance the northern Michigan passenger rail Phase II planning study in the State of Michigan’s 2023 Labor and Economic Opportunity budget.
Then, just last week, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation would support the Phase II study by providing the remaining $1.3 million through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant program.
The grant was awarded to the Cadillac/Wexford Transit Authority, which will work in partnership with Groundwork and a team of partners to complete the planning study.
The boost of new funding is a major milestone in the long-term effort to bring passenger rail service—and related economic development—to towns all along the north-south route and give families and workers a safe, environmentally friendly way to travel throughout the state while also reducing cars on our highways.
This planning study builds on work completed over the past several years to restore passenger service to the Traverse City area. In 2018, Groundwork and many other partners completed an initial feasibility study that explored what it would take to get trains up and running along an active state-owned railroad corridor that runs from southeast Michigan to the Traverse City and Petoskey areas.
The study showed that the proposed service is economically viable, and since the study’s release, the state has been improving the tracks for freight and potential future passenger service. In 2019 and 2021, state lawmakers approved funding to repair tracks near Traverse City. Then, in 2022, the Michigan Department of Transportation was awarded a $21 million federal railroad grant to repair tracks just north of Ann Arbor.
The next stage planning study would identify and prioritize improvements needed along the corridor to maximize freight and passenger opportunities, which could include crossing signal and track upgrades, safety technology, potential bridge replacements, community-specific station needs, and equipment.
The Phase II study will also develop a business plan for passenger service—updating the project’s market and ridership forecasts and laying out the stations and schedule of service. The study’s result will be a vision and plan for how the service will work. The study team will also look at changes in supply chains, so that Michigan businesses along the route can have more efficient and affordable shipping connections to the rest of the world.
Public engagement will be an essential part of the planning process, and the study will offer a great opportunity for residents and travelers in communities on the route to shape future train service they want to see and use. Over the next year or so, we will conduct surveys and hold events all along the line to get your feedback. Towns on the railroad include Petoskey, Kalkaska, Traverse City, Kingsley, Cadillac, Clare, Mt. Pleasant, Alma, Owosso, Durand, Howell, Ann Arbor, and a potential route to Detroit.
Getting a 240-mile train line up and running is no small task. There are many environmental standards, safety regulations, and engineering guidelines that must be followed to make the project a reality. The next 18 months are crucial to the project, and we’re hopeful this will lead to the beginning stages of service within five years.
Stay tuned for more info and look for ways you can get involved.
MDOT public open houses July 26 and 28 to discuss the New Center Intermodal Facility (NCIF) in Detroit
Detroit, Mich. – The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is hosting a virtual and in-person open house on the upcoming New Center Intermodal Facility (NCIF) in Detroit. NCIF is a proposed project that would combine an intercity bus station with the existing Amtrak train station at M-1 (Woodward Avenue) and Baltimore Street in the New Center neighborhood of Detroit.
Who:
Interested residents
Community leaders
Local businesses
MDOT staff and consultants
Virtual open house:
Tuesday, July 26, 2022
5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Click here to join the Zoom virtual open house
Join by phone
312-626-6799
Meeting ID: 849 6980 0747
Passcode: 174900
In-person open houses:
Thursday, July 28, 2022
8 – 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Fisher Building
3011 W Grand Blvd.
Detroit, MI 48202
Please note that I-94 will be closed, impacting access routes to the Fisher Building.
Accessibility:
Accommodations can be made for persons who require mobility, visual, hearing, written, or other assistance for participation. Large print materials, auxiliary aids or the services of interpreters, signers, or readers are available upon request. Please contact Orlando Curry at 517-241-7462 or complete Form 2658 for American Sign Language (ASL) located on the Title VI webpage: https://www.Michigan.gov/MDOT/
Project information:
The current Amtrak train station and Howard Street intercity bus station have become expensive to maintain due to their age and are not up to standards for accessibility and safety. The NCIF will establish a regional transportation hub providing multimodal access and convenient connectivity with a focus on meeting the needs of disadvantaged communities. It will provide high-quality passenger amenities and public space improvements to enhance the customer and pedestrian experience in the project area.
Public input:
MDOT is currently seeking public input to discuss how the NCIF best serve the community. The virtual open house will be recorded and posted on the project website along with an online survey to provide feedback. Comments can be submitted via an online comment form, e-mail, phone, and in person at the public meeting.
Monica Monsma
MDOT Environmental Services Section
425 West Ottawa St.
P.O. Box 30050
Lansing, MI 48909
517-335-4381
Celebrating its 10th year, the Michigan Rail Conference returns to the Upper Peninsula. Convening at Bay College in Escanaba, the conference opens with the traditional Student Scholarship Golf Outing and reception on August 1, continues with the main program on August 2, and winds up with field visits on August 3.
Highlights include of the program include:
The Conference is a “hybrid” affair this year — you can attend in person or virtually.
Effective April 4, the Michigan City, IN, station will be closed and no longer served by Amtrak.
More frequent Amtrak service is available in New Buffalo, approximately 15 minutes east, along with free parking and trains on both our Wolverine and Blue Water routes, sponsored by the Michigan Department of Transportation.
New Buffalo Station:
226 N. Whittaker Street
New Buffalo, MI 49117
Alternate service to and from Chicago is available through the South Shore Line (NICTD) commuter rail from the Beverly Shores or Carroll Avenue stops. Visit www.mysouthshoreline.com/ for more information.