  Detroitman Member Username: Detroitman Post Number: 989 Registered: 06-2004 Posted From: 208.9.114.32 |
Working on the railroad It’s the last mile that’s the sticking point for Ann Arbor proposal By Bill Shea 6:00 am, August 7, 2006 A $27 million proposal to establish a commuter railroad service designed to alleviate traffic congestion on U.S. 23 north of Ann Arbor faces a snag of its own because the rail company leasing some of the track involved isn’t interested in being a part of it. The project, the brainchild of Ann Arbor Mayor John Hieftje, initially would ferry commuters on a line between Ann Arbor and a large park-and-ride lot on Eight Mile Road near Whitmore Lake in Livingston County’s Northfield Township while U.S. 23 is torn up for construction next year. Owosso-based Great Lakes Central Railroad would provide converted railcars and much of the track involved. However, Howell-based Ann Arbor Railroad hasn’t responded to the city about Hieftje’s idea. The company owns a 1-mile stretch of track in downtown Ann Arbor. If Ann Arbor Rail doesn’t agree to the commuter rail idea, it means a station would have to be built along Plymouth Road on the city’s north side, Hieftje said. Ann Arbor Railroad President E.O. “Jim” Erickson and other executives did not return four calls during the past two weeks. “If we can’t take it into downtown Ann Arbor, if we create a stop, it would be along Plymouth Road. It would not be all that difficult to build,” Hieftje said, noting that location has good access to the University of Michigan’s north campus, Pfizer Inc., and University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers, which has nearly 17,000 employees. Shuttles would take commuters to and from their jobs. “There is a penalty to be paid not having a downtown station. It is a complexity, but I don’t think it’s a showstopper,” said Eli Cooper, transportation program manager for the city of Ann Arbor. Cooper said when he got no response from Ann Arbor Railroad, he turned over negotiations to Great Lakes Central, which leases 425 miles of track in Michigan, including 25 miles north of Ann Arbor earmarked for the commuter project. The two companies have existing track usage agreements already in place for freight traffic. “From a business standpoint, the Ann Arbor Railroad stands to gain from allowing commuter passenger trains on their track. If we’re able to initiate commuter service, they stand the opportunity to reap revenue,” Cooper said. “It’s a train car operating on their track, something able to generate revenue for their business.” Ann Arbor Railroad hasn’t returned calls from Great Lakes Central Railroad, said Louis Ferris Jr., CEO of Farmington Hills-based Federated Capital Corp., the company that owns Great Lakes Central Railroad. Still, he said he plans to talk soon with Ann Arbor Railroad’s chairman of the board, and doesn’t foresee any problems in getting an agreement to use the track. “A lot of it’s in the attitude of the railroad,” said Ferris, who lives in Washtenaw County’s Superior Township. “Some railroads want (commuter rail), some don’t care. To some, it’s a nuisance. It’s not the easiest or hardest thing.” The tracks leased from the Michigan Department of Transportation by Great Lakes Central Railroad, formerly called Tuscola Saginaw Bay Railways, run from Ann Arbor north to Traverse City. Ferris plans to eventually have a separate excursion service, complete with railcars for carrying sailboats or snowmobiles and others devoted to games and dancing, which runs from Ann Arbor to Traverse City. The short-term plan is to have the commuter route extend to Howell within three years. The 10 stainless-steel cars devoted to commuter service will have wireless Internet, beverages, light snacks and newspapers, Ferris said. “It’s going to be a nice ride for them. You don’t have to worry about the traffic on U.S. 23,” he said. The initial commuter service to Ann Arbor proposed for next construction season would have two or three trains in the morning and afternoon, Hieftje said. Shuttle buses from companies such as Pfizer, along with city-owned shuttles, would pick up commuters from the Plymouth Road station. The north-south line would tie into the proposed commuter rail line between Ann Arbor and Detroit, Hieftje said. That line is part of a study by the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments regional planning group looking at rapid transit between the two cities. Hieftje said 65,000 people drive to Ann Arbor each day for work, and up to 15,000 of them use U.S. 23 to enter and leave the city from the north. The traffic snarls mean it typically takes half an hour to drive the five miles into or out of the city, he said. And expansion of U.S. 23 isn’t a cure-all. “Traffic engineers will tell you, you can’t build your way out of