Category Archives: FYI

Announcements, FYI

MDOT Revising Long-Range Plan, Seeking Comments on Public Involvement Plan‏

The Michigan Department  of Transportation (MDOT) is seeking comments by Monday, April 30, 2012, on a public  involvement plan for revising the state’s long-range transportation plan. The  public involvement plan describes various opportunities the public will have  over the next six months to help shape the revisions; it is available online at www.michigan.gov/slrp or in printed form  by request.

MDOT is revising the  state’s long-range transportation plan, MI  Transportation Plan: Moving Michigan Forward, in order to maintain  the 20-year planning horizon required by federal transportation planning  regulations. Since reauthorization of the federal highway program could change  the requirements, and since such legislation is still pending in Congress, the  revision will be an interim step to keep the plan current. A full update will be  scheduled at a future time in response to any new requirements that may result  from federal reauthorization.

Announcements, FYI, News

Stay Off the Tracks: MDOT Warns About Dangers of Railroad Crossings

From the Macomb Township Patch:

The Michigan Department of Transportation has posted a safety video on YouTube to urge motorists and pedestrians to pay attention when approaching railroad crossings.

On the afternoon of Feb. 28, a Canadian National Railway train struck a 14-year-old high school student in Wyandotte. That same railway line runs through Macomb Township.

While Macomb Township’s section of track does not have a history of collisions, it is no less dangerous than any highway-rail grade crossing.

Given that Michigan still has one of the highest crossing collision records in all 50 states, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) has posted a safety video on YouTube to urge motorists and pedestrians to pay attention when approaching railroad crossings.

MDOT has also partnered with Operation Lifesaver, a nationwide organization devoted to ending collisions, deaths and injuries at highway-rail grade crossings.

While it may sound impossible, every three hours a person or vehicle is hit by a train in the U.S., according to Federal Railroad Administration statistics.

In the case of the Wyandotte teen, Jacob Marion, police believe he was walking along the tracks wearing an iPod and headphones and did not hear the train approaching. Dragged by the train, Marion is currently in critical condition at Children’s Hospital of Michigan in Detroit.

As Operation Lifesaver suggests on its website, one of the most fatal actions a pedestrian or motorist can take when approaching a railroad crossing is to assume the train’s speed and try to “beat” the locomotive.

Operation Lifesaver offers these safety tips:

  1. Freight trains don’t travel at fixed times, and schedules for  passenger trains change. Always expect a train at each highway-rail  intersection.
  2. All train tracks are private property. Never walk on tracks; it’s  illegal trespass and highly dangerous. By the time a locomotive engineer  sees a trespasser or vehicle on the tracks it’s too late. It takes the  average freight train traveling at 55 mph more than a mile—the length of  18 football fields—to stop. Trains cannot stop quickly enough to avoid a  collision.
  3. The average locomotive weighs about 400,000 pounds or 200 tons; it can  weigh up to 6,000 tons. This makes the weight ratio of a car to a train  proportional to that of a soda can to a car. We all know what happens  to a soda can hit by a car.
  4. Trains have the right of way 100% of the time over emergency vehicles, cars, the police and pedestrians.
  5. A train can extend three feet or more beyond the steel rail, putting  the safety zone for pedestrians well beyond the three foot mark. If  there are rails on the railroad ties always assume the track is in use,  even if there are weeds or the track looks unused.
  6. Trains can move in either direction at any time. Sometimes their cars  are pushed by locomotives instead of being pulled, which is especially  true in commuter and light rail passenger service.
  7. Today’s trains are quieter than ever, producing no telltale  “clackety-clack.” Any approaching train is always closer, moving faster,  than you think.
  8. There are over 160,000 miles of railroad tracks in the United States  (Association of American Railroads). Remember to cross them only at  designated pedestrian or roadway crossings, and obey all warning signs  and signals posted there. At many crossings you’ll see a sign bearing a  number. Use that to identify your exact location when calling to report  an emergency.
  9. Stay alert around railroad tracks. No texting, headphones or other  distractions that would prevent you from hearing an approaching train;  never mix rails and recreation

Source: http://macomb.patch.com/articles/stay-off-the-tracks-mdot-warns-about-dangers-of-railroad-crossings#youtube_video-9213838

Announcements, FYI

De-Railed: The National Dream Premiers in Sault Ste Marie

The premier screening of Dan Nystedt’s documentary film De-Railed: The National Dreamwill be on Sunday, March 4, 2012 at 5 pm in the Grand Theatre, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario as part of the Shadows of the Mind Film Festival. Limited seating so get your tickets soon!

