ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The Federal Railroad Administration has halted work on a long-proposed new passenger station for Ann Arbor, citing high cost and unacceptable design features.
MLive, the Ann Arbor News website, reports a letter from Jamie Rennert, director of the FRA’s Office of Infrastructure Development, told the city the agency would discontinue work on the environmental assessment of the station plan. The letter cited the high cost of a design that would place the station over the tracks because of space constraints and the amount of parking desired by the city, and said the design “exceeds intercity passenger rail needs.”
For more than a decade, the city has pursued construction of a new station adjacent to the University of Michigan Medical Center at Fuller Park, a 60-acre recreation area. Mayor Christopher Taylor called the FRA decision an “unwelcome surprise” and told the newspaper the current Amtrak depot is inadequate. The city is currently determining a response and has enlisted the help of the state Department of Transportation and U.S. Rep Debbie Dingell (D-Dearborn).
As of 2019, the city estimated final design of the new station would cost $14.7 million, with another $86 million required for the first phase of construction. A citizen group has estimated the project could cost as much as $171 million. The city has hoped the federal government would provide a substantial portion of the funding.
Share this article