congestion,” Hieftje said. On June 15, he hosted nearly 60 business, government and civic leaders on a rail trip along the proposed route in an effort to prove commuter rail is a viable option. Pfizer, which has 2,600 workers in Ann Arbor, encourages its employees to consider different methods to get to work. “We favor alternative transportation that lowers traffic congestion and helps preserve the environment,” said Rick Chambers, Pfizer’s director of corporate media relations. Some of the commuter rail’s $27 million in startup costs would be funded through the Federal Transit Administration’s Small Starts grant program, Hieftje said. The remainder would be state or local money, but the specifics of how that money would be raised are still unknown, Cooper said. The money would pay for track improvements, crossing signals, conversion of railcars, stations and parking. The Northfield Township parking lot, part of a vacant industrial site up for lease, could hold 800 to 1,200 vehicles, Cooper said, which is the capacity of what the initial commuter service could handle. “There are no ridership estimates yet at this time,” Cooper said. Analysis of the potential number of commuter rail users will come later in the planning, he said. He said that 11,000 Livingston County residents work in Ann Arbor. Bill Rogers, chairman of the Livingston County Board of Commissioners, is aware of the rail plan, and wants to make sure the train times are convenient for workers. Jobs are no longer 9-to-5, he said. “Because of work schedules, things like this can fall apart quickly,” he said. “If they can work out the logistics now, make it affordable, then it could be fantastic. It sure would save a lot of fuel.” The commuter line stands to benefit both Livingston and Washtenaw counties, said Fred Dillingham, executive director of the Economic Development Council of Livingston County. “If this project gets legs, it would provide a tremendous service to the public and add benefits to the economic development picture for both counties,” he said. “Getting people used to mass transit is always a challenge. But that construction (on U.S. 23) could change minds very quickly.” Dillingham said he’s still familiarizing himself with the commuter rail proposal, and would work to bring Ann Arbor Railroad into the fold. “We haven’t worked a lot with them, but we would work to get them to the table,” he said. In the meantime, while the two railroads talk, city officials are moving ahead. “We’re at a very preliminary stage. The concepts are evolving,” Cooper said. He plans to discuss shuttle costs this week with the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority, which operates the city’s public bus system, and expects a report on costs within the month from Great Lakes Central Railroad. “There is no doubt in anyone’s mind we need an expanded transit avenue to get people down from the north,” Hieftje said. http://www.crainsdetroit.com/a pps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/2006 0807/SUB/60804009/-1/toc | ||
Burnsie Member Username: Burnsie Post Number: 540 Registered: 11-2003 Posted From: 35.12.22.242 |
What I really don't understand is why the city thinks the AA RR will be agreeable to having a station out by Plymouth Rd., when the AA hasn't indicated it will cooperate in the slightest with the project. Does the city not know that AA's track extends considerably past Plymouth Rd? It ends, and the GLC takes over, at "Osmer," somewhere between Warren and Northfield Church Rd. I can't remember where exactly but it's well past Plymouth. | ||
Citylover Member Username: Citylover Post Number: 1690 Registered: 07-2004 Posted From: 4.229.126.98 |
My guess Burnsie is the city officials probably know who owns what. | ||
Lmichigan Member Username: Lmichigan Post Number: 4096 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 67.177.81.18 |
I like how they are doing this. It's very creative how they are planning to put this together. | ||
Bob Member Username: Bob Post Number: 1068 Registered: 11-2003 Posted From: 64.12.116.204 |
I agree. I hope this turns out to be a big success and shows people in our area how mass transit will work. | ||
Danny Member Username: Danny Post Number: 4750 Registered: 02-2004 Posted From: 141.217.174.229 |
HAH! It takes bureaucrats in the Michigan Legislature and M-DOT to make light rail transit happen in both Livingston County and Ann Arbor. | ||
Bob Member Username: Bob Post Number: 1069 Registered: 11-2003 Posted From: 68.42.98.224 |
It takes bureaucrats in MI Legislature and MDOT to screw up rail transit in this state. Or to never make it happen. I applaud the AA area for trying to work around this and try to make this happen. | ||
Danny Member Username: Danny Post Number: 4763 Registered: 02-2004 Posted From: 141.217.174.229 |
YAYYYY Clap Clap!!!! |
