From Crain’s Detroit Business:

The name of the new M-1 Rail streetcar line in Detroit will be QLine, Dan Gilbert’s Quicken Loans Inc. announced Thursday.

The name was one of several trademarked by Quicken, as first reported by Crain’s last year.

Quicken is paying $5 million over 10 years for the naming rights to the line.

“The launch of QLine marks a significant moment in the development of Detroit,” said Jay Farner, president and chief marketing officer of Quicken Loans. “Quicken Loans is proud to play our part in the beginning stages of modernizing the transit system in our burgeoning urban core.”

The first QLine car is expected later this year followed by safety testing.

Crain’s first reported in May that Quicken purchased the naming rights on the $137 million streetcar project, which is under construction and scheduled to be complete in the first quarter of 2017.

“Community after community has benefited from the economic benefits of urban rail systems,” M-1 Rail CEO Matt Cullen said in a statement. “Each day we are getting more excited for the launch of QLine and all the possibilities it will open for our community and our residents.”

QLine was one in a series of rail-related trademark registrations by Quicken in the last 17 months. In December, Quicken trademarked RocketRail, one month after trademarking the names Quickline, QLink and QLine, according to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. In February 2014, Quicken trademarked the name QRide.

RocketRail appeared to be a play off a series of products tied to Gilbert-related ventures that use the words rock and rocket.

In October, Quicken unveiled a new service for desktops and smartphones called Rocket Mortgage. Gilbert’s Rock Ventures LLC also plans to install fiber-optic cable to provide ultrafast Internet access called Rocket Fiber in downtown Detroit and Midtown.

Quicken is the largest single corporate contributor in the streetcar line at $10 million, an increase made last year from its previous $3 million capital contribution. The $5 million for the naming rights is in addition to that.

The naming rights are for only the 3.3-mile loop now under construction, and don’t cover any future expansion of the line up Woodward or potential spur lines on streets such as Michigan and Gratiot avenues, M-1 Rail organizers said.

The rail line will run from Congress Street downtown to Grand Boulevard in the New Center area with what organizers project will be 5,000 to 8,000 riders per day.

In June, M-1 said it had signed a $32 million contract with Pennsylvania-based Brookville Equipment Corp. for six streetcars, which will begin to be delivered later this year.

Construction of the mostly curbside fixed-rail streetcar line, which will be commingled with traffic, began in 2014. It will have 20 stations at 12 stops between Grand Boulevard and Congress Street, and it will run in the median at its north and south ends.

M-1 Rail has said expected annual operations costs will range from $5.1 million to $6.5 million. Backers said the plan is to have 10 years of operating money banked, after which time the public Regional Transit Authority will assume control of it.

Construction is being funded by a mixture of corporate, foundation and public money, and the intention is that future government investment would expand the line north as far as Pontiac and onto other streets (while linking into other transit systems along the route).

Gilbert and Roger Penske are co-chairmen of the nonprofit project. M-1 Rail CEO Cullen is also president and CEO of Gilbert’s Rock Ventures.

Source: http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20160324/NEWS/160329890/quicken-names-m-1-rail-as-qline

From The Toledo Blade:

From the South Bend Tribune

What’s the best way to achieve faster, more frequent Amtrak train trips between Chicago and Detroit — including stops in Niles, Dowagiac, Kalamazoo and Ann Arbor?

Leaders of two rail transportation advocacy groups say double-tracking the entire track along that approximately 300-mile route, called Wolverine Service, is the answer.

The groups, Midwest Association of Railroad Passengers and Midwest High Speed Rail Association, are seeking public support throughout Michigan for the proposal — starting with the groups’ community meeting held at the Niles Public Library on Wednesday.

The Michigan Department of Transportation, which did not have a representative at the meeting, is in the midst of a Passenger Rail Program to evaluate and identify areas of improvement for the Chicago to Detroit/Pontiac area.

At this point, MDOT is not looking at double-tracking all of the Wolverine route. Roughly 160 miles of track on this route would not be double-tracked, said Rick Harnish, executive director of Midwest High Speed Rail Association.

The two rail associations are asking Michigan Department of Transportation to include double-tracking in its plans for upgrades aimed at reducing travel times, boosting reliability, and adding daily roundtrips to the schedule.

“We think the state should be planning for a lot of growth on the corridor,” Harnish told a group of about 20 people at the meeting. “That means you have to have two tracks, an east track and a west track, the whole way.”

In fiscal year 2014, 477,157 Amtrak riders traveled the Wolverine corridor compared to 465,627 in fiscal year 2015, Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliara said in a separate interview. The fiscal year runs from October to September.

Niles resident Jan Personette agreed with Harnish and explained a key reason why faster and more frequent service along this route is important.

“You’ve got to think about how people are going to get to the large metropolises, like Ann Arbor and Chicago, for treatment of illnesses. As we age, more and more of us need this sort of transportation,” Personette said. “It’s got to happen.”

MDOT officials considered double-tracking all of the Wolverine route, but decided against it, according to Michael Frezell, an MDOT spokesperson.

“A capacity analysis concluded that double-tracking the entire corridor in Michigan was not necessary to accommodate full build-out service,” Frezell said in an interview prior to the community meeting.

