No I'm not

Absolutely 100% against it. We need to cut spending and lower taxes, not build a 3 mile fun train for millions. It's a total waste of our money.

Rail never works. Even Japan, where in Tokyo most people use light rail to commute, it loses huge amounts of money.

Fantastic idea. Every major city needs good public transport to get shoppers and drinkers to the city's various neighborhoods. Even if it operates at a loss the net gain will be well worth it. Obviously.

If you want to see an example of a failure like this one will be, go downtown and take a ride on one of Coleman Young's biggest boondoggles, the People Mover. The thing runs round and round on a 2.9 mile circle, carrying about 10% of its capacity, to places that are within easy walking distance of each other. That city is trying to get by on about half of the police and fire crews that it needs right now. Why waste more good money on something like this?

Please do not waste my money ---it seems to be a train from nowhere to nowhere!!!!

can always use it to go to DMC ...if the ambulance breaks down .... 25,000,000 dollars sure could fix a lot of fire houses and pay for more police ... Take a ride down there if you are for it , then answer the question ... while in town stop by the people mover and take it for a ride Good Luck ....

Light rail is a community (place) development project not a transportation project. It will create a sustainable walking city. Portland Oregon is a prime example of the success of building for density rather than sprawl. Portland has one of the higher unemployment rate because the density attracts so many young and talented. Our more distant would not be sustainable if the residents were required to pay for the infrastructure themselves. Snyder's tax proposal will be a subsidy to the Tea Party advocates.

Crain's Reports $137 MILLION DOLLAR LIGHT RAIL... for 3.3 miles...???Construction should begin this summer on a Woodward Avenue streetcar project in Detroit now that the U.S. Department of Transportation has committed $25 million to the $137 million-to-$140 million private-public effort known as M1 Rail. That was the word from M1 Rail CEO Matt Cullen after this morning's announcement by U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood that Washington was supplying the funding. M1, which has secured $100 million in capital funds from the local business community, foundations and other sources, has been doing preliminary environmental work on the 3.3-mile streetcar route that will stretch between Congress and Grand Boulevard.

Another way to piss away money. It's too short, it goes "downtown". Downtown looks like it's been hit by a nuclear bomb, Who wants to go there? The denizens of Detroit will destroy it anyway. reduce the National Debt, invest in Education, fix roads. Do something usefull with the money. Don't waste it on a railroad to nowhere.

Ernest, the train will transport folks from the burbs to the farms, as Detroit will revert to its 'roots'. That is one of the proposals on the board anyway.

We could always invest in more buses, think of all the buses you could buy.

In Europe, it is easy to get spoiled by the rail system, it is always on time, clean, and
very easy to use. Does not cost that much either. Every time I return to the USA, the ineptitude of our public transportation system compared to places like England slaps you in the face. I am sure others have similar views. Easy movement of folk means more commerce, and less car congestion. Of course , being the car capital of the world, public transport has been a bottom feeder on the agenda for decades in the Detroit Metro area.

This short rail system is at least a start. Buses would be a temporary fix at best. What ever happened to the trolley cars on Michigan ave? Time to bring them back? Perhaps a short trolley rail connecting East and West Dearborn, with a stop at the new city hall to collect money to run it?

I tend to like the idea of light rail (not really the trolley that they had years ago). If it can bring more business into Detroit, and be a well maintained and safe system, then I think many people working in the city, that live outside the the city, will use it to get to work, or even come into Detroit for special events. Yes, it is alot of money but I tend to look towards the future. Can we postpone it ...sure for maybe a year or two until Detroit gets their finances in order. But to say NO they don't need one is ridiculous! I would like to see this light rail go in other directions than down Woodward Ave.
I was in Europe in June last year and I used their rail and light rail system. It was clean, efficient and always on time. I saw all kinds of people using it from school kids, older retired folks and workers. Being a tourist I was a little afraid to use light rail (electric bus like vehicles) but once I used it in Germany and Belgium, I came to love them! They even have the rail route map over the exit door. To get on the rail you would go to the rail stop (covered building) and bought the ride from the automate that what next to the building. This system is also similar to one used in Los Angeles, San Fran and New Orleans. Yes...I would have to say, its time for Detroit to have one too.

Gov. Snyder needs the rail system to haul our wasted tax dollars into Detroit.

I must say no to this light rail idea, it will not get used over time and the cost will be big and over budget. Some cultures and areas it works but it will be an rummaged, graffiti covered new crime stag. Our No-Fault insurance only needs some tweaking just to get rates a little more reasonable. As for Mr. Penske and Gov Snyder being behind the idea, well that's a big reason to say NO. Both of those men, good business men, could be, not to great on politics.

To everybody above... this is a 3.3 MILE rail line, who actually will ride it? it is not moving people from the "burbs" to the city, it basicly goes from the riverfront to Grand Boulevard, and on the M1 Rail website, they are comparing this to Portland, Oregon and Dallas, Texas....what they should be comparing it to is the People Mover. It is interesting that the key people involved all have an economic interest in improving property values along the rail lines route. Look at the route, look at who owns the property along the route, and figure out who will benefit???

