Map & Directions 

The April 5 general membership meeting will take place at the downtown Detroit campus of Wayne County Community College (WCCCD), 1001 W Fort St, Room 236. Look for the modern building, attractively landscaped, on the south side of Fort Street immediately west of the Lodge Freeway. There is ample off-street parking in 2 lots at the west end of the building.

Dr. Frank Dunbar and his WCCCD colleague Howard Smith, will tell us about new programs at WCCCD that will lead toAssociate of Applied Science degrees in Light Rail Transportation designed to prepare students for employment in the light rail industry developing in Detroit  and other urban areas nationwide. Students may focus on Electromechanical work or on Signaling and Communications.  A  Railroad Rules and Safety Certificate (starting Fall 2014) will support employment in the general railroad industry (freight, intermodal, etc.).  

Dunbar and Smith cite the coming of the M-1 rail line along the Woodward corridor as a driver of jobs in the coming years. They will explain the WCCCD program, why they developed it and what are the hopes and needs for the future.

Dr. Frank Dunbar is Provost, Regional Program Planning, at WCCCD. His varied background includes work as a Landscape Architect, College Professor at three universities,  and Minister.  Model railroads are his hobby.

Howard Smith, WCCCD Instructor, worked his way through Youngstown State University on the Erie Lackawanna RR and continued to work  in both operational and executive level positions in the rail industry from 1971 until his retirement for the General Motors Rail Operations Center in 2006. He is on the Board of Directors of the Adrian and Blissfield Railroads and is the principal at alderley LLC, his rail logistics consulting entity.

Plan to enjoy our usual no-host lunch following the meeting. See below for other ideas on enhancing your visit to Detroit.

If you would like to share a ride to the meeting, please reply to this email. We will do our best to put you in touch with someone driving from your area.

We look forward to seeing you in Detroit!

Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers

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Spend Your Weekend in Detroit

You might think of making a weekend of your visit to Detroit. If you have not been there lately, you may be pleasantly surprised with the variety of places to go and things to see. For several years, I have been telling people that THE place to be on a Friday evening is the Detroit Institue of Arts. Start your evening with a snack or a full dinner at the DIA Café on the lower level. Then wander up to the Rivera Court for live music performance at 7:00 and 8:30 pm. You’ll hear wonderful musicians as you gaze around at the famous Diego Rivera murals celebrating Detroit industry. To cap your evening, the adjoining Detroit Film Theatre will be showing  IN BLOOM on Friday, April 04, and Saturday, April 05, at 9:30 PM. The Inn on Ferry Street is just around the corner when you’re ready to call it a day.

Ten Things to Do in Detroit

Samurai: Beyond the Sword   is the current special exhibition at the DIA

Dine Drink Detroit   by FREEP writer Sylvia Rector highlights smaller spots

Detroit Redwings   On April 4, the Rewings play the Sabres at home.

Detroit Pistons   are away this weekend

Are you enjoying this Michigan winter yet? It has, indeed, been one for the books.

MARP is planning to warm things up a bit with this interesting program on the campus of the University of Detroit-Mercy. See the end of this message for complete directions to the campus.

Our speaker will be Dr. Leo E. Hanifin, who recently retired after 21 years as Dean of the UDM College of Engineering and Science. He will speak on the topic of “Transit in Detroit”.

Dr. Hanifin led the Michigan Ohio University Transportation Center (MIOH UTC), a coalition of five universities funded by federal and state DOTs and partner corporations. In this role, he brought together UDM engineering and architecture faculty to work with consultants from Deloitte to provide research, analysis and recommendations for the light rail system in Detroit.

He currently leads a team of regional transportation entities in a twenty-month study of the factors that enable and inhibit the development and operation of effective regional transit in SE Michigan: factors like public opinion, funding, social issues and politics. He expresses hope of creating a new understanding of the issues that have, over many decades, kept the region from developing an effective transit system.

Please plan to join us for our usual “no host” lunch following the meeting. We enjoy socializing and talking informally about the train issues that interest us.

If you are would like to join a carpool, please reply to this email. See below for directions to campus.

Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers

The University of Detroit-Mercy, McNichols Campus, is located in northwest Detroit, on the southeast corner of McNichols and Livernois, at 4001 West McNichols.  The campus is accessible from the Lodge (US 10), Chrysler (I-75) and Jeffries (I-96) freeways.

MAP & Driving Directions

Or paste this URL into your browser tinyurl.com/marp00068 

Download and print a map of the UDM McNichols Campus Map

Or paste this URL into your browser tinyurl.com/marp00069

The MARP meeting is in the Engineering Building, Room 131. Enter campus at the Livernois gate and tell the attendant you are visiting Dr. Hanifin in Engineering. The Engineering Building is visible from this entrance. Turn right and park in guest parking.  Walk to west entrance of Engineering Bldg.  Proceed to Room 131.

• Northbound John C. Lodge Freeway (10): Exit at Livernois.  Turn right onto Livernois.  The University is north two lights on the right.
• Southbound John C. Lodge Freeway (10): Exit at Livernois.  Turn left onto Livernois.  The University is north two lights on the right.
• Northbound I-75: Exit at Davison Freeway.  Take Davison to northbound John C. Lodge Freeway (10).  Exit at Livernois.  Turn right onto Livernois.  The University is north two lights on the right.
• Southbound I-75: Exit at Eight Mile.  Turn right onto Eight Mile Road.  Proceed west to Livernois.  Follow Livernois south to University.
•  Westbound I-94 or Eastbound I-94: Exit John C. Lodge Freeway (10) North.  Exit at Livernois.  Turn right onto Livernois.  The University is north two lights on the right.
•  Westbound I-696 to I-75 South: Exit at Eight Mile.  Turn right onto Eight Mile Road.  Proceed west to Livernois.  Follow Livernois south to University.
•  Eastbound I-696 to John C. Lodge (10) South: Exit at Livernois.  Turn left onto Livernois.  The University is north two lights on the right.
•  Eastbound Eight Mile: Turn right onto Livernois.  Proceed to McNichols.
•  Westbound Eight Mile: Turn left onto Livernois.  Proceed to McNichols.