(The following editorial appeared on the Lansing State Journal website on October 6, 2009.)
LANSING, Mich. — When it comes to gateways, mid-Michigan’s passenger rail terminus takes the cake — for being unimpressive.
Those arriving in East Lansing via Amtrak are greeted by little more than a shack off of Harrison Road. East Lansing officials want the federal government to help change this first impression — and rightly so.
But landing a $20 million federal grant to build a new rail-bus transit hub is just part of the battle for East Lansing and mid-Michigan. A prerequisite to having a rail hub is having actual passenger rail service.
And service is not guaranteed.
Going into crunch time on the 2010 state budget, service to East Lansing was on the brink of disaster. The Michigan Senate had voted to reduce the state’s subsidy to Amtrak for running two of the three passenger lines in Michigan, including the Blue Water that runs through East Lansing.
Amtrak has warned that the subsidy is critical to operating these lines. Translation: No or a reduced subsidy equals no service.
Last week, though, a deal was brokered in the Legislature to restore the Senate cut and provide $5.667 million to Amtrak. This apparently will allow the Michigan Department of Transportation to sign a partial-year contract with Amtrak for service, with the hope of additional subsidy sums later.
Michigan – and mid-Michigan – scooted through this year with just such a funding system. But, as has been noted in recent weeks, the state’s fiscal 2011 budget picture looks even worse than the 2010 situation that has overwhelmed lawmakers.
East Lansing City Manager Ted Staton says that if there’s no passenger rail service, there’s little chance of landing a federal grant for the transit hub. A bus-only facility wouldn’t even make sense for the Harrison Road location anyway.
Right now, mid-Michigan has the service. The time-line for the grant, Staton says, is for a decision in January or February.
Assuming success for East Lansing, the pressure only mounts for a long-term solution for passenger-rail service in Michigan.
And “success” means a funding system that does not rely upon annual decisions by state legislators to provide the “proper” subsidy. Mid-Michigan, in particular, needs to have a thorough discussion on the importance of passenger rail service.
Ticket prices can rise, but at some point price increases will drive down traffic and defeat their own purpose.
The state’s budget woes make any real reliance on the state a risky prospect.
Is the region willing and/or able to secure passenger rail service for years to come? That’s the real question for East Lansing’s transit hub plans.