As recently reported in the news, a new report about the proposed Washtenaw-Livingston (Wally) Commuter train was just released. An independent consultant was hired to review the Wally plans, budget and proposals to date. They just announced that they found the project to be very viable and likely to be successful, once it’s up and running (which should take 16 months).
The consultants provided a number of recommendations for the project coalition, including making the trip time competitive with driving. Original plans had the train running at 40 mph, but the consultants recommended running at 60 mph instead, which will require additional track and rail crossing improvements. With those improvements, it will cost $32 million to get started and about $7 million a year to operate.
Learn more, including a summary presentation and the full technical report at eWashtenaw.org/Wally.