Public Comments Accepted on Enhancing Rail System

The state of Michigan, in partnership with Indiana and Illinois, is currently working on a plan to add trains to the schedule, improve reliability and cut as much as two hours from the travel time along the 300 mile long corridor linking Pontiac and Detroit to Chicago.

“Michigan is enjoying a sort of renaissance in train travel in recent years, what with the acquisition and upgrading of track between Dearborn and Kalamazoo, 110-mph speeds between Kalamazoo and the Indiana border, and increasing support from our local and state decision makers,” said Larry Krieg, chair of the advocacy organization Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers.

“The current study focuses on alleviating a major chokepoint in the busy rail corridor at the south end of Lake Michigan,” he said.

A draft environmental impact study, released in September, presents the proposed project’s purpose and need, identifies reasonable route alternatives, describes the affected environment, and analyzes the potential environmental impacts of the alternatives considered.

Public comment is being taken until Dec. 19.

The Tier 1 Draft EIS for the Chicago-Detroit/Pontiac Passenger Rail Corridor Program is available on CD at public libraries and municipal offices all along the route from Pontiac to New Buffalo.

To find the nearest location, go to the website www.GreatLakesRail.org. Click on “public hearings” and scroll down the page to view the list of “Tier 1 Draft Eis Review Locations.” Also available on the website is a self-guided presentation with more information.

The Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers, Inc. (MARP), is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit corporation established in 1973 to improve passenger train service, travel conditions for passengers, and to work for the preservation of historic rail stations.

The organization has more than 300 members statewide, publishes The Michigan Passenger quarterly, and maintains a website at www.marp.org.