Ann Arbor-Whitmore Lake Commuter Rail May Come as Early as March

[Rizzo]

Good news for transportation in Ann Arbor
http://www.mlive.com/news/aanews/index.ssf?/base/news-21/1170258073110940.xml&coll=2

Hopefully this will put an end to all traffic jams on US-23

[LMich]

Well, at least part of the US-23 traffic jam between Brighton and Ann Arbor, which, I guess, is a start. I'd much rather something be done to bypass or lessen the traffic jams at the 275/696/96/M5 interchange.

[pdxtex]

whaaaa?!!! commuter rail in the state of michigan....am i seeing double?

[Rizzo]

I agree, the traffic issues are specifically between the interchange and Ann Arbor, going in and out of the city. I would prefer this line to go to Brighton. At least that place would be a bit more interesting than Whitmore Lake lol.

BTW, on the subject of it not reaching downtown Ann Arbor, I'm not sure how it even could. If I'm not mistaken, the AA Railroad line receives some heavy freight traffic, sometimes a couple train a day. That would really throw a wrench in commuter rail schedules.

[LMich]

I guess this is good until the people of Michigan decides to start building new rail (heavy and light) lines for mass transit. Until then we have to settle for second best when it comes to commuter rail lines since freight lines, of course, when there is only one option available (existing rail).

[hudkina]

There aren't any direct routes from Ann Arbor to Brighton. The tracks that travel through Whitmore Lake continue on to Howell. The tracks that pass through Brighton go to South Lyon. There is a former route that went from Hamburg to South Lyon, but it is no longer in use and in some cases neighborhoods have been built directly on the old route.

BTW, this is only the beginning. In 30 years the Whitmore Lake-Ann Arbor route will only be one leg of a larger route in a larger system of commuter lines.;)

http://www.downriverdetroit.net/metrotransit2.jpg

[LMich]

Yeah, that's why I said we won't really start seeing any better routes until we decide that we want to pay for new lines. I'm aware of where the tracks go. I was just making a wish, kind of like your map.

[hudkina]

There's no way they'd be able to build a line to Brighton with all nimbys between Whitmore Lake and Brighton. Maybe they could piggyback alongside US-23.;) Looking at a satellite image, there is a strip of land between Whitmore Lake Rd and US-23 that looks like it is wide enough to support light rail/commuter rail tracks. I would guess that land is public land and so the only cost would be the actual construction of the tracks.

[LMich]

There are some things we are going to have to make work if rail transit is to be successful in Michigan, and that includes, but is nowhere simply limited to, taking on NIMBY's for new lines. But, simply utilizing current right-of-ways will be the best way to go, and probably get us very far for any future interurban/commuter rail lines.

Ann Abror-Whitmore Lake may be a nice beginning line to test the waters, but this system isn't going to work by simply utilizing existing and already utilized freight rail lines where freight will always have priority (for good reason). Ann Arbor-Brighton, or Ann Arbor simply to any line that will end up connecting to a Livingston-Wayne County line, is already a necessity for any comprehensive system in Southeast Michigan, if you ask me, considering the already high traffic between Livington and Washtenaw, that's only going to become heavier and heavier.

I don't think you're saying that we should only utilize existing rail lines, or that ruling out taking on NIMBY's where we will need to to make this system successful, but its more a statement of showing the battles that may come up in the future outside the cost of new lines.

Question, Hud, of your lines, which parts use existing rail and right-of-ways out of curiosity?

[hudkina]

All of them use either current rail lines or former rights of way that are no longer in use. The only part that doesn't use existing rights of way is the stretch through Downtown between the tracks that end in Rivertown and the tracks that run by MCS and on into Canada.

All of the routes are nearly to scale and broadly follow the routes that are already in place. In some cases neighborhoods have developed on either side of the former tracks so I'm sure nimbyism would be strongest in those areas, but for the most part the main lines follow current tracks. I fudged the map a little between South Lyon and Whitmore Lake. The tracks actually meet in Hamburg but to cut the route shorter by about 3 miles or so the line could use that little buffer zone between Whitmore Lake Rd and US-23.