All posts by admin

Che sorpresa ti aspetta nel vivace casinò lazybar: generosi bonus, giri gratuiti e una selezione di giochi colorati renderanno la tua serata fantastica.
News

Grand Rapids to Holland transit system could attract thousands of riders, consultant says

From The Grand Rapids Press:

(File art | MLive.com)
A consultant says a regional bus system between Grand Rapids and Holland would draw a line of riders

ALLENDALE, MI – Seth Christrup relies on his parents, Eric and Elaine, to drive him to his housekeeping job at The Laurels of Hudsonville nursing home, as well as various social activities.

As a person with special needs, the 24-year-old Georgetown Township resident cannot drive to get to where he wants to go. Christup would welcome some form of transit system where he would be able to ride to his job, as well as go over to Zeeland to meet his friends at Compassionate Hearts, a faith-based ministry that provides social and recreational opportunities for people with disabilities.

“He wants to be independent,” Elaine Christrup said. “But if you don’t live in Holland or Grand Haven (and need transit), you’re stuck.”

Currently, there is no public transportation serving the Georgetown-Hudsonville area, nor most of the rest of Ottawa County. County officials are looking into the feasibility of setting up potential routes for regional commuter transit, connecting Holland with Grand Rapids or Muskegon, or possibly Muskegon with Grand Rapids.

“We’re not looking at all-day service. Our focus has been peak-hour service (during morning and afternoon periods), said Larry Strange, a principal planning for Mp2planning LLC, a consultant hired by the county’s Planning and Performance Improvement Department to undertake the West Michigan Transit Linkages Study.

According to preliminary figures compiled by the consultant, nearly 12,000 riders could potentially use a regional transit route from Holland to Grand Rapids, assuming two round trips in the morning and two round trips in the afternoon. Such a system along that route would cost more than $403,000 to operate each year, not counting capital costs, the report said.

The report says the operational cost for setting up all six potential routes throughout Ottawa County  would be more than $1.37 million, again not factoring in the cost of purchasing vehicles. Those costs haven’t been determined, said Nate Lisenbee, a land use specialist for Ottawa County.

In a mail survey conducted earlier this year, about 35 percent of the approximately 1,300 county residents responding said they were “likely” or “very likely” to support a regional transit system. That level of support drops off to 23 percent when it comes to using such a system during peak travel periods, the report said.

The transit linkages study was paid for by a $110,000 Michigan Department of Transportation grant.

More analysis of the report’s findings will need to be done before a recommendation is made to county officials, Lisenbee said.

“The next step will be to propose different routes, prepare ridership estimates and costs, and review available funding to determine the feasibility of introducing these new services,” the report said.

Source: http://www.mlive.com/sports/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2012/08/grand_rapids_to_holland_transi.html

Minutes

Meeting Minutes — Executive Committee — Grand Rapids — July 28, 2012

MINUTES
MICHIGAN ASSOCIATION OF RAILROAD PASSENGERS
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING
RAPID CENTRAL STATION, GRAND RAPIDS
JULY 28, 2012

Members Present:     Robert Tischbein, Kay Chase, John Langdon, Jim Wallington, Hugh Gurney, Jim Hinkins, Dave Randall

Also Present: Rich Vavra-Musser, Larry Krieg, Mary Myers, Dan Myers, Chuck Merkel, Jean Merkel, Al Koole, Ronald J.Vonk, Shirley J. Vonk, Charles V. Shong, Dan Platz, Doug Wilson, Rosemary Horvath, Stan Roth, Michael Frezell

Call to Order:  Chairman Tischbein called the meeting to order at 10:03 a.m.

Minutes:  Secretary Gurney distributed minutes from the previous meeting in Muskegon on June 16, 2012.  Langdon moved acceptance of the Executive Committee minutes.  The motion was seconded by Randall and approved by the members present.

Langdon then moved acceptance of the Monthly Membership Meeting minutes.  Randall seconded the motion and it was approved by the members present.

Treasurer’s Report:  Randall distributed the Treasurer’s Report and reviewed salient portions.  As of June 30, 2012, the checking account stood at $10,728.28 and the Pratt Fund was valued at $16,359.82.  As of the end of June, MARP has taken in 62% of the income projected for the year and has expended 32% of the projected expenses.  Income does include $5,000 received from TRANS4M in January, 2012 for expenses incurred in 2011.

Randall distributed a draft Position Description for the Treasurer’s position for review by members of the Executive Committee.

Coordinator Reports:

            Governmental Affairs: Langdon distributed flyers announcing forums for review of the draft 2035 Michigan Department of Transportation Plan and urged members to attend and participate.  Chase suggested that members attend and send their comments to her so that she could submit a formal recommendation from MARP.  She also urged members to forward their comments directly to MDOT as individual citizens. 

