According to the Detroit News, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood will be in Detroit on Monday afternoon, making a “major announcement” concerning high-speed rail. As the article notes, “Last month, Michigan applied for more than $560 million in funding — including joining three other states as part of a joint request. Michigan officials expect the state will receive significant funding for some grants sought.” Senators Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow, as well as Governor Rick Snyder, are expected to join LaHood at the Detroit Amtrak terminal for the announcement.
Here, concerning Michigan’s outstanding rail-related funding requests, is a clip from the article:
…Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder’s office said the state sought more than $200 million for four individual projects, including:
$196.5 million for route improvements over the next three years between Kalamazoo and Dearborn to allow trains to travel up to 110 mph.
Tim Hoeffner, MDOT administrator of high-speed rail and innovative projects advancement, said 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.
$5.2 million for maintenance along the same route that could begin this summer.
$2.9 million for the West Detroit Connection Track Universal Crossover and a rail bridge. Amtrak trains make a slow left-hand turn from a Conrail track to a Canadian National track, and improvements could cut 10 minutes off the trip, Hoeffner said.
$3.5 million to build a station in Ann Arbor to be used for trains and buses — by Amtrak, the University of Michigan and Ann Arbor Transportation Authority.
The state is also one of four states jointly seeking $366.7 million to buy 31 locomotives and 100 coaches for use in Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin and Missouri. The award would replace train equipment on all three Michigan Amtrak lines — the Blue Water, Pere Marquette and Wolverine…
Now, let’s just hope that our Governor doesn’t fuck it up, like Rick Scott did in Florida.
[note: Perhaps if we ask real nice, our local mass transit expert, Richard Murphy, would be kind enough to sum things up for us on Monday, and let us know how Ypsi stands to benefit.]
