From The Detroit News
Michigan will get nearly $200 million in federal funding to make high-speed rail a reality — and to help build a new bus and train station in Ann Arbor, the U.S. Transportation Department announced this morning.
The bulk of the funds — $196.5 million — is to help retrofit a 135-mile section of the Kalamazoo to Dearborn track for high-speed rail service. In total, this will eventually allow trains to travel 110 miles an hour on 235 miles between Chicago and Detroit, the government said.
The Obama administration has now invested $11 billion in rail service, the government said.
“High-speed rail is coming to America. There is no going back,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told reporters on a conference call. The administration wants to get Americans “on trains, off of congested highways, out of their cars — particularly when gas prices are higher.”
Ahead of his speech in Detroit, he touted “the integral part that Detroit to Chicago plays in our Midwest high-speed rail plan. … Detroit to Chicago is a critical link.”
He praised Gov. Rick Snyder and Detroit Mayor Dave Bing for backing high-speed rail efforts and said the investments would create jobs along the Detroit to Chicago corridor.
“This will become a huge economic corridor that will create a lot of jobs,” LaHood said. “It’s a great day for Michiganders.”
The state is also one of seven that will buy next-generation passenger rail equipment in the Midwest. The government awarded $268.2 million to purchase 48 high-performance passenger rail cars and seven quick-acceleration U.S.-built locomotives for eight corridors in the Midwestern States: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan and Missouri. Michigan had sought $366 million along with three other states.
Michigan and 23 other states, the District of Columbia and Amtrak submitted nearly 100 applications seeking $10 billion after Florida returned $2.4 billion in high-speed rail funds.
The government awarded $2.02 billion to 22 projects in 15 states – including $199.3 million to Michigan.
“These projects will put thousands of Americans to work, save hundreds of thousands of hours for American travelers every year, and boost U.S. manufacturing by investing hundreds of millions of dollars in next-generation, American-made locomotives and railcars,” Vice President Joe Biden said in a statement.
This is the second grant for the key section of track in the Detroit to Chicago corridor. Michigan previously received a $150 million grant for the Kalamazoo to Dearborn track improvements — and to acquire the track from Norfolk Southern.
Tim Hoeffner, the Michigan Department of Transportation’s administrator of high-speed rail and innovative projects advancement, said in an interview last month the improvement could be completed by the end of 2013 and shave 50 minutes off the Detroit-Chicago trip, down to about four hours.
In order to accommodate high-speed rail, the track will get upgrades, including new signals, crossing improvements and technical timing devices called positive train control. These improvements will put passenger rail speeds at 79 mph, with train speeds expected eventually to reach 110 mph.
The Transportation Department also said it is awarding $2.8 million for an engineering and environmental analysis to construct a new high-speed rail station in Ann Arbor, which will better serve passengers and allow more than one train to serve the station simultaneously.
The state’s application seeking the funds said the station would be used for both buses and trains and shared by Amtrak, the University of Michigan and the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority. Michigan will put up $700,000 as part of the project.
The station is the state’s busiest but has only has single-tracking capacity, forcing intercity trains to block the mainline while serving the station. By constructing a passing track, more than one train will be able to service the station while others can pass unimpeded.
Michigan previously won $40 million to construct a new train station in Dearborn and to upgrade stations in Troy and Battle Creek.
Michigan’s elected leaders also praised the awards.
“This funding will help move Michigan and the nation forward by making high-speed rail a part of our economic infrastructure,” said Sen. Carl Levin, D-Detroit. “Our economic competitors around the world have long enjoyed the benefits of high-speed rail service between their cities. They have demonstrated that high-speed service can create jobs and promote economic growth, and that it can provide a more energy-efficient alternative.”
Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Lansing, also hailed the announcement.
“Construction of new high-speed lines will create jobs and generate more business activity in Michigan,” Stabenow said. “This effort will not only boost our economy, it will provide residents with more transportation options. As gas prices rise, it is critically important that travelers have more choices in addition to driving.”
Michigan mass transit advocates also touted the announcement.
“Policy and transportation planners have ranked the Detroit-to-Chicago corridor as one of the most viable routes in the nation,” said Megan Owens, executive director of Transportation Riders United. “Because of Michigan’s existing infrastructure, we can do high-speed rail faster and more cost-effectively than most other states. It just makes sense.”
Dan Gilmartin, CEO and executive director of the Michigan Municipal League, said support for high-speed rail has been bipartisan in Michigan.
“Here in Michigan, we have been fortunate enough to have strong bi-partisan support for high-speed rail,” Gilmartin said. “Our political leaders on both sides of the aisle fully understand how important this money is to creating jobs, increasing affordable transportation options and jumpstarting our economy.”
Michigan’s passenger rail services are currently experiencing all time record levels for both ridership and revenue.
From October through March, traffic was up 16.3 percent on Amtrak’s Wolverine service on the Pontiac/Detroit-Chicago corridor. The Blue Water service on the Port Huron/East Lansing-Chicago route saw traffic jump 26.2 percent, while ridership on the Pere Marquette service between Grand Rapids and Chicago jumped 6.7 percent.
But State Rep. Tom McMillin, R-Rochester Hills, criticized the funding.
“If President Obama and Congress insist on piling more debt on our kids and grandkids, they should at least let us decide how to spend it,” said McMillin.
“We need to fill potholes and improve roads, not shave 50 minutes off a train ride from Detroit to Chicago.”
LaHood; Snyder; Levin, Stabenow; and Reps. John Dingell, D-Dearborn, and Hansen Clarke, D-Detroit, are to attend an event today at the Detroit Amtrak station to announce the awards.
Source: http://www.detnews.com/article/20110509/METRO/105090371/Michigan-wins-$200M-for-high-speed-rail