Alpena, Tawas City, and Hancock have been added as Amtrak Thruway destinations, Langdon noted.  Effective on August 1, Charlevoix will gain Indian Trails service, but Kalkaska and Mancelona will loose service as a result of rerouting.  He urged that we push for designation of both Charlevoix and Beaver Island as Amtrak Thruway stops.

Gurney noted that he had recently taken the Amtrak Thruway bus operated by Trinity from Ann Arbor to Toledo.  The service was highly satisfactory.

Megabus is now operating three trips daily Detroit-East Lansing-Grand Rapids-Chicago. Amtrak could loose 270 passengers a day if all elected to take Megabus, though Krieg observed that the seats on Megabus were much narrower than seats on Amtrak.    In Grand Rapids, the bus stops at the Amtrak parking lot.  Megabus offers curb pick up only.

Amtrak goes to paperless ticketing system wide in late July.

Amtrak has announced a very ambitious plan for redevelopment of Union Station in Washington, D.C.

Langdon shared architectural renditions for a new transportation center in East Lansing.  The new station will be closer to the diamond and depicts a platform for future commuter service on the CSX line.  Capitol Area Transportation Authority recently received a $6.2 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration for construction of the new facility.

            Communications:  TRANS4M has held several Community Forums to learn what citizens want Michigan’s transportation system to look like. So far, attendance has consisted mainly of transit riders.  Chase urged MARP members to attend upcoming meetings for broader representation.  Dates and locations are listed at the www.trans4m.org website.  There will be a meeting in Ann Arbor this coming Thursday.

Vavra-Musser urged that the data gathered from the recent rail forums be incorporated in the 2035 State Transportation Plan.  The plan should deal with all transportation infrastructure including rail, transit and marine.

MARP’s Annual Meeting will take place at the Durand Union Station on Saturday, September 22.  FRA Director Joe Szabo, Tim Hoeffner of MDOT, and Ron DeCook have been invited.  Bob Johnston of Trains magazine is confirmed as the principal speaker.  Check the MARP website, www.marp.org for registration forms.

This year, the League of Conservation Voters has included the Supplemental Transportation Bill on its scorecard for state legislators.  The League now sees transportation as part of its mission. 

            Membership: No Report.

            Meetings:     The Executive Committee will next meet on August 25 at 11:00 a.m. at the Coral Gables Restaurant in East Lansing.  There will be no August Membership meeting.

Scheduled meetings for the remainder of 2012 are:

            September 22              Annual Meeting, Durand Union Station

            October 13                  St. Louis, former Pere Marquette Station

            November 10              Essex, Ontario, former Michigan Central Station

Wallington handed out a tentative schedule for 2013.  Suggested additions were Traverse City and Vicksburg.

Wallington will look into the former Grand Trunk station in Lansing, now being rehabilitated by Lansing Board of Light.  He will also keep tabs on the new station in East Lansing for a meeting there when completed.

Adjournment:  The meeting adjourned at 11:00 a.m.

 

Respectfully submitted:                                  Accepted:

 

 

Hugh D. Gurney                                             Robert Tischbein

Secretary                                                         Chair

Minutes

Meeting Minutes — Grand Rapids — July 28, 2012

MINUTES
MICHIGAN ASSOCIATION OF RAILROAD PASSENGERS
MONTHLY MEMBERSHIP MEETING
RAPID CENTRAL STATION, GRAND RAPIDS
JULY 28, 2012

Members Present:  Hugh Gurney, Rich Vavra-Musser, Bob Tischbein, Dave Randall, Jim Wallington, Kay Chase, Larry Krieg, Mary Myers, Dan Myers, Chuck Merkel, Al Koole, Ronald J. Vonk, Shirley J. Vonk, Charles V. Shong, Dan Platz, Doug Wilson, Stan Roth, Michael Frezell, John Langdon, Jim Hinkins, Rosemary Horvath

Also Present: Seth Horton, Jean Merkel

Call to Order:  Chairman Tischbein called the meeting to order at 11:05 a.m.

Past Grand Rapids Rail Stations: John Langdon handed out a packet with visuals of past Grand Rapids rail stations and timetables.  As late as 1956, Grand Rapids was served by the C&O/Pere Marquette, Grand Trunk Western and Michigan Central.  C&O provided service to Detroit and Chicago until 1971, when Amtrak was established.  Amtrak restored service to Grand   Rapids in 1984.

Passenger Rail Coming to Rapid Central Station:  Seth Horton, a member of the architectural firm Progressive AE, spoke of the success of the beautiful and functional Rapid Central Station which first opened in 1997.  Just south of downtown, the facility is the hub of the city’s transit system and also serves Indian Trails and Greyhound intercity buses.  Rapid Central Station has been the incubator for a vibrant downtown area with student apartments, restaurants, a micro-brewery and now the home of the Grand Rapids Ballet.  The terminal includes platforms for eighteen buses.  Rapid Central Station was the first LEED approved transit center in the nation.

