FeedsWestland likely stop for proposed train
Plans are rolling along as legislators ponder the creation of a rapid transit commuter train reaching from Ann Arbor to Detroit.
According to State Rep. Richard LeBlanc (D-Westland), Westland has been selected to join Detroit, Dearborn, Ypsilanti, and Ann Arbor as a stop on the proposed route of the high-speed train. Until recently, the cities of Wayne and Westland had vied for one of the few commuter stations the line will offer. However, LeBlanc said that recent discussions indicate the uncertainty has come to an end.
“If the project goes through, Westland is going to receive a stop,” he said.
State Sen. Glenn Anderson (D-Westland) agreed.
“It does sound like its full speed ahead,” he said.
The proposed site of the Westland station is a vacant field located along the train tracks southeast of the Merriman Road and Michigan Avenue intersection. Ford Motor Co. currently owns the property.
“Ford Motor Co. has said they have been actively marketing that land,” LeBlanc said.
The site is appropriate because, at more than 300 acres of available land, the size is more than adequate, he said.
“In Wayne, the proposal didn’t really have sufficient land for the station and everything that comes with it. It really is logistically better. I’m really excited about it. The opportunity for real growth in that area is tremendous. (It) could be one of the biggest things to come to Westland in a long time.”
He also said the focused attention to the issue provided by both Anderson and himself helped “provide the necessary political wherewithal” to encourage the selection of Westland for the final station.
Anderson, who has been involved in the project since about 2001, said that there’s more to the choice than just politics, however.
“It’s not just that I want it for my district,” he said. “It just makes sense. It’s a straight shot down to the airport.” He also praised the site for its ease of access via freeway.
Officials in the City of Wayne had petitioned for a stop in their community for some of the same reasons. In addition to the access to the freeway, the City of Wayne has a parking garage near one of the potential locations near Wayne Road. They also incorporated the concept into a downtown study that took place two years ago that suggested city officials use a potential train stop as a springboard for additional downtown development.
“We thought it made a lot of sense to have a stop in Wayne,” said Peter McInerney, community development director for the city.
There’s still an outside possibility that it could happen, too, according to Carmine Palombo, director of transportation programs for the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG), the organization that is spearheading the effort. He said only the four existing sites along the route were set in stone.
“Is everything in place for the (Ford Motor site) to happen? No,” he said, “But that’s the place we think will make the most sense. It all depends on discussions with Ford Motor Co. We have to see what it would cost and if it’s even available.”
The site was originally purchased by the automaker as a mitigation site for wetlands disturbed when the Wayne Stamping Plant was expanded.
Negotiations are currently ongoing for the creation of a six-month study to ensure that the rails could support the speeds the trains would require. Palombo said they also need to make sure there’s enough capacity on the lines—so there are no conflicts between the freight train companies and commuter trains—and how much it would cost to lease space along the lines. That means dealing with three different railroad companies: Norfolk Southern, Conrail Shared Assets and Canadian National.
LeBlanc said that proponents of the plan will also stay busy in efforts to secure the use of the tracks and to follow up on the possibility of obtaining the necessary land.
“As a federal demonstration link project, the lion’s share of money would come from the federal government,” he said.
He added that he expects the remainder of the funding to come from the state with little or no financial obligation to Westland.
However, Anderson said that Westland would likely need to provide some kind of revenue toward the project to provide support services for the facility. He did not yet know what that responsibility might cost the city.
The proposed system is expected to provide a more efficient way to transport individuals, offers ecological benefits as fewer cars are forced to make the trek, and could offer traffic congestion relief and parking consolidation, the legislators agreed.
Just to set up the system isn’t enough to make it successful in that regard, Anderson said.
“You have to make it competitive and a realistic alternative for commuters,” he said. “It has to be timely, arriving and departing on time.”
Even more than that, however, LeBlanc said that the transit system would take advantage of the currently underutilized rail system to expand opportunities, create jobs, and potentially provide economic stimulation.
Palombo said details of the system wouldn’t be finalized at least until 2008.
“We’re looking at at least another year, probably two,” he said.
Scott Spielman contributed to this story.
