MDOT outlines plan to double Michigan Amtrak frequencies, studies coast'to'coast service

LANSING

The Michigan House Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Local Transportation heard an update from the Michigan Department of Transportation's Office of Rail on Tuesday, including news that the Federal Railroad Administration accepted the state's three existing Amtrak corridors into its Corridor Identification and Development (Corridor ID) program and that MDOT is pursuing a state-funded feasibility study for a proposed intrastate "coast-to-coast" route connecting Grand Rapids, Lansing and Detroit.

MDOT Director of the Office of Rail Peter Anister told the committee the three existing routes currently operate five round-trip trains daily and serve about 22 station communities. He said the state owns about 139 miles of track between Dearborn and Kalamazoo that allows operations up to 110 miles per hour on segments where investments have been made.

"We have 3 Amtrak routes that are in operation today," Anister said. "Those are a combined 5 round trip trains, you know, 7 days a week." He later added: "We'd like to double that up to 6 round trips" on the Wolverine route.

Why it matters: being in the Corridor ID program gives Michigan federal-scoped funding and positions the state more competitively for later construction grants. MDOT said the Corridor ID step 1…