From its inception, it was intended that Rapid Central Station would be a truly multi-modal transportation center including passenger rail.  Progressive AE is now designing the new Vernon J. Ehlers rail station just south of the Rapid Central Station.  With an initial FRA grant of $3,800,000 secured by then Congressman Vernon J. Ehlers, plus additional funding from FTA, MDOT, the RAPID, the Grand Rapids DDA and the City of Grand Rapids, construction of the new station should begin in the next 2-3 months, as soon as agreements with CSX are finalized.  Bergman Associates of Lansing will construct a new rail spur to the station from the existing CSX mail line about 500 yards to the south.  The new station will replace the current Amtrak station about six blocks to the west.

The 2800 square foot station will include a waiting room for passengers, a snack area and a separate space for the crew to rest.  A clock tower lit at night will be visible from both the Wealthy Street overpass and U. S. 131.  The platform will be 400 feet long with a canopy covering 312 feet of the distance.  It will provide for level boarding. The station will be served by one track initially, but space is available to construct a second track on the other side of the platform as passenger volumes increase.  Erhardt Construction will be in charge of station construction, which should take about a year.

In the discussion that followed, Langdon pointed out that the platform would be long enough to serve seven-car trains.  All trains serving the station will be push-pull, negating the necessity to turn trains around in Grand Rapids.  Trains destined in the future for Lansing or Kalamazoo would be able to use the station.  Facilities will be provided to service trains at the station.  Space is available for a ticket counter should the station be staffed.  Plans call for a future canopy between the new train station and the existing Rapid Central Station.

Regional Chapter Reports:

            Northern: No Report

Detroit Metro: Hinkins is trying to find as much as he can about the proposed Bus Rapid Transit routes proposed for Metropolitan Detroit.  As currently envisioned, one route will follow Gratiot out as far as M-59, then head west to Pontiac, and return to the center city on Woodward.  A second route will go out Michigan   Avenue to DetroitMetroAirport and may continue on to Ann Arbor.

Bus Rapid Transit does not seem to tie in with any commuter rail projects.  In fact, any commuter rail initiatives would need unanimous support from the proposed Regional Transportation Authority Board.

For this reason, Carmine Palombo of SEMCOG sees the Ann Arbor-Detroit commuter rail line as something independent of the proposed RTA.   Hinkins speculates that SEMCOG will be responsible for operating the service.  The  MI Train commuter cars are now ready and have been tested and approved for speeds up to 40 mph.  Additional tests and approval for speeds up to 79 mph have yet to be done.  It is hoped that the commuter cars will be available for special event use by the end of 2012, possibly to move people to the open air hockey game in Ann Arbor on January 1, 2013.  Scheduled service must await completion of work at the West Detroit Junction.

Krieg noted that the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority recently approved funding for locating and designing stations along the WALLY route.  AATA will be meeting with each community involved.  AATA continues to negotiate with the Ann Arbor Railroad for access into downtown Ann Arbor.

Langdon, Tim Fischer of the Michigan Environmental Council,  and Rick Harnish of Midwest High Speed Rail were among those attending a recent meeting on the proposed new Detroit River Tunnel.  Wilson reported that environmental assessments for the tunnel are underway.

East/Central: No report.

Western:  The proposed station stop at Fennville on the Pere Marquette is a dead issue, Langdon reported with regret.  The track curves as it goes through the community and a platform cannot be built on the curve.  Unfortunately, New Buffalo was not successful in winning the TIGER IV grant to study a connection between the CSX line and the Amtrak line just north of that city, meaning that a second frequency on the Pere Marquette is less likely in the immediate future.

Committee Reports:

            Route Enhancement Committee:  Gurney noted that additional Amtrak Thruway stops in Northern Michigan had been discussed earlier in the day.

Old Business:

            VIA Rail Cutbacks:  Wilson reported that along with DeLora and Tischbein, he had recently met with concerned citizens and officials in Sarnia, Ontario.  One suggestion was a new Amtrak Thruway bus connecting Battle Creek, East Lansing, Flint, and Port Huron with Sarnia and London, Ontario.

New Business/ Good of the Order

            Chicago Union Station:  Noting recent complaints from MARP members about the utter chaos at Chicago Union Station, Krieg proposed a subcommittee to review the present situation in conjunction with other affected rail passenger groups in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Indiana.  The subcommittee would meet with Amtrak officials in Chicago and recommend immediate improvements that could be made without costly structural changes.  Krieg’s motion was seconded by Langdon and approved by the members present.

