Michigan, historical home to America's auto industry, is known for cars. And traffic jams, potholes, and urban sprawl that practically forces people to drive. But the power of the Detroit Three major automakers must be slipping, because the state is planning for more passenger rail service.

One example is WALLY, short for the Washtenaw and Livingston Line, a proposed 28-mile commuter rail line that would connect Ann Arbor and Howell.

Projections are that 1,300 people would ride each weekday, averting 50,000 miles of driving and tons of greenhouse gas emissions daily. Their commute would take 37 minutes at 60 mph, without the hassles of filling the gas tank, fighting traffic, finding parking and -- in the winter -- worrying about getting stuck or in a car crash.

A study done for the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority found that 75 percent of area residents support the WALLY project. However, WALLY may not even go as far as a Ford Festiva in the snow, unless the Transportation Authority rounds up funding for the line.

Initial estimates by a Virginia rail consultant suggest that WALLY would cost $32 million to build, and $7 million a year to operate. It's a lot of money, but less than the state-estimated $500 million it would cost to add a third lane to U.S. 23, the current auto route for an Ann Arbor to Howell trip.

State Seeks Federal Railroad Dollars

The Michigan Department of Transportation is drafting a State Rail Plan to guide future investments, and scoop up some of the billions in federal funding available for railroad upgrades.

Official comments are being taken by the Michigan DOT, and the Michigan Environmental Council and Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers are holding forums across the state to gather public input.  The plan is due to be completed by June 2011, according to michiganbyrail.org.

Tim Fischer, deputy policy director for the Michigan Environmental Council, says the interest in expanded passenger rail here is more about transit diversity than the waning of the automobile.

"Cars, buses, airplanes and trains are all part of an integrated transportation system ... We've worked very hard at trying not to make more passenger rail an anti-car proposition.  And I don't think it is."

Here's a video of an Amtrak train ride to a forum earlier this year in Traverse City:

This video from the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments suggests what an Ann Arbor-Detroit commuter rail line might look like:

Photo Credit: J.R. Valderas