Dearborn, MI – Congressman John D. Dingell (D-MI15), Deputy Secretary of Transportation John Porcari, Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) Deputy Director Jackie Shinn, Mayor of Dearborn John O’Reilly, and Ann Arbor City Council Members Margie Teall and Tony Derezinski celebrated a historic series of investments in Michigan transportation projects today.  They met at the Dearborn Train Station to formally announce $161 million in grants from U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for the development of high speed rail.  The $161 million will pay for acquisition and improvements to the track between Kalamazoo and Dearborn, a new bridge and track connection in West Detroit, and planning money for the Detroit to Chicago corridor.  It is expected these grants will create nearly 1,200 jobs in Michigan.

“I have long been a champion of high-speed rail because I believe Michigan residents want alternative transit options, I also know that high-speed rail offers tremendous economic development opportunities,” Dingell said.  “We have seen in China and Japan how highly utilized high-speed rail is, and the way businesses and housing have sprung up around the lines.  I know today’s announcement is just a start, but these historic infrastructure investments will make Detroit to Chicago High-Speed Rail a reality.”

Here’s a closer look at the DOT grants going to MDOT:

$150 million for Norfolk Southern Corridor Enhancement Kalamazoo and Dearborn

This grant will be used to improve a segment of track that is approximately 135 miles.  Amtrak and Norfolk Southern (NS) have conducted a study to develop an improvement program, which will be used to create a 235-mile segment that can reach speeds of up to 110 MPH.  The $150 million award will first stabilize this segment of the corridor and restore intercity passenger rail speeds to 79 mph.  In addition, a portion of the award will be used to complete an ownership arrangement which will allow for future development of a high speed rail corridor.


$7.9 million for the West Detroit Connection Track Project

The project will improve on-time performance and service reliability for the future Detroit to Chicago High-Speed Rail system and the Detroit to Ann Arbor Commuter Rail line.  The new connection track at West Detroit will allow the existing six daily intercity passenger trains direct access from CSAO to the CN Shoreline Subdivision through West Detroit avoiding the current connection through West Detroit, Scotten, Springworks, and Vinewood, which has heavy freight traffic.  


$3.2 million for Chicago Hub (Chicago-Detroit/Pontiac) High Speed Rail Corridor Investment Plan 

This planning grant, submitted by MDOT on behalf of Michigan, Illinois and Indiana, will be used to conduct studies and capacity analysis necessary to produce the required service development plan, and a corridor wide environmental document for high speed passenger rail service and service increases.  The Chicago-Detroit-Pontiac is a federally designated high-speed rail corridor, which is 304 miles long.

Southeast Michigan is one of the only major metropolitan regions in the nation without a major transit system. 

Also in the last month, Ann Arbor has received:

• $13.9 million to the Ann Arbor Bridges project. That funding will allow the City to reconstruct a critical corridor connecting downtown to  the University of Michigan (UM), Washtenaw County and the State of Michigan;
• $1.7 million to buy 10 Hybrid Buses for the city’s bus line; and,
• $1.013 million in federal investment to go towards improvements on the Blake Transit Center.
   

(From the left edge of the photo) Ann Arbor City Councilman Tony Derezinski, (back to camera) Dearborn Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr., Deputy Secretary of Transportation John Porcari, Congressman Dingell, TheRide CEO Michael Ford and Carmine Polumbo from SEMCOG at today announcement in Dearborn.