Progress report: Regional transit's 406-mile walk towards reality

Model D, 3/26/2009

The mass transit train is gaining steam in Detroit!

Excerpt:

On March 18, John Hertel addressed a group of New Center stakeholders as to his progress on the regional transit front. As the Director of the Regional Transportation Coordinating Council for the past two years, he reports directly to the so-called Big 4 -- the county executives from Wayne, Oakland and Macomb and the mayor of Detroit -- and is charged with pushing a regional transit agenda forward.

In December 2008, the Big 4 unanimously approved a regional transit plan that calls for 406 miles of transit. Its estimated cost is $10.5 billion and Hertel projects that it will take 25 years to implement.

First up is arterial rapid transit, a.k.a. an improved bus system. There will be hybrid buses "honeycombing" the three counties. The improvements will include more lines serviced more often and stops with shelters that provide actual information.

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Transit , Transportation

Detroit