Connections to Comerica Park:  Several members from West Michigan urged MARP to use its influence to develop good connections between West Michigan and ComericaPark.  At the present time, none exist.

Adjournment:  Tischbein moved adjournment.  The motion was seconded by Langdon and approved by the members present.  The meeting adjourned at 12:35 p.m.

 

Respectfully submitted:                                              Approved:

 

 

Hugh D. Gurney                                                         Robert Tischbein

Secretary                                                                     Chair

 

News

East Lansing Amtrak station gets $6 million federal grant

From The Lansing State Journal:

This is an artist’s rendering of the future East Lansing Station.

Traveling through East Lansing by train or bus is about to get easier.

The city’s train station, which now serves Amtrak passenger rail and Indian Trails and Greyhound bus travelers, is in line for a $10.5 million overhaul that advocates say will improve train, bus and commuter traffic.

The project is getting a boost from a $6.3 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration. It is part of a nationwide program aimed at improving bus facilities. Funds were awarded to the Capital Area Transportation Authority in conjunction with the city of East Lansing and Michigan State University.

The local award is among $47 million dedicated to Michigan projects and $787 million nationwide, federal transportation officials said Monday. The department received applications for projects totaling $4 billion.

When completed, the nearly 9-acre East Lansing site will add bus bays, upgrade waiting areas and improve parking for taxis, rental cars and bike sharing programs. It also will incorporate a stop for Megabus, which recently added an East Lansing stop along a route that includes stops in Detroit, Chicago and Grand Rapids, and for Michigan Flyer, which currently picks up and drops off passengers along Albert Avenue downtown.

Design and engineering of the building could take between three and six months, said Debbie Alexander, CATA’s assistant executive director. Construction is projected to take about a year, although an official groundbreaking date hasn’t been set.

She estimated the project could be finished by the end of 2013.

Grant money will fund a portion of the project, the difference of which consists of $500,000 matching grants from the Michigan Department of Transportation and Amtrak, the only national passenger rail service. MSU owns the property and leases a portion to CATA to manage the train station and will contribute a long-term lease worth $3.2 million to the project.

It was not immediately clear what is included in MSU’s amount.

Michigan State University and the Capital Area Rail Council, managed by the Capital Area Transportation Authority, in 2002 signed a lease valued at $1 per year for the Amtrak train station building in East Lansing. The lease is renewable for one-year terms.

Amtrak also will make $1 million in separate accessibility improvements that will coincide with the larger construction project, Alexander said. The rail company operates its Blue Water Line through East Lansing en route from Port Huron to Chicago. Amtrak has daily train service from East Lansing to Chicago and Port Huron and also contracts with bus companies to take some passengers to Battle Creek so they can connect to other trains headed to Chicago.

“This will be a catalyst for economic growth and development in this area of the city,” East Lansing Mayor Pro Tem Nathan Triplett said, adding that he believes increased rail traffic will lead to a revamped Trowbridge Road corridor years from now.

The upgraded station will include all of the land between both sets of railroad tracks along Harrison Road . Most of the existing buildings at the site will be demolished, said Fred Poston, MSU’s vice president for finance and operations.

Site renderings show a redesigned traffic flow through the station, including a loop for passenger drop-off and pick-up, 140 parking spaces, separate bus storage and bicycle parking. City planning officials said there are about 85 vehicle parking spaces now.

CATA’s buses will continue to stop along Harrison Road because not all passengers riding the local system are headed to the train station, said Sandy Draggoo, its executive director.

The train station property has two entrances now — one, a traffic light at Service Road and the other, with no traffic light, just south of Trowbridge Road. The reconfigured station would divert all entering and exiting traffic to the Service Road signal, said Lori Mullins, East Lansing’s community and economic development administrator.

It’s expected there will be more traffic, particularly if the plan works and transit use increases, but it will be offset somewhat by the demolition of university-owned buildings that previously shared driveway space, Mullins said.

Also possible are future improvements to Harrison and Trowbridge roads, including widening lanes near railroad tracks to reduce bottlenecks at the intersection or to help buses and other large vehicles turn around on Trowbridge, she said.

Plans will be drawn up to accommodate travelers during the renovation, Triplett said, adding that “there will inevitably be some short-term inconvenience.”

MSU’s board still needs to approve the plans. Poston said the project could appear on its September agenda.

This is the sixth time the region sought funding for this project. CATA was the lead applicant in four of those grant cycles, Alexander said.

Michigan’s senators, Democrats Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow, supported it .

This is a rendering of the site. Notice the dashed lines along the CSX railroad tracks representing a possible future platform.

Source: http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20120723/BUSINESS/307230035/East-Lansing-Amtrak-station-gets-6-million-federal-grant?odyssey=mod%7cnewswell%7ctext%7cFRONTPAGE%7cp