Detroit/Ann Arbor transit study says trains feasible, practical

Detroit Metro Times graphic.

But like some of the discussions we've had from time to time on this blog, with regard to regional transit service, when does it make sense to do "heavy rail" vs. "light rail" versus "railroad-based services?"

The distance from Detroit to Ann Arbor is 45 miles. How much travel there is between Detroit and Ann Arbor and all of the intermediate points is another question. I think it makes more sense to focus on intra-Wayne, Oakland, Macomb county transit, and Detroit and Ann Arbor regional, possibly railroad transit, as another level.

Fortunately, the study seems to have looked at the issue at that level of gradation. See " Rail is right" from the Detroit Metro Times. The Ann Arbor to Detroit Rapid Transit Study website has more information on the study, and this other article from the Metro Times, "Across the great divide: Woodward Avenue as a link to regional cooperation," discusses the possibility of transit along Woodward Avenue, the street that starts in Detroit, and ends in Pontiac, in Oakland County, a distance of not quite 30 miles.

Although it's interesting that they think that they can jump start regional rail transit planning by connecting Detroit to Ann Arbor. The ridership numbers seem rather small. And if they focus on travel via the freeway I-94, they are likely to doom the system's ridership potential. It's the rare freeway-based transit system, disconnected from where people are normally, that is successful in promoting intra-oriented transit, as opposed to moving people to the center city and back.

We've had some similar conversations in the context of creating a true regional railroad passenger transportation system in the Washington region, best illustrated by the map created by Dan Malouff.
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