Will Commuter Rail Happen In Southeast Michigan?

In order to alleviate congestion and auto-dependency, mass transportation proponents are working diligently to develop southeast Michigan's first commuter rail line.

1 minute read

February 10, 2007, 5:00 AM PST

By Mike Lydon


"There is no rapid transit system connecting to Metro Airport, unlike most major airports in the world. Most of them utilize light-rail, commuter-rail or bus-rapid-transit lines. Only two SMART bus lines stop at the airport. The one bus line that directly connects downtown Detroit to Metro Airport snakes through a number of downriver communities. That's more than Ann Arbor Transportation Authority offers. The furthest point east its bus lines stretch is to the edge of Belleville, several miles west of Metro.

'That's one thing we are sorely missing is a way to get to the airport,' says State Rep. Marie Donigan, D-Royal Oak, a leading advocate for improving mass transit in Metro Detroit.

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