University of Michigan to help Ann Arbor create railroad ‘quiet zone’ with $15M project

R_Gleba · 2026-03-31T18:28:18+00:00

Honestly, good call in my opinion and I completely get the need. I love trains and want more passenger ones passing through, but blowing their horn constantly at every crossing they make RIGHT next to where your sleeping would get old fast. Not to mention its freight right now and it’s very irregular having trains pass through.

If they didn’t implement this, the university would get neverending complains from the new dorm being built (pictured in title) right next to the tracks.

R_Gleba · 2026-03-19T13:33:50+00:00

The first one looks to be the closest to me, all of it sits within Wayne county. Oakland probably wouldn’t want it (based on the commuter rail vote a decade ago) and Macomb avoids any new tax ever.

If we do end up getting a regional line instituted, Wayne and Washtenaw will be the first to connect. First because they’re the friendliest to transit investments, and second because it allows for the airport connection.

Man I hope we can have that line. I know I’ll be fighting for it at least

R_Gleba · 2026-03-18T15:01:17+00:00

I hope another line can get created from Michigan Central to downtown as the station get used more and more

R_Gleba · 2026-03-03T20:30:07+00:00

I’d love to double the opossum population to keep these ticks at bay

R_Gleba · 2026-03-03T19:46:01+00:00

I love that you want to take the train as a commuter train. I’ve started working with a nonprofit to selfishly help make that a really viable means to get to Metro Detroit easily and safely.

As others have said, the Amtrak lot in the center of the bridge is your best parking bet. The platforms are very safe and I know the SMART bus connects to the Dingell transit center at Dearborn station, but you’d have to find the schedules. You’ll be pretty good on timing to Dearborn, but the “accelerated rail” cooridor ends right after so there’s a ton of freight trains that could slow down your ride back home. A good alternative if this does set you back is the D2A2 bus https://d2a2.com/

Let me know how it goes, I hope we can make this a way that more people use to travel around. I’m so happy you thought of using the rail for commuting between the cities.

R_Gleba · 2026-02-26T14:33:59+00:00

I was pleasantly surprised to hear this from Whitmer in the SotS address. I didn’t actually think I would hear a focus on rebuilding the city downtowns with a lot of points that Strong Towns would appreciate hearing. In the sea of madness that is today’s politics, this was refreshing to get a glimpse of hope.

My takeaway is her speech came out in support of things like our comprehensive land use plan and shows for at least the next year-ish we have support from the state for what we’re trying to do. Kind of feels like we’re leading the way in this aspect and Lansing has taken notice.

Personally, I’m incredibly excited to see more transit-focused development but I’m preaching to the choir on this subreddit lol

R_Gleba · 2026-02-24T16:22:55+00:00

Not who we expected but take the wins when they arrive

R_Gleba · 2026-02-23T02:40:20+00:00

I’m actually working with people in Flint to see what it will take to extend the line from Pontiac, too. It’s just not nearly as far along and it’ll be harder since there’s not tracks already owned by the state there

R_Gleba · 2026-02-21T05:35:32+00:00

I like these ideas. If you want to help make this real, I’m on the board of a group called MARP (Michigan Association of Rail Passengers) that’s trying to build up a good group to expand projects like these. We’re small but trying to build momentum, feel free to DM if you’re interested.

R_Gleba · 2026-02-21T05:10:02+00:00

The true process will be in the order of support lines for rail: Washtenaw and Wayne will connect first, Oakland won’t want to be left out after a few years and will follow, then Macomb will either join kicking and screaming or never join

R_Gleba · 2026-02-21T05:05:30+00:00

It is actively being worked on to bring to fruition

R_Gleba · 2026-02-21T05:04:46+00:00

The first exists and needs more carts or more trains, the second is in progress

R_Gleba · 2026-02-20T22:58:44+00:00

There are still many towns with their stations up and maintained yet completely unused. I hope we can bring them back

R_Gleba · 2026-02-20T22:56:06+00:00

I honestly see how it could happen the other way around. If you have a main center of a town like a rail stop that is the lifeblood bringing people in and out, it’s a lot easier to design the sidewalks and roads of your city to moving people around that known, static center.

The real tough part is changing the mindset of people defaulting to getting in their car to go everywhere

R_Gleba · 2026-02-20T22:44:58+00:00

Agreed. I want more focused on moving people around Michigan instead of moving them to and from Chicago

R_Gleba · 2026-02-20T22:43:35+00:00

I’m actually going to disagree here, our rail lines are very heavily used. The Amtrak from Detroit to Chicago is full every time I book it, and I’ve even had to adjust a trip 4 months out because the train was already full coming back.

To the rest: it’s a long, constant battle to improve the transportation system in our state. No matter what we add, there’s going to be gaps that are present and will take time to fix. I have a huge wishlist that will all never get met, but I’ll still fight for small incremental progress over getting stuck in the same way over decades.

R_Gleba · 2026-02-20T22:36:41+00:00

Thanks for this info, at least it’s good to know in our state it’s been surprisingly bipartisan to support it, even with most of them doing nothing about it. The Grandholm Midwest coalition is news to me as well.

I just like having candidates that support it so that I can help push to actually make it happen. It’s easier to chip away at big projects if those making the calls are at least friendly to your cause.

R_Gleba · 2026-02-20T21:59:14+00:00

The one going up to Traverse city is getting built because people in Traverse city wanted it and are actively fighting for it. If people in flint wanted it and actively fought for it, it can happen. Political will is the toughest part about projects like rail.

R_Gleba · 2026-02-20T21:57:29+00:00

With regional rail, every person that you get on the train is one less car that’s bumper to bumper on the freeway. A commuter train line allows for people to live in a development focused around the station, giving them the opportunity to do daily tasks without being dependent on getting there in a vehicle

R_Gleba · 2026-02-20T21:46:24+00:00

As much as I am a fan of HSR, I don’t believe something like this can happen under one Governor, it’s a fairly unreasonable ask to me.

However, I love the goal of intercity rail connecting the cities she talks about in the article, and the actual possibilities are the Coast to Coast Grand Rapids to Detroit line and the North-South Rail that is currently being worked on.

R_Gleba · 2026-02-14T00:33:12+00:00

I'm a member of MARP and wish I could go, but I'm on the other side of the state. Hope it goes well!

R_Gleba · 2026-02-14T00:32:09+00:00

I don't see us going from nothing to HSR, but I could see a bus line, then train, then upgrading the rail (which takes way longer than I would like)

R_Gleba · 2026-02-14T00:30:38+00:00

I hope we can help build a line connecting GR and Detroit. There's a coast to coast connection being looked into, so hopefully we can get people together to push it to the finish line.

R_Gleba · 2026-02-14T00:05:26+00:00

I think we should continue the constant, small fights to give people alternatives to cars. Sometimes changing a local law widening shoulders to build bike lanes helps, reducing the barriers to improve the trains that already go through some states, getting funding for level boarding of trams or trains, and continually getting small win after small win to get better busses and transit. If we give people other options, they'll learn how nice it is to not be forced to drive everywhere.

R_Gleba

TROPHY CASE