Detroit— A bipartisan group of Michigan's top public officials Monday welcomed nearly $200 million in federal funds for a high-speed rail line to Chicago, saying the project would create jobs and improve ridership.
With gas topping $4 a gallon and ridership on trains increasing, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said the plan will "get Michigan in the high-speed rail business."
Michigan's gain comes after federal funds for rail projects were rejected by Republican governors in Florida, Wisconsin and Ohio. Michigan's Republican governor, Rick Snyder, was at LaHood's side during the Monday announcement in Detroit, surrounded by Democratic politicians.
"There are no Republican or Democratic bridges, there are no Republican or Democratic roads," LaHood said.
"Transportation has always been bipartisan and today is the classic example of it in Detroit and in Michigan. I hope the taxpayers feel this great sense of pride that I know that these elected officials feel and I feel."
The bulk of the funds — $196.5 million — will retrofit a 135-mile section of the Kalamazoo-to-Dearborn track for high-speed rail service. The work should wrap up by the end of 2013, allow trains to travel 79 mph — and eventually 100 mph — and cut travel time by 30 minutes from the current five hours and 45 minutes.
The service would still have the same number of stops but improve existing tracks slicing through Michigan, Indiana and Illinois.
That's welcome news to Danielle Gray, 28, who uses the Amtrak train once a month to visit her boyfriend, Steven Masciola. People like her helped increase ridership on the Detroit-Chicago line — part of Amtrak's Wolverine service — to 479,782 last year from 295,268 in 2001, according to state statistics.
One-way tickets are as low as $31.
"With the gas prices, it's a lot cheaper to get the train tickets than it is to drive anymore," Gray said.
"A half an hour to an hour difference … it's always nice to not be on the train as long. I know it's a lot of money but I like the idea of having a half an hour off the trip."
Upgrade a 'big opportunity'
Snyder said "good teamwork" and bipartisanship brought the money to Michigan.
"In our state, it's a big opportunity," Snyder said. "And the opportunity really represents our No. 1 priority that we're focused on: the need for more and better jobs.
"But it's more than just economic development. This is one of those clear cases where you can show it's not at the exclusion of other things."
Officials didn't say how many jobs the project would create.
The decision isn't popular among some Republicans, in part because the money comes from the controversial 2009 federal stimulus package.
President Barack Obama's administration announced $2.02 billion in rail grants to 15 states and 22 projects on Monday, bringing Obama's total investment in trains to $11 billion.
The money became available because Florida Gov. Rick Scott turned down $2 billion for a high-speed link between Tampa and Orlando. Scott worried local taxpayers would be on the hook if the project ran over budget.
And Michigan state Rep. Tom McMillin, R-Rochester Hills, said the money could be better spent elsewhere.
"If President Obama and Congress insist on piling more debt on our kids and grandkids, they should at least let us decide how to spend it," he said. "We need to fill potholes and improve roads, not shave (30) minutes off a train ride from Detroit to Chicago."
Bill Ballenger, editor of Inside Michigan Politics, said Snyder's embrace of the project was an "individual decision based on needs and not politics or party."
"He's underscoring his image as a centrist, reasonable, moderate Republican," Ballenger said.
Funds add to earlier grants
The grant follows major investment in rail in Michigan, including a $150 million grant the state already received to acquire a track from Norfolk Southern between Kalamazoo and Dearborn and improve it and $40 million to construct a new station in Dearborn and to upgrade ones in Troy and Battle Creek.
In addition to the Chicago line, the federal government announced a $2.8 million grant for environmental and engineering studies of a new high-speed rail station in Ann Arbor, which will better serve passengers and allow more than one train to serve the station simultaneously. Michigan will contribute $700,000.
Michigan is also one of seven states that will buy next-generation passenger rail equipment in the Midwest. The government awarded $268.2 million to purchase 48 high-performance passenger rail cars and seven quick-acceleration U.S.-built locomotives for eight corridors in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan and Missouri.
During Monday's announcement, LaHood said: "Detroit to Chicago is a critical link" in the government's high-speed rail plan and praised Michigan for getting on board early.
He was surrounded at the Midtown Amtrak station by several state politicians, including Sens. Debbie Stabenow, D-Lansing; Carl Levin, D-Detroit;; and Reps. Hansen Clarke, D-Detroit, and John Dingell, D-Dearborn.
"This isn't about politics today; this is about advancing our economy," Levin said.
Detroit Mayor Dave Bing said the turnout from political heavy-hitters was "an indication of how important today is," which "a few years ago … none of us could have dreamed of."
Michigan mass transit advocates also touted the announcement.
"Policy and transportation planners have ranked the Detroit-to-Chicago corridor as one of the most viable routes in the nation," said Megan Owens, executive director of Transportation Riders United.
"Because of Michigan's existing infrastructure, we can do high-speed rail faster and more cost-effectively than most other states. It just makes sense."
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