Full build-out refers to the goal of having 10 daily roundtrips between Chicago and Detroit (of the 10, seven would go to Pontiac — a Detroit suburb), with trains traveling at an average speed of 58 miles per hour, and with travel time between Chicago and Pontiac at five hours and 16 minutes.

Currently, there are three daily roundtrips of trains traveling at an average speed of about 46 miles per hour, with travel time between Chicago and Pontiac at approximately six hours and 40 minutes.

Frezell said efficiencies in the use of in-locomotive train signaling, GPS, and other technological improvements can help coordinate trains, thereby reducing the need for continuous double track.

“MDOT is being fiscally responsible by not double-tracking the entire railroad now,” Frezell added. “If conditions change in the future there is always the opportunity to expand capacity in the existing right of way because the railroad was once double-tracked and the rail bed remains.”

Harnish said he thinks the analysis information models used by the consultants in developing the draft plan are conservative.

Source: http://www.southbendtribune.com/news/local/rail-advocates-want-double-tracking-between-detroit-and-chicago/article_d1ab3430-bdb5-5201-b71e-34c7651f826e.html

From the Mount Pleasant Morning Sun:

There are almost 300 miles between Ann Arbor to Traverse City.

With a potential railway reconnecting some of Michigan’s largest cities and regions, Mt. Pleasant could be stop on that journey.

Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities, a Traverse City based non-profit organization, presented the project at Monday’s city commission meeting to connect southeast Michigan via train to northern regions of the state.

Groundwork policy specialist Jim Bruckbauer said the project could revitalize parts of Michigan by connecting them to the rest of the state.

Bruckbauer explained the project, which would use existing train tracks owned by the state, would create a connection between Michigan’s major cities to the south, and its more northern municipalities such as Traverse City and Mt. Pleasant.

He presented a map of potential towns to be included in the train routes

Along the way, the rail could connect with Alma, Cadillac and Owosso. Port Huron to the east, and as far west as Holland and Kalamazoo could be included as well.

While a “feasibility study” is planned for 2016, Groundwork also expects to conduct an engineering study through 2020, adding summer weekend service in 2021, with full passenger service expected in 2025.

Along with the feasibility study will come summer and fall “excursion” trains in following years. The rides are typically intended for specific events, but Bruckbauer said Groundwork intends to expand the excursion rides to allow for more information gathering, and engage the communities from the beginning.

“That’s so we can start building interest in the service,” he said. “Eventually, we want them to become full-blown passenger services.”

Citing a 2012 survey from the Michigan Department of Transportation, Bruckbauer said the “number one priority” for residents state-wide was a rail connection to Traverse City.

“It would be another option for Michiganders to get across the state,” he said. “There’s a lot of connection between the southern and northern parts of the state.”

He said many of those needing transportation are young professionals, who he said the project could attract to stay in Michigan.

“It will make Michigan more attractive to young people and talent,” Bruckbauer said. “(The State) is seeing this project as a way for the next generation of workers to have the transportation they need without having to rely on non-public transportation.”

Along with riders, Bruckbauer said the train would bring significant economic growth to cities on the rail. Citing a 2009 study from Grand Valley State University, he said once-a-day train service could add $45 million per year to downtown economies.

Following his presentation, Bruckbauer fielded questions from a nearly-full commission chamber at city hall. Attendees were offered to sign a petition in support, and received informative materials about the project.

City Commissioner Matt Sous asked about funding, specifically how much the city of Mt. Pleasant would have to pay to be involved in the project.

“After the first study, what kind of commitment will you need?” Sous asked. “We don’t even have a train station in Mt. Pleasant.”

The feasibility study would cost about $100,000 to $120,000, Bruckbauer said, with a federal grant potentially paying for 80 percent of the study. Local communities will be asked to pay 20 percent of the initial study, but Bruckbauer said it was “too soon” to attach a dollar value to the full project.

The federal grant request is due in February. Bruckbauer said he is seeking letters of support to add to the application.

“The study is meant to figure out things like costs, volume,” he said. “Right now, it’s too early to tell.”

Many attendees asked if the project would create jobs for their city. Bruckbauer said several jobs will be generated locally for the project.

“I hesitate to estimate the actual amount of jobs, but it absolutely would create jobs,” he said. “Construction, whatever operating structure would add to what is already there, so it would be more jobs.”

In attendance, Alma Mayor Mel Nyman commended the project for including his city and its potential benefits for Alma’s college student population.

“I’m very pleased to be here to support his project,” Nyman said. “That track goes right through the campus of Alma College. We could pack students up and easily send them in any direction. It would be a lot easier than them having to drive.”

Local attorney Damian Fisher said he was concerned about connecting the transportation authorities of every region on the rail. He said creating those relationships between authorities should be the first priority of the project.

“At the end of the day, this service won’t work without integrating all of the communities,” Fisher said. “It’s going to go across jurisdictions. That needs to happen now.”

Fisher also mentioned multiple Native American tribes that live along the rail. He said Native American communities could create financial partnerships to help pay for the project.

“You have at least three tribes on this line,” Fisher said. “All those are conduits to federal dollars independent of any state or federal restrictions. They’re very good collaborators to be at the table.”

Source: http://www.themorningsun.com/general-news/20151127/mt-pleasant-could-be-a-stop-on-railway-to-traverse-city-ann-arbor