De-Railed: The National Dream, is a documentary examining the crumbling state of the Canadian railway system. Having lost more than 10,000 kilometers of track since 1990, why has Canada allowed it’s “ribbon-of-rail” to unravel? More information and a short preview of De-Railed: The National Dream on the website at www.CAPTrains.ca.

FYI, Reports

ROUTE ENHANCEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS FOR 2012

At the January 14, 2012, meeting at the Williamston Depot Museum in Williamston, the MARP Executive Committee approved the attached Route Enhancement Recommendations. We are asking all members to review these recommendations and help us keep abreast of the many wonderful projects underway in Michigan. We particularly need volunteers to help us track what is happening in Battle Creek, Troy and the proposed improvements between Porter, Indiana, and Chicago Union Station.

Please relay any information you have to: Hugh Gurney
2270 Hickory Circle Drive
Howell, MI 48855
(517) 545-2979
hgurney@hsmichigan.org

  1. Assure that Section 209 of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 (PRIIA), does not adversely affect passenger service in Michigan. (Section 209 mandates routes less than 750 miles become solely state-supported.)

a)      Track status of implementation on a monthly basis.

b)      Determine funding needed if PRIAA is implemented.

c)      Establish communication links with MDOT, Amtrak, rail advocacy groups in affected states, & federal legislators to develop a unified position on actions needed, including rescinding of Section 209.

d)     Investigate options to offset costs of PRIIA including extension of trains to Canada, the Eastern United States or points beyond Chicago on the West.

  1. Initiate commuter rail service between Ann Arbor and Detroit and between Howell and Ann Arbor (WALLY). Consider extension of WALLY to Durand and Flint.

a)      Work with TRU and other advocacy groups for the establishment of a Southeast Michigan Transportation Authority.

b)      Find champions at the local, state and federal levels who will push for implementation of local commuter services.

c)      Facilitate a steering group including business, community, advocacy and political leaders to educate the public on the value of commuter service and market the service.

d)     Hold demonstration runs in 2012.

    

  1. Initiate Community Benefit Studies to determine the possibilities of additional service on the Pere Marquette and Blue Water routes including the possibility of combining the two routes.  Include in these studies additional Wolverine service between Battle Creek and Chicago.

a)      Work with MEC and TRANS4M to identify a funding source for these studies.

b)      Create an RFP

c)      Select a consulting firm to conduct the studies, possibly the one that did the Grand Valley study.

d)     Review and approve findings.

e)      Communicate findings to affected communities, MDOT and the Michigan legislature.

  1. Assure an adequate level of funding for replacement of intercity motor coaches.

a)      Meet with Indian Trails and other intercity carriers to identify needs.

b)      Involve other advocacy groups including TRANS4M, MDOT and members of the Michigan legislature to secure an adequate level of funding.

c)      Track expenditures once funding is secured.

  1. Ensure progress on all approved projects including MDOT acquisition of the Dearborn-Kalamazoo line and its upgrade to 110 mph speed, Amtrak upgrades Kalamazoo-Porter, the West Detroit Connector, CREATE, Indiana Gateway, purchase of new rolling stock, and station projects in Grand Rapids, Battle Creek, Jackson, Ann Arbor, Dearborn and Troy.

a)      Report quarterly to the Executive Committee.

b)      Demand explanations and corrective actions if projects fall behind schedule.

  1. Push for genuine connectivity between intercity bus and rail service in Michigan.

a)      Work with Indian Trails, MDOT, and Amtrak to identify and overcome obstacles to having all Indian Trails routes in Michigan identified as Amtrak Thruway Routes.

b)      Identify funding required to institute new intercity motor coach routes including north from New Buffalo along the Lake Michigan shoreline and daytime service Marquette-Milwaukee.

c)      Create website page with information about how to get around Michigan by train and bus.

  1. Assure dedicated funding for passenger rail in Michigan

a)      Determine the level of funding needed for an adequate passenger rail system in Michigan.

b)      Support TRANS4M in its efforts to secure adequate funding for all transportation modes.

c)      Enlist all transportation and environmental groups in advocating for a balanced transportation system in Michigan.

d)     Insist that a full 10% of transportation funding be dedicated to public transportation including rail as specified by the Michigan Constitution.

e)      If passenger rail funding remains inadequate even with 10% of the state transportation funding dedicated to public transportation, identify additional funding possibilities.