Washtenaw County residents are being asked to take part in a study on a proposed passenger rail line that could connect Ann Arbor with the Traverse City area.
The North-South Passenger Rail Project would use existing state-owned freight rail lines to move people and commerce between Washtenaw and Grand Traverse counties.
Carolyn Ulstad is the Transportation Program Manager for Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities. She says a rail connection could bring economic benefits to smaller communities along the route.
“The station communities find that would be very enticing because it could really help attract people to their communities but also really help with downtown development and things like that.”
Ulstad says federal and state funding could be available if the project receives enough public support. She says if the plan moves forward, trains would likely not begin running until sometime in the 2030s.
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