Another huge infusion of cash to be invested in "the moneypit" known as Detroit.Wonder how many legal cases for corruption this little project will create!

I grew up in a small town in west central Ohio, and one of my favorite memories is riding on interurban trains that connected many towns to larger cities. They were fast, comfortable, convenient, and affordable, even in the Depression. They were put out of business through the efforts of the billionaires in the automobile industry, because, with such convenient, affordable, reliable rail service, who needs cars? The auto and related industries lobbied diligently to favor building highways (publicly funded, don't forget) over privately-owned rail lines. In the years prior to World War 2, the Federal and State highway systems were expanded and improved, with mostly Federal and state funding. While this did indeed provide jobs for many in those days of high unemployment, the privately-owned railroads (not just the interurbans) were being squeezed, and the interurbans began to close down, one by one. The mainline railroads were starting to feel the pinch, but the increase in war production, requiring ever greater heavy transportation services, prompted ever larger private investment and government support for rail and highway freight facilities. After the war, consolidation of the railroads, the reduction of passenger business, expansion of private automobile use, and the rapid increase in air travel has put the concept of interurban/light rail out of consideration by private investors, so any efforts in that direction will necessarily require government backing to grow.

The fact that Detroit has no viable mass=transportation system is an embarrassment. While I'm not sure this particular project is the answer, the construction of some type of system needs to start someplace.

As I'm currently living in a capital city of Europe, I have come to appreciate the ease that mass-transport provides when attempting to travel around a large city. There is no way I would ever try to drive around this city if there is a train route that goes anywhere near where I need to go.

That being said, it's not uncommon at all for people to actually walk, yes walk(!) to a destination less than a mile or so away. While, admittedly, I would never have considered doing such a thing prior to moving here, I now see taking the car in such an instance to be a complete and utter waste.

To all the naysaysers,

First, have you used a light rail train in a real city like LA or Portland or even Chicago? Or are you basing your comments on your lifelong experiences living in Suburbs like Shelby Twp?

Second, do you realize this project will only cost each person roughly 10-dollars!?! Is that really too much for you people? $10 to build a train which will last 50 years and that is too much money for you?

Third, the People Mover has nothing to do with this project. One brings people downtown, the other shuffles people around downtown. When downtown is revived more people will use the People Mover. It's not going anywhere.

Fourth, when should Detroit build light rail? AFTER Dan Gilbert turns the city around, BEFORE? Or WHILE Gilbert is turning the city around?

Fifth, do you cheapskates realize just how friggin' cheap you are?

It will be the most expensive shuttle bus in history. A very expensive way to get Wings Fans to the new Arena. Illich SCORES Again. He spends 10 cents and we spend $500 to make him richer. Another waste of money. And the money we have to spend that we don't have just because the Feds say so. A New Train Station that won't get used any more than the current one does. It will turn into a very expensive entrance to Greenfield Village without the parking. I don't think you can list the ways all this is bad for us. Obama insist that we will have Trains even though they will be empty. How much are we subsidizing Amtrack Now ?

I will get on the list of being "too cheap" to waste even $10 on that. $10 can feed my family for 2 days. I have no desire to go downtown, so I am against wasting the money.

I would be much more on board with high speed rail.

Every one of these projects turns into a fiscal black hole. If you want to help poor people get to work; it would be many times cheaper to have a Smart Bus pick them up and drop them off at their doorstep. The businessmen behind this have not looked at the history of these projects. We had a nice interurban transit system in this area 60 years ago. The problem was it was not paying for itself. Buses are much more cost efficient, and more importantly; flexible in their routes. All this money could have given us a first-class bus system. Also, there is already concern from the relatively few profitable businesses along the route that they will be put out of business due to construction; which is estimated at two years.

I am totally in favor of the light rail project. I believe bigger and better things are going to happen in the city of Detroit

Why would putting $25 million into another worthless transportation system in Detroit be a good idea??? Let's see, all the tax paying citizens that live any where around that stretch of Woodward needing fast transportation??? NO.. How about all the congestion on I75 and 696 every morning? what about putting a light rail in that area to help the people actually working get to work easier?? Better idea!!!

Holly, wouldn't incentivizing people to move closer to their work by having more conveniences also lessen congestion on the highways? I love my 5 minute commute vs. the 20-45 I had when I was in royal oak. Give people like me housing near our jobs and we will live downtown and let you fight traffic.

I don't think my last comment went through so I'll try again: Holly, wouldn't you say that investing in something to attract thousands of young professionals to the city would also have the effect of lessening traffic on 696 and 75? People like me want the comforts of public transport and more people in this area have a bachelors degree or higher than the rest of the city (which likely means we are paying higher taxes). So, in essence, either invest a smaller amount for this important area to grow, or pay tons for a rail in the areas you speak of... And every other surrounding area who also complain about the same issues. By the way, I enjoy my 5 minute commute every day compared to the 20-45 I had while living in Royal Oak.