GT line to Grand Haven rebuilt - Your thoughts?

[wyrickj]

Not talking about history but what would everyone think if it was rebuilt to access grand haven state park? I know it's almost impossible to do these days with condo's going up but I wonder if it would be a good idea seeing how the parking gets full quickly during the summer. I see so many cars & people during the summer it just drives me insane on why it would not work if the condo's were not in the way and the bridge was still there in the channel.

[J T]

[AARR]

I think this is very doable. CSX could hand off their MS traffic to GR who in turn would turn it over to C&M who would take across the newly rebuilt line between Coopersville and Grand Haven and give it to MS in a newly rebuilt yard south of the Grand Haven bridge. Think of all the money saved by bypassing CSX's line from Grand Rapids to Holland. Us railfans could call it the "West Michigan Alphabet Route".

I'm sure Mr Larkin would free up and rebuid those Baldwin Sharks to handle the heavy traffic.

[Y@]

My thoughts...you're smokin some pretty heavy s&^% dude. Pass it over to me.
My second thought? Not in yours or my lifetime. Even if I would win tonites power ball I wouldn't do it. And neither would anyone else.

[DT&I]

Wait so we can't rebuild the Cloverleaf to St. Louis either?

[Ben Higdon]

I see so many cars & people during the summer it just drives me insane on why it would not work if the condo's were not in the way and the bridge was still there in the channel.

No.1 reason this wouldn't work is that you'll never find enough crow-bars to pry people's rear ends out of their cars. There are lots of other reasons, like the condos and the bridge. Maybe it would be feasible if gas was $10/gallon, but that will never happen as we will be taxed to subsidize cheap fuel before it would ever get to that point. Our society's infrastructure is already in place and is designed for automobile travel. You'll need way more population density and jobs than we have anywhere in Michigan to support this sort of public transit.

[Saturnalia]

I think there is a better chance of a zombie apocalypse in the next 24 hours than the GT between GR & GH being rebuilt anytime in the next 100 years.

or

There is a better chance of AARR being relevant and logical on this subject than his speculation ever coming to pass...


Take your pick

[csx801]

Maybe a really really big business (dreaming here) goes in just east of Spring lake and they dont want another swing bridge to keep up. thats the most reasonable responce i can think of. but to grand haven... Never.

[Saturnalia]

Maybe a really really big business (dreaming here) goes in just east of Spring lake and they dont want another swing bridge to keep up. thats the most reasonable responce i can think of. but to grand haven... Never.

There is no operational efficiency to having another way to get to GH. There are no customers in GH anyway. And nothing between Walker and GH. There is no traffic from Grand Rapids (CSX), MQT or the GRE that would justify a thru route.

On the notion of a connection between the MS and the beach, don't hold your breath. There is nothing for land land to build it on, hardly a need for it either, even for a streetcar. If they had kept the GR, GH & M Ry stuff in there, it would be a neat historical piece for the town, but the millions to re-install it? Not going to happen.

As far a rail-servied businesses in GH, there is not much. Johnson Boiler is not going to ship again anytime soon, and all the sand and other laker shipments are not going to get tapped anytime soon, mostly since it's maritime companies who own the stuff to begin with.

[tyrone williams]

I thought about this all nite. It's an idea whose time has come. Thousands of miles of track are getting relaid every year now. Can't drop the rail fast enough.

[wyrickj]

I think people in Michigan need to just use there automobile less . I don't care if I own a $40k car I have come to love taking public transit and everyone should follow although atm it's kinda hard to take public transit out side of GR . Maybe with GR's metro area reaching about 1 million people & growing for the first time it's worth a study to seriously improve rail around GR. I have taken a lot of commuter rail for business over the past few years in Boston & Chicago and loved it more then driving.

IMO though I think that our numbers are ok but we just need to convince people rail is better then driving . At least you can avoid all the horrible potholes.

[AARR]

There is a better chance of AARR being relevant and logical on this subject than his speculation ever coming to pass...

Aint happening

[AARR]

I thought about this all nite. It's an idea whose time has come. Thousands of miles of track are getting relaid every year now. Can't drop the rail fast enough.

Tyrone? That's your name but that's NOT your writing

[SW]

Tyrone got out of jail, sobered up, and got his GED!

[tyrone williams]

Yes i got outta jail but no GED. I got me an iPhone with Siri and spellcheck and it helps me a lot. Thank you Bill Gates!!

[J T]

I think people in Michigan need to just use there automobile less . I don't care if I own a $40k car I have come to love taking public transit and everyone should follow although atm it's kinda hard to take public transit out side of GR . Maybe with GR's metro area reaching about 1 million people & growing for the first time it's worth a study to seriously improve rail around GR. I have taken a lot of commuter rail for business over the past few years in Boston & Chicago and loved it more then driving.

IMO though I think that our numbers are ok but we just need to convince people rail is better then driving . At least you can avoid all the horrible potholes.

Unless Grand Rapids balloons the size of Boston or Chicago, there will never be rail transit here. The idea of it is just a silly pipe dream that a few delusional thinkers have.

The better solution is to figure out a way to make electric vehicles more affordable and efficient.

[bdconrail29]

I think people in Michigan need to just use there automobile less . I don't care if I own a $40k car I have come to love taking public transit and everyone should follow although atm it's kinda hard to take public transit out side of GR . Maybe with GR's metro area reaching about 1 million people & growing for the first time it's worth a study to seriously improve rail around GR. I have taken a lot of commuter rail for business over the past few years in Boston & Chicago and loved it more then driving.

IMO though I think that our numbers are ok but we just need to convince people rail is better then driving . At least you can avoid all the horrible potholes.

This makes economic sense in the northeast (ie the Northeast Corridor) but not at all in Michigan.

[SD80MAC]

At the very most, I could see GR getting a light rail or streetcar type system someday in the future. But heavy commuter rail? Not a chance. Even cities like Denver only have light rail.

[nssd70m-2]

Let's rebuild the NYC Airline while we're at it...

[MagnumForce]

Can't wait to see trains flying through Hudson again on the Old Road and the Cincinnati Northern.