From AnnArbor.com
A proposed commuter rail line connecting Howell and Ann Arbor “isn’t dead,” a lead organizer said Monday, but about $10 million still needs to be raised before a demonstration service can begin.
Capital costs to start up the Washtenaw and Livingston Line, or WALLY, have been trimmed to between $16 million and $20 million, down from the $32.4 million price tag estimated by a consulting firm in 2008.
About half of the money has been secured, with much of it coming from the Michigan Department of Transportation, which is paying to renovate 15 former Chicago METRA rail coaches, improve portions of the 27 miles worth of track, and conduct the environmental assessment. That work is under way or planned to start soon.