According to Heritage Newspapers, Carmine Palombo, the Director of Transportation Programs for the Southeastern Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG), believes that the proposed Ann Arbor to Detroit regional rail project is on track for completion by October 2010. I don’t know how long the plan has been in the works, but I recall hearing Congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatric take credit for getting the $100 million in federal grants to establish the east-west passenger rail line connecting Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Metro Airport, and Detroit a few years ago. Anyway, the feasibility study is now done, and, according to Palombo, things look good. There are, however, from what I’ve heard, still a few sticking points.

The first problem, as I understand it, is there doesn’t seem to be a way to get rail to Metro Airport. (The most recent plan that I’ve seen calls for a rail stop in Inkster with bus service carrying people to and from the airport.) The second problem, according to what I hear, is that the three rail companies who own the track that would be used - Norfolk Southern, Conrail Shared Assets and Canadian National - don’t want passenger cars to slow down their growing freight business. (Eventually more track would probably need to be laid, but, for now the plan would call for using existing infrastructure as much as possible.) It wouldn’t seem, however, that either of these is seen as a deal killer.

SEMCOG, according to Palombo, has yet to receive final cost estimates from the three rail companies as to what it would cost to make the track improvements necessary to make the plan doable, but they’re talking, and he sounds optimistic.

Here’s video from SEMCOG, showing what they envision the system looking like when it’s up and running.

It probably goes without saying that this, if it happens, would be a huge boon for Ypsilanti. If we had rail connecting us to Ann Arbor, the Airport, and downtown Detroit, it would put us in a much better position to attract residents interested in sustainability and the other kinds of things we discuss here all the time at MM.com. I don’t think I’m overstating the impact that this could have when I say that rail service, from my perspective, is even more critical to the future of our community than the development of the 38 acres at Water Street. More and more people are using mass transit, and, as fuel prices rise, they’re going to demand it. Like it or not, communities without comprehensive mass transit including rail service are going to be left behind.

So, what can we do to help see this happen? Here’s what I’m thinking… We should start a cross-party grassroots effort to promote the idea of east-west rail, and keep SEMCOG on task. I know there’s already a regional lobbying group called “Transportation Riders United,” and that they’re probably doing some of this, but I think there’s a place for an organization focused solely on building consensus among the communities along this east-west rail line where there will be stops. I know, at least in Ann Arbor and Ypsi, that there would be a great amount of interest in a website, for instance, where information, updates and interviews with key players could be shared. And, I can’t help but think that it would give us, the people who would use this rail line, more of a voice as things develop if we came together and formed an association now… So, who wants to start something?