DEARBORN — City officials here unveiled detailed plans Tuesday for a rail passenger intermodal station to be a part of the Ann Arbor to Detroit commuter rail line set to be completed by October 2010.

Dearborn’s proposed intermodal station would accommodate passengers on the Ann Arbor to Detroit commuter rail line planned for opening in October 2010.

The plans would improve the city’s Amtrak station initially and eventually replace it with a new station that would serve as a full-scale transportation center surrounded by bus, taxi, shuttle, lodging and parking services.
It would make Dearborn a stop on the rail line that would also stop in Ypsilanti and another undetermined stop that would link passengers to Metro Airport.

At about 20,000 square feet after a final phase of development, the station would be located on the south side of Michigan Avenue at Elm Street, west of Southfield Road and just east of the west Dearborn downtown area.

A slide show on the details of the plan presented by Barry Murray, the city’s Economic and Community Development director, and others at a public meeting on Tuesday is available for viewing online at www.cityofdearborn.org.

Murray said that while gas prices are under $2 a gallon now, most don’t expect them to stay that way, and that higher prices have and will encourage the use of public transportation.

“Once we start this, we’re going to be trying to create and promote ridership,” Murray said.

He said that similar transportation developments have generated dramatic boosts in economic activity and home prices in areas immediately surrounding the projects in cities like Portland and Dallas.

The plans of the development are split into three phases; the first phase, including improvements and expansions of tracks and other structures bringing the station to 3,000 square feet, would cost between $1 million and $5 million, preparing the station to be a part of the Detroit-Ann Arbor rail line by October ’10.

After a trial period, a second and third phase would be implemented at about $30 million, Murray said.

The second phase would be an expansion to about 15,000 square feet, allowing the station to accommodate 15 trains and space for full scale bus, taxi and local transportation services.

The third phase would give the capacity for high-speed train traffic.

The rail line is expected to attract students traveling to, from and between the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Washtenaw Community College, Eastern Michigan University, the University of Michigan-Dearborn, Henry Ford Community College and Wayne State University.

Dearborn officials hope the traffic will inject energy into retail and restaurant business in the area, and make tourism to the Henry Ford museums easier.

Mayor Jack O’Reilly said current visitors of the Henry Ford historical site, which is directly adjacent to the proposed station site, don’t have easy, visible access to the rest of Dearborn.

“Now they don’t really get to see our city… [The station site] has great proximity to a lot of our different things.”

O’Reilly said another stop in east Dearborn near city hall and the Arab American National Museum might be possible in the future.

Ridership statistics during the trial period would determine whether the project would get federal funding for the later phases.

“All plans for the station are preliminary at this point, since so much depends on funding,” said City of Dearborn spokesperson Mary Laundroche.

She said the city’s Middle Eastern shops, restaurants and bakeries will also be a factor in getting commuters to explore the city and spend money there.

“It certainly is possible that, working together, business owners, the Chamber [of Commerce] and the city could come up with a plan for shuttles to transport people to the Warren Avenue area… The very long-term plan calls for a second train station in downtown east Dearborn, along the Ann Arbor to Detroit route, but that might take some time.”

The Detroit-Ann Arbor line is projected to open with an initial four trains. Officials said a ridership of 1,000 passengers daily would be necessary to prove it and plans for expansion viable.