howell - ann arbor rail line plans expand

According to Metromode, the Coalition for Mass Transit is optomistic about the million dollar Federal grant that they applied for. They are also considering adding stops in Hamburg and Saline.

Other juicy details include:

A three-car passenger train would make six trips during the morning rush hour and another six trips in the afternoon/evening rush hour. Each stainless steel bi-level car could carry between 500 to 600 people per trip. A train would take about 20 minutes one way, saving commuters about 45 minutes in transport time, officials say.

It is estimated the cost to passengers could be kept in line with what they pay for gas. The city also has an enthusiastic partner in Great Lakes Central Railroad, which is willing to set up the service and provide the trains.

aadts and the tommorow that never comes

You're never going to believe this, but the Ann Arbor to Detroit rail project opening has been put off until at least 2008. Yes, over the last ten years you've been let-down repeatedly over the possibility of a decent mass transit connection to the airport and the city. Yes, it seemed like something might have come of it this time. No, it probably won't ever be completed if this uninspired group of foot-dragging bureaucrats continues to hold the reins.

"Amtrak officials are seeking meetings with officials of three freight railroads"
"A lot will depend on what the freight companies are willing to allow and how much it will cost to use their tracks"
"SEMCOG is trying to find out if some federal money for studying transit between Ann Arbor and Detroit can be used to help pay for the proposed contract service"

The AADTS website hasn't been updated since December 06. Until somebody at SEMCOG grows a real set of ovaries and starts MAKING this happen, we can look forward to sitting on the edge of our seats and biting our nails while waiting for the next announcement of delay on this project.

"We've identified a model that we would like to see," Palombo said. "Now we have to see what the reality is."

Never a truer word spoken.

Please contribute more optomistic perspectives in the comments.

amtrak wolverine service changes

As of April 2, Amtrak is adjusting the schedule of the Wolverine, the train that gets the good people of Ann Arbor to Chicago. The new departure times are:
Eastbound from Ann Arbor: 2:09pm 5:47pm 11:30pm
Westbound from Ann Arbor: 8:23am 12:56pm 6:51pm

According to the AANews, the Eastbound afternoon train was pushed back 40 minutes to allow Millwaukee riders to make a transfer in Chicago.
Benefits for Ann Arbor: none we can think of.

The second Eastbound train is bumped up an hour, for the benefits of Chicagoans who are already losing an hour coming to Michigan.
Benefits for Ann Arbor: get to Detroit in time for dinner before the show?

The final Westbound of the day will leave A2 about an hour later, a change with no explanation.
Benefits to Ann Arbor: more time after work to bike to the Amtrak station.

Overall, the change in departure times don't do much for Ann Arborites, unless they are returning from Milwaukee or Chicago. If Amtrak is taking requests, it sure would be nice to allow bikes on the Wolverine!

capital improvements plan; alternative transportation projects

In preparation for the city's budgeting process, the draft version of the Capital Improvements Plan (CIP) is posted on the city website. Here is a list of the "Alternative" Transportation projects in the report:

Bandemer Park Pedestrian Tunnel
Bicycle Facilities Development*
Geddes Ave. Non-Motorized Path (Gallup Park to Huron Pkwy)
Huron River Multipurpose Trail*
Northeast Area Non-Motorized Trail
Platt Road Sidewalk (Huron Parkway to Washtenaw)
Plymouth Road Rail Station
Sidewalk Gaps
South Main Street Non-motorized Path (AA-Saline to East Stadium)*
Washtenaw Avenue Non-Motorized Path*

* item carried over from previous CIP

The Bandemer Park Pedestrian Tunnel is interesting in that it appears to have replaced the Gallup Park/Arboretum Railroad Tunnel from the 2005 CIP. Both projects were designed to get cyclists across the tracks. The Gallup/Arb tunnel must have been cut, despite its "Important" priority, since it construction was scheduled to start in Spring of 05. That doesn't bode well for the Bendemer tunnel, which has a lower, "Derirable" priority.

