SEMCOG

[CAT345C]

They just brought this up again on the news last night, not looking to good right now.


http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar ... 5372032027

[trainjunkie47]

I hate to say it, but you could make a train that would pick up someone at the end of their block and take them non-stop to the airport terminal, they will still choose their car. It is something I would like to see, if it were feesible. If people will not take a train from Pontiac, Birmingham, and Royal Oak, into Detroit, what hope is there for commuter rail anywhere in Detroit?

[CAT345C]

I have to agree, Southeast Michigan is seems to be mostly Auto Workers, my dad commutes from New Hudson to Redford to work for Ford, he wouldn't take a train because he leaves at 5am and comes home at 3pm, not really the peak hours, and then you got the rich snubby people as Oakland County is considered one of the wealthier counties in Michigan next to Macomb, who say Public Transportation, ha, I don't want to share a train with a bunch of factory workers. Its like at Comerica Park or any sports stadium, you can park far away and get a shuttle bus ride, but nope, the rich people have to pay 70 bucks to park next to the stadum.

[SDavey]

Keep in mind that GTW ran commuter trains in the past between Pontiac and Detroit, along with the NYC between Ann Arbor and Detroit were removed to a lack of ridership.

Even if commuter trains still ran between Detroit and Pontiac the tracks between Milwaukee Junction and Downtown is not even owned by GTW anymore, it was sold a few years ago, and does not even go all the way down towards the riverfront anymore.

[CAT345C]

I know there are one or two branch lines, but I don't think it runs straight into Downtown, and I recall the Detroit Police saying more than once that they were turning the Station into there new headquarters, but that was back before Detroit was in a finicial crisis.

[trainjunkie47]

Chicago 4900-

Thanks, I knew of the configuration of the tracks at Milwaukee Jct. The diamond has been gone more than 15 years now. I would think that if any commuter train used the Holly Sub again, it would terminate at the Amtrak station on Baltimore, west of Woodward. A shuttle bus would run from there. Only a pipe dream, I know.

[Stitch]

It would have been nice if the original interurban lines were still in place and operating. But that is a dream that will never come again.....