[1]In a 2013 report
conducted by the American Society of Civil Engineers, Michigan’s transportation
infrastructure was given a D. This grade reflects our crumbling
roads, structurally unsound bridges, and inadequate public transportation.
Southeast Michigan’s transportation infrastructure was once world renowned,
however our innovation remains relatively stagnant, as the decades pass us by.
Detroit in particular has one of the worst public transportation networks in
the country. There were multiple proposals for Detroit to construct a subway
network across city dating back to 1903.However, these proposals failed in lieu
of fiscal concerns.
For
the last few years now there has been talk between state, federal, and private entities
in the development and renovation of the Old State Fairgrounds into a
multi-modal transportation hub. This multi-modal hub is anticipated to include:
rapid inter-city buses, high speed passenger trains, and a taxi stand. Developing,
and more so implementing a regional transportation plan using the technological
innovations refined over the past few decades is necessary, to significantly
increase metro Detroit’s competiveness across the state of Michigan, and states
in the Midwest region. [2]Renovating
our passenger rail infrastructure is central to developing a market that develops
and sustains a healthy economy.
The
Federal Railroad Administration has designated the corridor that Detroit is
situated in as the Pontiac-Detroit-Chicago corridor. This corridor contains
millions of people in a relatively close vicinity that would drastically boost
the mobility of persons traveling between the two metropolises. In effect,
the development of a regional high speed rail network for our particular
corridor is estimated to [3]net
over 6.1 billion in sales annually and generate 2.5 billion in annual wages. Additionally,
over 42,000 jobs are expected to be created in our regional rail corridor. It
is projected that for every one billion dollars invested into high speed rail
infrastructure there are [4]24,000
jobs created.
[5]“the total cost of all US air transportation delays in 2007 was $32.9 billion including an $8.3 billion airline component consisting of increased expenses for crew, fuel, and maintenance; $16.7 billion for the time passengers lost due to schedule buffer, delayed flights, flight cancellations, and missed connections; $3.9 billion for the cost demand incurred because of passengers who avoid air travel as the result of delays; and, $4 billion for negative impact on the gross domestic product
(GDP).”
With the population continuing to grow, it will put an increased strain on the aviation industry. Without a feasible alternative
mode of transportation the aviation industry will inevitably become undesirable
as congestion and related costs continue to cut into profits. [6]Detroit Metro Airport and O’Hare
Airport in Chicago are amongst some of the most congested airports in the
country. It is projected by the Department of Transportation that depending on
a number of variables HSR could save roughly 20 billion annually in airline
congestion across the country.
Detroit, throughout the years and
the turmoil, continues to find itself in the position to be a leading force in
the global economy through the technological innovations of the 21st
century. Across the board, peer reviewed studies suggest that high speed passenger
rail is one of the most economically feasible platforms for cities to implement
and benefit, long term from. An inter-modal transportation hub, that links
southeastern Michigan together with high performance public transportation, is
a critical step in developing and innovating our current transportation
infrastructure nationwide
1. American Society of Civil Engineers. (2013).
Michigan infrastructure grades for 2012. Report Card for Americas Infrastructure, Retrieved from http://www.infrastructurereportcard.org/michigan/michigan-overview/
2. Peterson, C. (2012). Opportunity cost of inaction: High-speed
and high performance passenger rail in the United States. American
Public Transportation Association,
Retrieved from http://www.apta.com/resources/reportsandpublications/Documents/HPPR-Cost-of-Inaction.pdf
3.
Peterson, C. (2011). The case for business
investment in high speed and intercity passenger rail.American Public Transportation Association, Retrieved from
chrome-extension://ecnphlgnajanjnkcmbpancdjoidceilk/http://www.apta.com/resources/reportsandpublications/Documents/HSRPub_final.pdf
4.
(“NextGen: Aligning Costs, Benefits and Political Leadership,” ENO Transportation Foundation, April 2012)
5.
(“Total Delay Impact Study:
A Comprehensive Assessment
of the
Costs and Impacts of Flight
Delay in the United States Final Report,” Michael Ball,
Cynthia Barnhart, Martin Dresner,
Mark Hansen,
Kevin Neels, Amedeo Odoni, Everett Peterson,
Lance Sherry, Antonio Trani, and
Bo Zou,
October, 2010)
[1] http://www.infrastructurereportcard.org/michigan/michigan-overview/
[3]
Ibid
[4]
Ibid
[5] (“NextGen:
Aligning Costs, Benefits and
Political Leadership,” ENO Transportation Foundation, April 2012)
[6] (“Total Delay Impact Study: A Comprehensive Assessment of the Costs
and Impacts of Flight Delay in the United States
Final Report,” Michael Ball, Cynthia
Barnhart, Martin Dresner, Mark
Hansen, Kevin Neels, Amedeo Odoni, Everett
Peterson, Lance Sherry, Antonio Trani,
and Bo
Zou, October, 2010)