Lansing-Detroit high speed rail

[CN_Okemos]

The Lansing State Journal posted the following story online this afternoon about the proposed Lansing-Detroit high speed rail project. As us railfans figured, doesnt look like it'll get off the ground (sorry for the pun) anytime soon...



LANSING - A proposed high-speed rail line between Detroit and Lansing needs further study, said a legislative task force that has studied the idea since the summer.


Today, state Rep. Bill Rogers, R-Brighton, and chairman of the task force, said the state needs to get more details about the financing of the project before it can be approved.


“The state is obviously facing troubled economic times and we need creative solutions to create jobs,” Rogers said. “This proposal could prove to be a watershed moment for Michigan.”


In June, Michigan-based Interstate Traveler Co. LLC, or ITC, pitched the high-tech system.


Private investors would pay for the rail line but are asking for public right-of-ways along highways to do the work. The construction would cost roughly $10 million per mile of construction.


The rail would run off solar-powered hydrogen and use magnetic levitation technology to propel rail cars about 200 miles per hour. A combination of 40-seat passenger cars, private cars, car ferries, freight and even medical triage cars could run along the line.


Stainless steel conduits connected to the elevated rail would transport electricity, water, natural gas, fiber optic cables and other infrastructure.


Rogers said the state should secure a bond from the investors to guarantee the project in case it fails.


The proposal is expected to go before the House Transportation Committee in coming months.


Read Wednesday's Lansing State Journal for more on this report.
http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/arti ... /301190012

[trainjunkie47]

Pie in the sky.

Freight traffic, not a chance. You need terminals of some sort at each end. The drayage alone would prevent freight from being shipped on this line, even if it were free of charge.

[TrainWatcher]

And CSX would have to go along with it. There are hardly any sidings that would be of use, especially when Q334/Q335, and other freights meet at those places regularly. Not to mention getting around the Lansing Local, the Plymouth Locals, X500 and Oak Yard, and around every other train CSX runs on the Plymouth and Detroit Subs. It wont happen. The trackage is not there. Now, on the other hand, you could possibily use the Third Rail, but that starts on the East End of Plymouth, and that would need MAJOR upgrades for that.

[Raildudes dad]

This is the proposal to build a monorail in the Interstate ROW.

[Ben Higdon]

A combination of 40-seat passenger cars, private cars, car ferries, freight and even medical triage cars could run along the line.

Car ferries? Like the Badger? I assume this means an auto train type concept.

Out of all the places in the country to build a 200mph monorail.........Detroit!?

[j32885]

Yet again, another way to waste Michigan's taxpapers dollars by building this costly Maglev System between Detroit & Lansing.

The question is: Who is going to really used this service

Personally, I won't support it even if was built. I would support this high speed rail service, if Maglev technology was successful else where in the United States. So far it's widely in use in Japan and Germany.

Logically, I would have GLC be the main contractor and service provider in the State of Michigan for communiter rail service, since they own all of those communiter passenger cars. Many of the city governments want communiter rail, but don't how to manage it or fund it. This why should GLC should provide the service. Here's what the State of Michigan and GLC should give us rail service on the following routes:

Pere Marquette (West)
- Muskegon <> Grand Rapids <> Lansing

Pere Marquette (East)
- Lansing <> Howell <> Plymouth <> Detroit

Grand Trunk Western (Saginaw)
- Bay City <> Saginaw <> Durand

Grand Trunk Western (Holly)
- Durand <> Holly <> Pontiac <> Detroit

Grand Trunk Western (Mt. Clemens)
- Pt. Huron <> Mt. Clemens <> Detroit

Michigan Central
- Jackson <> Ann Arbor <> Wayne <> Dearborn <> Detroit

Ann Arbor Railroad
- Durand <> Howell <> Hamburg <> Ann Arbor

[Ben Higdon]

Yet again, another way to waste Michigan's taxpapers dollars by building this costly Maglev System between Detroit & Lansing.

They won't waste any money building it...they'll just waste the time (payroll) of the "legistlative task force" and the "House Transportation Committee", and whatever it costs to pay consultants for a "feasibility study". Normally I'm all about supporting public transportation, and I avoid complaining about government policy, but this is stupid. Somebody is cashing in on wasting government time. The state is in a financial crisis and they're sitting in Lansing with visions of Mickey and Goofy riding the Disneyland monorail to Detroit. A great opportunity (watershed moment for Michigan!) was when they built M6 or whatever the south belt line is in Grand Rapids. We'll never have a good network of commuter rail transportation as long as gas is cheap (thanks government!) and the government adds lanes and builds new highways to accommodate more cars.

[J T]

Private investors would pay for the rail line but are asking for public right-of-ways along highways to do the work. The construction would cost roughly $10 million per mile of construction.

Good luck with that, "private investors."

[UncleRaul]

Or just use the money to fund amtrak as it is, maybe even a new train from GR to Detroit?

[TrainWatcher]

PROBLEM. One Acronym, CSXT. It wont happen. As I already said There is enough Local and Over the Road type traffic on the Plymouth and Detroit Subs. So from GR to DET, wont happen.

[RailCanon]

PROBLEM. One Acronym, CSXT. It wont happen. As I already said There is enough Local and Over the Road type traffic on the Plymouth and Detroit Subs. So from GR to DET, wont happen.

Uhhh...
Last I checked, even with extras, you rarely will see more than 10 movements per day over the Plymouth Sub. I'm fairly certain the Detroit sub could also handle one or two more trains as well.
Amtrak service could DEFINITELY be started over CSX between Detroit and Grand Rapids...if somebody ever ponied up enough money...

[GTW6401]

Read the article again, because it clearly says that private investors would pay for the rail line that would run alongside highways.

[MDH]

This is the proposal to build a monorail in the Interstate ROW.

MONORAIL!



Because as ideas go, it's right up there with the giant magnifying glass and the escalator to nowhere!



Wait! After careful searching, I found a copy of their business plan!



But go ahead Michigan - I'm sure it'll work out better for you...

[~Z~]

I remember that episode well MDH< thanks for the laugh while being stuck on hold with some satellite service.

[intocable83]

I have an idea! Instead of wasting money on this project, they should really complete a few more stops for the stupid "People Mover" thing in Detroit. Before they go waste money on something this big, they should just experiment with something they already were messing around with before and go from there.