Part 3: MiTrain - Ann Arbor to Detroit High Speed Rail

As dawn slowly breaks in the distance, a bell ringing locomotive pulls its shimmering collection of silver double-decker commuter cars into station.  Stepping onto one of the cars, I stroll my way along the center aisle.  Throwing my bag on an overhead shelf, I settle into a window seat.  I open my morning paper, take a quick sip of the orange juice I bought at the station's juice bar and I say hello to a few of the regulars who take their self assigned seats in front and behind.  The paper forecasts a sunny day with a high of 85.  It's another day off to work.

One full MiTrain set: A locomotive, a cab car and a coach car
SEMCOG

The above experience could easily take place within cities like Chicago, New York or Philadelphia.  And it fit Detroit until 1984 when SEMTA ended rail service between Ann Arbor and Detroit.   With years of failed attempts to revive the service, commuters between Ann Arbor and Detroit have continued to wait almost 30 years to share in the convenience and reliability of rail service again.

Refurbished MiTrain rail car
SEMCOG

On June 14th of this year, at Ann Arbor's 10th annual Green Fair, a refurbished Metra commuter rail car on long-term lease from the Great Lakes Central Railroad was unveiled to the public for the first time.  It is one of 23 cars currently under lease by MDOT for use along the proposed Ann Arbor to Detroit rail line.  Back in November of last year, six of the cars were tested and approved for use by both Amtrak and the Federal Railroad Administration.

The 38.2-mile rail line with five stations (Ann Arbor, Ypsi, Airport Connector,

Dearborn and Detroit), four daily 55-minute round-trips (all during peak periods),

and three round-trips on Saturdays and Sundays.

Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com

The plan is to run four daily trips between Ann Arbor and Detroit with stations in between at Ypsilanti, Westland (for connection to Metro Airport) and Dearborn (for connection to Greenfield Village).  Contracted Amtrak locomotives and crews would be used to operate the commuter trains.  Two hurdles remain before service becomes a reality: the securing of operating funds and the completion of new stations at Ypsilanti and Westland.

Dearborn Intermodal Rail Station
City of Dearborn

The state's new Regional Transportation Authority's ability to generate revenue provides a path for clearing the first hurdle: finding operating funds.  With a new station in Dearborn already under construction and designs for a second in Ypsilanti beginning, the second hurdle is already being cleared.  Finally, track improvements currently being completed between Dearborn and Detroit's New Center Amtrak station, which will separate freight and passenger traffic, are part of a collection of improvements being completed along the entire Chicago to Detroit corridor.  The USDOT estimates by 2016, trains will be able to reach 110 mph on 80 percent of the corridor.

Ypsilanti's Michigan Central Freighthouse, near Depot Town,
 is the proposed location for Ypsilanti's new rail station.
Detroit1701.org

Carmine Palombo, Director of Transportation Planning at SEMCOG, estimates that it will take two construction seasons before the rails are in the shape necessary for daily trips between Ann Arbor and Detroit.  However, special event trains for Detroit's Thanksgiving Parade, a football and/or baseball game could be up and running as early as this summer.


Proposed Fuller Road Station in Ann Arbor

Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com

A new Ann Arbor train station planned for the state's busiest Amtrak hub has been placed on hold.  Once the rail line is operating, Ann Arbor's Mayor John Hieftje hopes to double ridership over the next three to four years and prove to the city's tax base the need for the new station.  Leaders have given Mayor Hieftje estimates that 700 to 900 people would move into downtown Ypsilanti within the first few years of operation just to enjoy the 10 minute Ann Arbor commute to work.  Experts also estimate that another 10,900 University of Michigan employees live in zip codes along the proposed rail line. Four thousand of which live in Ypsilanti.

It appears this time, visions for running high speed rail between Ann Arbor and Detroit are finally coming into focus.  And as someone who has commuted between Ann Arbor and Detroit for over 12 years, I promise to be one of the first to enjoy the ride.

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Sources:

"Ann Arbor mayor: Commuter rail to Detroit can happen in 3 years with regional support", Ann Arbor.com, June 14, 2013.

"In Michigan, One Step Closer to Commuter Rail", Sustainable Cities Collective, February 20, 2013.

"USDOT, Michigan approve funding for West Detroit connector track project", Progressive Railroading, May 10, 2012.