Detroit light rail moves closer to reality

After all these years of talk and speculation, Detroit might finally be
headed toward mass transit beyond just the mysterious bus system. The
Southeastern Michigan Council of Governments approved a Detroit Department of
Transportation plan to build and operate a light rail service from Downtown
to 8 Mile.

Excerpt:

According to SEMCOG, the proposed line is expected to be the first
in a regional plan that includes rapid transit in three counties and
would “serve as a distributor and feeder” to an Ann Arbor-to-Detroit
commuter rail line the council is studying.

“I am pleased that
DDOT is moving in the right direction on the Woodward Avenue Light Rail
Transit (LRT) initiative by putting the customer first, as gas prices
continue to soar,” said Lovevett Williams, interim director of DDOT, in
a statement.

The Woodward line would follow an eight-mile
stretch from the Michigan State Fairgrounds near Eight Mile to downtown
Detroit, feature stops at 13 to 15 stations and carry about 22,200
daily riders, SEMCOG said.

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