The public agency that oversees mass transit in Southeast Michigan says it’s supportive of Sterling Height’s plan to explore the addition of using existing railroad tracks for freight for passenger service as well.

Sterling Heights city officials recently announced in a press release they are initiating an effort to look into turning the Contrail north-south freight line in Warren and Sterling Heights, now used to transport auto and other industrial parts and equipment, into part of a “broader passenger rail network” to connect county residents to jobs, downtown sports and entertainment, and destinations currently served by Amtrak.

City officials said they anticipate preliminary discussions among officials with the cities of Warren and Detroit, as well as Macomb County, Conrail, the Michigan Department of Transportation, the Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan, SMART, Amtrak and other stakeholders.

Ben Stupka, RTA executive director, said in a statement Tuesday: “When a community steps up for better transit, it helps build a stronger, more connected region. We appreciate Sterling Heights for planning ahead and inviting regional partners to join the discussion early. Working together on ideas like this is important, and the RTA is always happy to join those conversations.”

Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel declined to comment on the proposal last week.

Sterling Heights city employee Nahro Matti, on the direction of the City Council, last week presented a “white paper” to the council on the issue.

“Preserving this corridor keeps an important transportation option available for our residents and the region,” City Manager Mark Vanderpool said in a press release. “We are beginning a regional conversation about whether this existing asset could support future passenger rail service and meet Sterling Heights and the surrounding area’s long-term transportation needs. While we are not committing to a rail project today, we recognize that losing portions of the corridor would make that opportunity much more difficult to pursue.”

Potential station areas identified include stops in Sterling Heights near M-59 (Hall Road), and near the General Motors Technical Center between Mound Road and Van Dyke and 12 and 13 mile roads in Warren.

“These areas would require further evaluation, along with possible connections to downtown Detroit, the airport and existing passenger rail service,” the release says. “The concept remains in the early stages. No passenger rail project, station locations, funding commitments or construction schedule have been approved. Any next steps would require additional review and coordination with regional partners.”

The primary aim of the proposal is to connect Macomb County to “the wider passenger rail system serving Detroit, Ann Arbor, Kalamazoo, Chicago, and other destinations,” Matti says in the white paper. It could also connect other destinations, such as Detroit Metro Airport in Romulus.

Matti says rail proponents need to take advantage of the existing Conrail line, noting that the company recently removed track from the line north of Hall Road in Shelby Township.

“If more segments are removed like portions north of about 22 Mile Road that appear to already be gone, the region could lose a rare north-south rail corridor that would be very difficult to rebuild later,” he says. “The key recommendation is that the remaining corridor should be preserved and studied before any additional rail segments are removed.”

The new service could provide pickups and dropoffs once per hour at the locations.

“The line would support downtown sports and entertainment travel, and it could also help with airport-oriented trips to DTW,” Matti says. “However, the larger purpose would be to give Macomb County residents a practical connection to the existing rail network, especially for trips to Chicago and other cities that are already served by Amtrak.”

Amtrak’s existing service consists of a line that it says connects Port Huron and Detroit with Pontiac, East Lansing, Grand Rapids and Chicago.

“Enjoy simple online booking, quick check-ins, roomy seating, free Wi-Fi and beautiful scenery as you ride along the rails,” Amtrak says in promoting the service.

Matti points out that Warren and Sterling Heights are the third and fourth largest cities in the state, “yet neither city has direct passenger rail access.”

“Smaller Michigan communities such as Albion, which has a population of 7,700, are already connected to the Amtrak network,” he says. “This does not mean smaller communities should lose service. Rather, it shows that two of Michigan’s largest cities should be studied seriously for future rail access.”

Conversations among the stakeholder “would help determine regional interest and potential support for a professional feasibility study,” Matti says. “A study would evaluate passenger demand, track conditions, coordination with freight operations, station locations, safety, costs and funding options. Public input would also be part of evaluating any future passenger rail proposal.”

The RTA was established by state law in 2012 to plan, fund, coordinate and accelerate “regional transit services, projects and programs” in Macomb, Oakland, Wayne and Washtenaw counties, RTA says on its LinkedIn page.

“RTA is responsible for leading regional planning, developing and implementing new services, allocating federal and state funding to transit service operators, and securing new regional funding sources for public transit,” it says.

Matti says he consulted with former assistant manager Jeffrey Bahorski, current Assistant Manager Dale Dwojakowski, Councilman Michael Radtke Jr., city Planner Ryan Fox, and city Development Manager Jake Parcell before penning the paper.

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