Ann Arbor - Detroit Regional Rail Project

This project implements one of the key recommendations from SEMCOG's Improving Transit in Southeast Michigan: A Framework for Action(PDF 16.25 MB) plan. The project will provide regional rail service in the Ann Arbor - Detroit corridor using existing infrastructure whenever possible. The project began as the Ann Arbor to Detroit Rapid Transit Study Alternatives Analysis. Upon completion of the Alternatives Analysis (AA), Federal Transit Administration (FTA) officials indicated that given the study results, the region should consider suspending the formal federal process on a preferred alternative and initiate a locally funded project to demonstrate that costs and ridership would be in a range to better qualify the project in the federal New or Small Starts program. The federal process can be continued at a later date.

SEMCOG hosted a meeting of its Ann Arbor to Detroit Steering Committee on April 27, 2010 to update them on the status of the Ann Arbor to Detroit Commuter Rail project. Speakers were Carmine Palombo, Director of Transportation Programs at SEMCOG and Tim Hoeffner, Administrator, Office of High-Speed Rail and Innovative Project Advancement at the Michigan Department of Transportation.

For more information on the Ann Arbor-Detroit Regional Rail Project, contact the SEMCOG Information Center at 313-324-3362.

Complete meeting audio(MP3)
PowerPoint presentation(PPT)

Past Ann Arbor-Detroit Rail Project updates
July 2010
June 2010
May 2010 

View video describing the Ann Arbor to Detroit Rail Service below, or download theQuicktime file(31.5MB). 

Or you can view the video on ourYouTube page.

Project Specifics
The current project is to provide commuter rail service in the Detroit-Ann Arbor corridor with stops in Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Detroit Metropolitan Airport, Dearborn, and Detroit. The project takes advantage of existing infrastructure where possible and requires adding new station stops in Ypsilanti and at Detroit Metro Airport.

The project is being managed by SEMCOG along with partners that include representatives of all communities in the corridor, Wayne and Washtenaw County officials, state and federal representatives, the Michigan Department of Transportation, the local transit operators (AATA, DDOT, and SMART), Amtrak, representatives of Norfolk Southern (NS) and Canadian National (CN) Railroads, and members of the business community.

Currently, the freight railroads are analyzing capacity on the proposed passenger rail line and will be providing an estimate of the capital costs that will be needed to allow passenger and freight trains to safely co-exist with reliable service in the same corridor. Other activities currently underway include identifying equipment costs, developing ridership estimates, building potential service schedules, and exploring funding options. To learn more about the project, please view the project updates.

Please call or e-mail Carmine Palombo at (313) 961-4266with comments or questions.

Additional materials on this topic

Request transportation data(PDF, 571 KB)