The South Main Street Non-motorized Path is recently controversial because of potential putting infringement. We were surprised to see that this project was also in the previous CIP. Since then it has been re-prioritized from "Desirable" to "Urgent", increased from $650k to $1 million, and moved up from a planned construction start in 2011 to 2008. Momentum is building on this one, but so is golfing resistance.

The Plymouth Road Rail Station is, of course, the terminal station for the North-South rail line. We griped about this location before, and the description from the CIP, "Passenger platform, covered pedestrian walkway with ADA compatability," isn't exactly inspiring, but it looks like the Mayor is serious about getting this train rolling. The design stage is scheduled to start in July of '09.

The CIP draft is scant on project descriptions, but it is worth looking over to get some familiarity with up-and-coming carfree projects.

Whitmore Lake to Ann Arbor rail service coming this spring?

AANews reports that the city is pushing to implement this line ASAP in order to help relieve construction-related congestion on US23 this summer. We love the plan to link this rail service so directly to the ever-worsening traffic on US23, and this approach is certainly worth a shot before we decide to add lanes to the highway. Of course, the schedule is a little tight. It would be possible to finish the required improvements by March. The problem is in fast-tracking the funding.

Fortunately, potential funding source, MDOT, is working hard to break out of it's image as a heartless, bureaucratic stop-all controlled by the auto industry.

Tim Hoeffner, administrator of MDOT's Intermodal Policy Division, cast doubt on whether the proposed rail service could be running so soon. He said MDOT staff are reviewing cost estimates, schedules and other aspects of the proposal.

They clearly recognize the importance of acting quickly to take advantage of the current allignment of inter-government cooperation, public-private coordination, and urgent need for alternatives to an already crowded highway during major construction. Michigan is fortunate to have a DOT that considers all these hidden costs into their calculations.

"A big question is money," Hoeffner said. "Is there going to be sufficient ridership to justify making some sort of expenditure into it?"

You may think of MDOT as an advocate of highway construction. But the Intermodal Policy Division should be excited to participate in a project like this, with so much infrastructure already in place, so much local support, and such a low initial investment compared to most rail projects.

Hoeffner said he didn't know if the proposed service could be running by this spring.
"We were not real optimistic with them (in December), and I don't know if our position has really changed,'' Hoeffner said.

OK, so MDOT can't really be considered a supporter of the project. Obviously they have a procedure to follow and there are good reasons that that procedure is in place. We would be disappointed to see them throwing money around without some understanding of the risk. All the same, MDOT comes off like a real wet blanket in this article. It would be nice just to hear that they think the general concept is good, or that they support the effort to alleviate construction congestion. In the meantime, the city still seems optomistic. We hope that it pans out.

Yet, we can't close this issue without some constructive criticism. If we were distributing money at MDOT, we'd have to ask how many people would be willing to
-drive to a vacant industrial park in Green Oak Township
-buy a train ticket for a 20 minute ride
-disembark at Plymouth Rd. noreth of Barton Drive (aka middle of nowhere)
-board an AATA to UM Hospital, campus, or downtown
-walk the rest of the way to work
-pay $120/month to do this

That trip probably isn't going to be any faster than sitting through the construction traffic on US23. It's certainly not going to be cheaper, since you have to drive to the train station. And changing modes 3 times doesn't add to the attraction. We understand that there only so much can be done here, but some suggestions might be:
-add bike lanes on Plymouth and good facilities to encourage cycling from the train station (bikes will be permitted on trains)
-stop and start the train near some sort of amenity or service. this train goes from nowhere to nowhere..
-Put the tumbscrews to Ann Arbor Railroad to get that train into downtown, where it belongs
-DDA, UofM, Google, AANews, Toyota, other major employers need to make some commitment to this project. Discounted rail pass for employees is a great start.
-Include bus fare in the train ticket. Most riders should get a free ride through UM or go!pass


Despite the cynicism here, we really are hopeful for the project and the schedule. We'll continue to post updates and ways that people can get involved.

