Next stop: Dearborn. New train station pulling in

Construction on a new train station in Dearborn could be weeks away now that several key agreements are signed.The $28.2-million project formally known as the Dearborn Intermodal Passenger Rail Facility will be located on Michigan Avenue west of the Southfield Freeway and replace an old, outdated station that takes riders across the railroad tracks.The new station will feature a bridge over the tracks.”The bridge will be a safer way to cross,” says Barry Murray, Dearborn’s director of economic and community development.The new station will be served by Amtrak and provide quick access to some of the city’s top institutions, including Henry Ford Hospital, The University of Michigan at Dearborn, The Henry Ford and Greenfield Village, and the west end of downtown.Murray says conference calls this week with federal rail officials will hopefully result in the release of the federal funds that are part of an economic stimulus grant.Key agreements that were reached and required for the release of the money include the hiring of the architectural firm, Neumann Smith, and the construction manager, Tooles & Clark.”We’re very hopeful the grant will be obligated sometime very soon, maybe 30 days is a good number to put on it,” Murray says. “It’s really hard to say for sure. We’ve been saying 30 days for a long time, but I think we’re really close.”Source: Barry Murray, director of economic and community development, city of DearbornWriter: Kim North Shine