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Michigan Central Station PART I of IV


wolverine

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Believe it or not, there was commuter rail between Detroit and Ann Arbor. However, I believe that was shut down back in 1983. Who knows, there might still be enough infrastructure to get it going again. I guess we can hope anyway. It would be a definite plus if the commuter rail could form a triangle between Ann Arbor, Flint, and Detroit.

MrCoffee

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Michigan has enough medium to small, but still significant-in-population cities that a rail network could easily connect you to most of Michigan's larger city centers and effectively and efficiently mobilze at least the southern half of the LP. It's a shame that sprawl, automobile-oriented development, and segregation are so prominent here...

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Obviously this is a little different from commuter rail, but just for the record Amtrak does provide service from Detroit to Ann Arbor. You can also travel from Pontiac through Detroit to Ann Arbor, but if you're in Flint you can only get to Detroit by way of Battle Creek.

In any case, a ride from Detroit to Ann Arbor right now looks like it'd take about an hour and cost $9 - $12. Is it any wonder they're struggling? That's about the same time and cost as driving a large van... In my car I can do it quite faster and cheaper, not to mention the convenience.

Believe it or not, there was commuter rail between Detroit and Ann Arbor.  However, I believe that was shut down back in 1983.  Who knows, there might still be enough infrastructure to get it going again.  I guess we can hope anyway.  It would be a definite plus if the commuter rail could form a triangle between Ann Arbor, Flint, and Detroit.

MrCoffee

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

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And the fact that a one way ticket to Chicago on those same Amtrak lines costs only $20, and $9 to Detroit for a "commute?" hell no! Somehow I think Ann Arbor is going to link it's surrounding towns with light rail before Detroit even gets to the drawing board. That maglev thing that's supposed to go down Woodward doesn't coun either!

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Actually, the train would be a lot smoother and quieter than a bus. I've been on too many busses, they are noisy and ride like a logging wagon (compared to rail anyway). Yes, gas would cost a lot less and it would be faster with a car. But if you don't have a car, Amtrak would do nicely until something else more reasonable comes along.

MrCoffee

And you're right Wolverine, the so-called "People Mover" doesn't count.

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True, rail would be more enjoyable. It's just that at $12 each way if you can't afford a car, you can't afford this train. Riding 5 days a week will put you in the $500/month range. $9 each way will put the cost around $400/month.

I believe Wolverine is talking about the demonstration line that's proposed for Woodward. I can't believe I completely forgot about that thing.

Edit: I didn't see Zissou's post. That's what I get for posting at work.

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True, rail would be more enjoyable. It's just that at $12 each way if you can't afford a car, you can't afford this train. Riding 5 days a week will put you in the $500/month range. $9 each way will put the cost around $400/month.

I believe Wolverine is talking about the demonstration line that's proposed for Woodward. I can't believe I completely forgot about that thing.

Edit: I didn't see Zissou's post. That's what I get for posting at work.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I can see where it wouldn't make much sense for commuting. Generally, people who have jobs in Detroit but live in Ann Arbor have cars anyway. The train would be good occasionally, if you don't use it very often. I actually do like the price going into Chicago, though. I wouldn't have to worry about finding a place to park, and it would give me time to learn Chicago's public transportation system. Hopefully, Amtrak will keep going through Ann Arbor.

MrCoffee

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Good and bad news was announced recently reguarding Michigan Central Station.

The good news is, the station cannot be torn down. The construction of the building is too solid to destroy with explosives and wrecking cranes. The only alternative is manual demolition. However, it would take years to dismantle the structure, and the costs of getting rid of it would soon outweigh the costs of renovating it. Therefore, if something is to be done with the structure, the only feasible alternative is renovation

Here's the bad news: Although you probably already know...

There is currently no solid proposals for the building. in an article by the associated press, Kwame Kilpatrick said he was "frustrated" that his police station plan wasn't working for the station. I think we could have told him that a long time ago. Anyway, although there are probably dozens of people wilth plans to turn it into something, someone has to come forward with the dough to renovate it. The city is currently awaiting results of an engineering study done on the building to find what practical uses the building could serve as structurally and spacially.

I'm still not sure exactly why costs are so high. I think it might because this may be the price tag for putting the station back to the way it was. Although, I could care less if they use drywall over marble in the hallways of the tower. Just as long as the lower levels look something grand like they used to. But comparing it to other buildings downtown, many portions of the building should be easy since so many areas are stripped to the brick. I'm looking forward to seeing some factual results reguarding renovation costs.

I'll try to post the article later.

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So, are there any ideas anyone else here might have for the building?

I mean it can't just sit there like it is forever.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well you dont know Detroit. :angry:

I do like the police station idea but the city is too strapped for cash. If the city owned it im sure Freman would be able to find someone to do something with it. Unfortunately it looks like its going to be years before anything at all is going to be done.

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I'm not really sure what it should be to be honest. A police station did sound like a good idea since the building has spaces that would suit the functional needs of a busy police station. IMO some sort of hotel and convention space might not be a bad idea. Maybe they could remove the park in front of the building and turn it into mixed use buildings. No one, and I mean no one uses Roosevelt Park, which I believe is off the list of places to receive routine maintenance. A firm proposed this idea I'm suggesting awhile ago. There were some renderings too, but I don't know if their plan was ever considered by the city. Maybe it's time they did.

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It would be nice if MotorCity decided to maybe move there instead of staying at the Wonderbread factory but we all know how Illitch feels about restoring large abandoned buildings. If there is a private investor out there who would like to come in and run the cities convention business it could be interesting to move the convention center to MCD and renovate the structure. That is even more unlikely than the police station idea though.

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A casino would be a good thing for the location, I think. A casino would have the money to make the necessary repairs. And who wouldn't want to stay in a hotel with the views that MCS has? It looks like the casino idea is out for now though.

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Well you dont know Detroit. 
Sorry, I'm not from the Michigan area...I'm from GA.

I've taken a liking to the city ever since I had to do a six-month research paper and presentation on it at school. I learned a lot about Detroit from it...apparently not enough.

A casino would be a good thing for the location, I think. A casino would have the money to make the necessary repairs. And who wouldn't want to stay in a hotel with the views that MCS has? It looks like the casino idea is out for now though.

A casino would be a good choice for the location. A police station sounds good, too.

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