UM staff may get a free ride

The Mayor continues to build momentum on his goal for commuter rail service between Howell and Ann Arbor. Hieftje announced that UM has offered to pay for its employees to use the service. Note that while the Mayor pins the promise on Hank Baier, associate vice president for UM facilities and operations, there are no official promises from the university just yet. Also still missing is the rail service that they would ride. UofM backing is a great boost for this project, and hopefully this is a step closer to realizing some inter-city transit options. But for now, chickens should remian uncounted.

It's not clear whether it is the AANews or the Mayor who is implying a link between the commuter rail and more parking structures downtown. The article drifts towards foreboding vagueries about how more downtown parking is inevitable but at the same time, no one is advocating it. If they are trying to say that free train rides for UM staff will reduce downtown parking demand, we don't buy it. Any mode swith would be from people currently parking in UM blue lots. But that doesn't mean we don't need to invest in some additional infrastructure, both for transit and parking. Hopefully the DDA's coomprehensive parking study will give us more info on what the parking needs will be. We wonder how that same info might be used to support the North-South commuter rail as well.

interview with Eli Cooper, trasportation program manager

AANews published a light-weight interview with the guy in charge of transportation in Ann Arbor. There is not a lot of content here, but it is nice to see him introduced as "the man at the city who is charge of trying to get people out of their cars". Maybe he should have been at the negotiating table when we forked over 400 free parking spaces to Google.

There are a couple quotes worth commenting on.

Many times after Ann Arbor City Council meetings, some of the council members will get in their cars and drive two blocks for a late-evening meal.

If we don't see an LtE flat out denying this, then we really need to reconsider how council is representing us.

Street cars?
Possibly within five years. "God willing,'' he says.
The idea is to have rails put in underground on a street like Liberty or Washington and then covered with pavement. When a streetcar is not in use, the cars can use the lane. He said it would cost $50-$60 million to start it up.

It's likely that some of this cash would come from grants and not city coffers. Still, we were surprised to find street cars to be a priority. Since they will have to deal with the same traffic as AATA service, it seems even a paultry $10 million to support the Link would go a lot further in addressing cross-town transit.

Cooper also recommends express buses for Park & Ride lots. He says the frequent stops make for a long journey that deters potential park&riders. Might we also suggest a coffee shop at P&R lots that sells product that can be consumed on the bus?

new year news round-up

In the first few days of the new year, while the cfa2 editorial board was loafing on the sunny beaches of a tropical island, a few noteworthy news items surfaced in the local rag.

Cagers will be issued brand new tracking identifiers this year. They'll be trading in the blue license plates for plates that are more visible at night. This would have been a perfect time to include a cycling & pedestrian awareness requirement for renewal. The we would know which drivers have at least some education on sharing the road, and by the end of the year, all car owners might be enlightened. Sadly, there is no mention of including such a program (which should probably be linked to driver's licenses anyway).

Amtrak reports some happier news in the new year. Michigan, and Ann Arbor in particular, had record Amtrak ridership this year. Ann Arbor was up 22% from last year! Amtrak confesses that they have no explanation for the jump other than the assumed reaction to rising fuel costs. In addition, SEMCOG continues talks with Amtrak about a demonstration commuter rail to Detroit. Given the glacial progress of SEMCOGs Ann Arbor Detroit Transit Study, we're not holding our breath. We'll report more when something definitive comes out. With or without the commuter rail, we hope Amtrak will consider the increase a good omen and make a resolution to get more people on more trains (is asking for a lower ticket price going too far?) this year.

