Local in Ann Arbor

This page is intended to serve as an index for Local In Ann Arbor blog posts about rail projects proposed for Ann Arbor.

Resources:

Proposed commuter rail lines in TMP from the countywide Washtenaw Ride (failed to incorporate in 2012)

Transit Plan Final_June2011 is the Transit Master Plan (TMP) that was prepared in anticipation of adoption of a countywide transit organization by Washtenaw County voters. It failed to be adopted by most county communities. The plan is no longer available on the AAATA website, though to my knowledge it was never formally abandoned. The sections relating to rail transit are still informative.

Ann Arbor Station is the city webpage on the process to approve a plan for a new train station.

The Connector Alternatives Analysis Final Summary Report concludes the Connector Study. It was published in May 2016.  This report recommends the use of light rail to construct the Connector.

The Connector light rail route as recommended by the 2016 study.

Connecting Our Communities is the study of locations for the downtown WALLY station in Ann Arbor. The chosen location is between Washington and Liberty streets in downtown Ann Arbor. It was published in July 2014.

The North South Commuter Rail Feasibility Study published in May 2017 is the result of a Federally funded intensive study of all aspects of “WALLY”, the proposed commuter train to Howell.

The proposed route for WALLY

The Regional Master Transit Plan  was the Regional Transit Authority’s proposal presented to the public for a millage approval in 2016. The ballot issue failed.  This plan included a commuter rail between Ann Arbor and Detroit.

The system map as proposed by the RTA in 2016. Note commuter rail. (Click for larger image.)

Blog posts:

Train of Dreams (June 24, 2011)

Train of Dreams II (June 25, 2011)

Fuller Road Station and the Mayor’s Letter (July 28, 2011)

WALLY Hitting the Wall? (August 13, 2011)

Fuller Road Station: Parsing the Mayor’s Letter (August 21, 2011)

Fuller Road Station: It’s All About Parking (September 21, 2011)

Say What? The Mayor Speaks About Fuller Road Station (December 9, 2011)

Note: posts in 2012 through 2014 are especially about efforts to form regional transit authorities. Rail projects were sometimes involved, but are not the principal subject. To view those posts, go to The Transportation Page.

Ann Arbor’s Fading Dreams of Trains and Rail Systems (February 12, 2017)

The Mayor’s Model for Mobility, 2006. Note the two rail corridors.

Making A Federal Case for Ann Arbor Rail  (April 4, 2017)

Ann Arbor and the Rail Station Gamble (May 28, 2017)

Fuller Road Station – A Review (October 23, 2017)

Governance and Transit and Taxes, Oh My!  (January 18, 2018)

(A review of the recent history of the RTA. The Regional Transit Authority included a plan for a commuter rail between Ann Arbor and Detroit. With its failure, no funding for that system exists.)

The Long Saga of the Fuller Road Station (August 24, 2021)