Gerritt: M1 Train Is A Long Way From Station

Federal authorities are giving the government-business coalition that wants to build the Woodward rail project  another 60 days to fix what Gov. Rick Snyder, Mayor Dave Bing and businessman Roger Penske on Monday characterized as a short list of details.

But Jeff Gerritt of the Free Press notes that these so-called "details" are major challenges, including finding an answer for meeting long-term operating costs and establishing a Regional Transit Authority to eventually take control of the system.

Estimates range from from $5 million to $10 million for an annual operating subsidy. Carrying maybe 3 million trips a year, M-1 says fare box revenue could cover half of that. But, Gerritt asks,  where’s the rest of the loot coming from — without tapping scarce transit resources from the city and suburban bus system that tens of thousands of people — many without vehicles — rely on? It won’t come from an anti-Detroit, anti-transit Legislature.