There were also a number of car crashes reported over the holidays. While our sympathy goes out to anyone who suffered at a time we should all be celebrating, we were happy to note that none of the crashes included pedestrians and cyclists. But one odd event is worth mentioning. Apparently, some pervert tried to break into the bathroom stalls of a couple young girls, failed, and escaped. The interesting point for us is that he was spotted by the father later that day in the parking lot, where the father reportedly hit him with his car, repeatedly.

The father drove toward the man and tried to block him in, striking him twice and sending him onto the hood of the car, reports said.

The suspected pervert escaped again. Police continue the search for the pervert, but there is no mention of pressing charges on the father for assault with a deadly weapon. We are in no way condoning the bathroom incident, but we wonder how the police's response to the father's vehicular attack reflect authority's view of vehicles as potential weapons. When, exactly, is it acceptable to intentionally run someone over with your car?

Finally, in this season of resolutions, we encourage you to add a carfree component to the list of commitments. A great one for people who are already carlite is to try winter cycling. It will add a little exercise to your January hibernation and hopefully winter will fade before your resolve does, meaning you don't have to feel guilty about another resolution failed come July. Since much of our carfree lifestyle is heavily impacted by municipal policy, committing to contribute to a bike, ped, or transit issue would be great. WBWC has lots of ideas and is only lacking the people power to move them forward. Attend a meeting and see for yourself. For inspiration on what kind of carfree communities are possible, see this article on a carfree neighborhood in Germany.

And of course you could finally muster up the courage to post an ad on craiglist and sell your car...

Amtrak business class, worth the ten bucks?

There is a good chance that you weren't even aware that Amtrak offers business class seating from Ann Arbor to Chicago. If you're anything like us, it gets overlooked in the mad dash to the weekly specials page. A BC upgrade to Chicago only adds $11 to the one-way ticket price. However, you can't upgrade from the drastically reduced fares in the weekly specials. As a result, we've never taken the upgrade, but many people have recommended it.

According to Amtrak, the upgrade includes:
electrical outlets for every pair of seats
complimentary, non-alcohalic beverage
newspaper
in-car Railfone
lots more leg room

Now, coach is already quite comfortable. Those who associate "coach" with the cramped quarters on airplanes will be pleasantly surprised at the space Amtrak offers. The seats also recline much further than the airline variety. So unless you need lots of legroom, coach will do the trick. Railfone isn't a priority for us. Your cell phone will work at least at either end of the journey (we tend to lose signal in Southwest Michigan) and paying for calls by credit card is a pain in the ass, especially since Amtrak says those calls may cut out just like your mobile. Electrical outlets are nice, but can usually be found in coach as well; they just aren't guarenteed in every seat. That leaves a glass of juice and a newspaper, which isn't worth the $10 to us.

But we forgot to mention one important benefit to BC. You get a reserved seat. Regular Amtrak riders may recall that familiar knot that forms in one's stomach as the train aproaches the Ann Arbor station and passengers begin jockeying for position. Coach riders have a guarenteed seat, but that seat doesn't have a location. When you board the train, chances are that most pairs of seats have one person either pretending to be asleep or making every effort to look like an unpleasant seatmate in hopes that they can ride next to an "empty". God forbid that you are traveling with someone that you actually want to sit next to. The staff will sometimes act as negotiators in seat trades, but don't count on it. In comparison, sauntering on to the BC car and being shown to your seat is worth a little extra.

In a recent teetering interview, Homeless Dave gives BC upgrades the thumbs up. If he says it is worth the money, maybe there is more to gain than juice and paper.

The galsguide gives a full rundown on riding from Chicago to Detroit. She opts for the BC upgrade. Her advice includes choosing the side of the train for sun exposure (in Michigan the north side of the train will almost always be the shady side) and priceless tips like "doubling as a scarf, a Pashmina is a chic way to stay fashionable and warm at the same time."

If you've got any thoughts on riding business class on Amtrak, let us hear them in the comments.

