Just to clarify what I noted earlier ...
I live NE of Traverse City and would patronize the train, should it ever come to be. And I've long thought that a revival of "resort" service could be borderline profitable on an operating basis during summer, maybe deer season, and winter weekends. It doesn't matter to me who operates the service, whether AMTK, GLC, a commuter contract operator, etc.
But it has to do better than 25-35 mph over most of its run, which I doubt is doable with the ROW as it is today. It will likely be very costly to improve that. This should be clarified by the feasibility study that's been funded. But until there are well-researched and well-documented cost estimates that are in the range of the doable, announcements of trains-to-be are premature, IMO.