Update on TRU meeting

The Rapid Transit Meet-up has been rescheduled:

Interested in bringing quality rapid transit to southeast Michigan? Want to help push for commuter trains from Ann Arbor and Ypsi to Detroit, metro Airport, Chelsea, and Livingston County? Curious about the latest findings from the Southeastern Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) on transit in our area? Come to a meet-up with Transportation Riders United (TRU), a non-profit group working to improve public transit in southeast Michigan. Eli Cooper, Transportation Program Manager for the City of Ann Arbor, will discuss Ann Arbor's efforts for rapid transit. TRU Director Megan Owens will discuss regional transit issues, the proposed Ann Arbor-Detroit commuter train, SEMCOG's upcoming public meeting on that issue, and opportunities to get involved. Q&A follows. Free.
7 p.m. Tuesday, November 28th
Ann Arbor District Library Freespace (third floor)
343 S. Fifth Ave., at William
(313) 963-8872
www.DetroitTransit.org

Transportation Riders United meeting on AADTS

Transportation Riders United (TRU), is a Detroit-based non-profit advocating better transportation access and mobility for "greater Detroit". Is Ann Arbor really part of "greater Detroit"? Well, if it was debatable before, the Ann Arbor Detroit Rapid Transit Study (AADRTS) is (extremely) slowly removing any doubts.

The recent update (PDF) from AADRTS has ruled out light rail as too expensive and is now focusing on Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) on Michigan Ave. and commuter rail on existing tracks. SEMCOG has some concern that the costs of the commuter rail will be too high and the ridership too low, and so seems to be leaning toward the BRT solution.

TRU voices concern over this opinion on their website:

The presentation gave no explanation for the ridership or cost estimates and SEMCOG does not currently plan to release an actual report. TRU has concerns about the estimates for commuter rail, which we believe is the best option. The cost estimates are 3-10 times higher than most cities and the ridership estimate is just 2,000 riders a day - below current daily People Mover ridership.

To encourage community participation on this important decision, TRU has organized a bunch of local meetings with experts. The Ann Arbor meeting is on December 4 at 7pm on the third floor of the downtown library being rescheduled. From TRU:

Director Megan Owens will discuss regional transit issues, the proposed Ann Arbor-Detroit commuter train, and how to get involved. Invited guest Eli Cooper, Ann Arbor transportation program manager, will discuss Ann Arbor's efforts for rapid transit. There'll be Q&A and suggestions on next steps for people who care about and want to work on this issue. Please check out www.detroittransit.org for more information.

Carfree folks should make this issue, if not this meeting, a priority as it will certainly play a large role in shaping regional transit, and finally provide decent carfree access to Detroit.

(We had no idea it was possible to design a transit system with a lower ridership than the People Mover. Does this extra effort account for the dragging pace of this project?)

passenger rails build momentum on collision course with ann arbor

The News posted articles on the progress of two potential rail projects with an Ann Arbor terminus: the Livingston-Ann Arbor line and the Ann Arobr-Detroit Transit Study.

The discussion on these articles is already going on over at Arbor Update. We'll just add that these plans could potentially result in three separate train stations in one little city. How these plans are coordinated with eachother and existing services like Greyhound, AATA, and Amtrak is just as important as whether they come about.

Amtrak weekly specials

Riding Amtrak is by far the easiest way to travel from Ann Arbor to Chicago and points in between. The station is easily accessible from downtown, unlike the airport. The major gripe is usually the cost. However, Amtrak offers cheap fares on the Wolverine (and many other lines) through their weekly specials published on their website. One-way adult tickets to Chicago are often $20. Kids under 2 ride free. The trick is in the timing. You need to plan ahead and buy tickets early as there is a limited quantity of cheap seats but the tickets are only offered two weeks in advance.The other major gripe is that you can’t bring a bike on the Wolverine, unless it is of the folding variety. We’ll have to work on that.
website: http://www.amtrak.com (click on “Hot Deals”)

Contributed by: Ken Clark & Scott TenBrink