Today, Amtrak and the Niles Downtown Development Authority are hoping high speed trains will bring the same growth to the area as the Michigan Central did in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Because of the location between Chicago and Detroit, "you can't find a better place for high speed rail than Niles," James Adams, manager of engineering services for Amtrak, said at a DDA open house to promote high speed rail Wednesday night at the Millennium Center in Niles.

"What Niles needs to do is get behind this thing and make plans because the future of high speed rail is now,"

High speed rail is a partnership between Amtrak, the Michigan Department of Transportation, the Federal Railroad Administration and Harmon Industries, to create a corridor where passenger trains will travel as fast as 110 miles per hour between Chicago and Detroit on existing railroad lines.

Today, trains traveling between Chicago and Detroit aren't allowed to travel faster than a maximum speed of 79 mph.

There is a proposed corridor between Chicago and Toledo, which includes a stop in South Bend and Elkhart, but that hasn't been approved yet by the Indiana Department of Transportation, nor has it received the support the Chicago-Detroit corridor has received, Adams said.

But incremental testing of high speed trains have begun in the area thanks to an upgrade in railroad tracks and a new signal system that has been implemented on most of the 100-mile stretch Amtrak owns between Porter, Ind., and Kalamazoo.

Development boom

But Michiana residents won't be riding at 110 mph quite yet.

The FRA needs to approve the high speed rail system, and Amtrak and MDOT still need more federal funding before high speed rail will be running between Chicago and Detroit, which will include stops at Niles and Dowagiac.

And once high speed rail is up and running, people in Niles and neighboring communities will see a boom in economic growth greater than they have ever seen before, Adams said to an estimated audience of 130 Wednesday night.

Michiana "will be shocked at the amount of growth you'll have because of (high speed rail)," Adams said.

Adams said high speed rail travel will provide people living and working in Chicago with a reasonable commute, which Adams estimates will create an economic boom in southwest Michigan.

"Folks from Chicago and Detroit want the quality of life we have in Niles," said Lisa Croteau, the DDA's marketing director. "With high speed rail, if they want to live here, it'll give them a realistic commute. And if not, (Niles will) just become a really wonderful place to visit."

Adams said high speed rail will bring restaurants and businesses, and increase tourism, as well as give Notre Dame fans an alternate mode of travel on football weekends.

"Do you know what this will do to retail?" Adams said. "People buy into the community they live in. And it sounds like jobs and it sounds like growth to me."

And high speed rail will allow southwest Michigan residents to travel to downtown Chicago or Detroit without the hassle of catching a plane or getting stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic, Adams said.

Safer travel

But what's more important is high speed rail travel will actually be safer than train travel today, said Amtrak Communications and Signals Engineer Robert Lotsbaich.

To meet FRA approval, Amtrak has installed a satellite computer system called an incremental train computer system at all crossings. This system lets the engineer know if a railroad crossing is down or if there is traffic blocking the rail line.

"This system lets the conductor know everything that is going on in the field surrounding the crossing," Lotsbaich said.

The ITCS will tell the conductor to slow down, and if he or she doesn't, a brake system is electronically turned on to slow down the train, Lotsbaich said.

"The ITCS takes the responsibility off of the conductor and stops the train for them," Lotsbaich said.

Extensive testing

Adams said Amtrak has improved the track structure and replaced the crossing signs with more visible lights and reflective signs.

So just when will high speed rail be available?

No one is quite sure or willing to publicly estimate when travel will begin.

Adams said high speed rail will be tested until it's perfect, but expects the Chicago to Detroit corridor will be the first one running in the Midwest.

"Right now we are taking all the safety precautions and upgrading the tracks and looking at what equipment we'll need to buy," said Kevin Johnson, public relations director for Amtrak in Chicago. "But this is definitely something that is needed, and these projects always move slower than you think they will. But everyone is focusing on this project and everyone wants the same thing."

High speed rail

By the numbers for Midwest Regional Rail System for the Chicago to Detroit corridor:

$538 million: estimated cost to get a high speed train system running between Chicago and Detroit.

$47.20: estimated cost for a ride one-way from Chicago to Detroit on the high speed rail system during non-business hours.

$37: cost now to ride one-way from Chicago to Detroit during nonbusiness hours.

10: number of estimated round trips daily from Niles to Chicago on the high speed rail system.

4: current number of round trips daily from Niles to Chicago.

3 hours, 30 minutes: estimated time from Chicago to Detroit on the high speed rail system.

6 hours: current time from Chicago to Detroit by train or car.

1 hour, 14 minutes: how long it will take to get from Niles to Chicago in the high speed rail system.

1 hour, 40 minutes: how long it currently takes to get to Chicago from Niles by train.

79 mph: maximum speed the Federal Railroad Administration allows for trains from Chicago to Detroit.

110 mph: the maximum speed from Chicago to Detroit in the high speed rail system.

Source: Midwest Regional Rail System 2000 executive report and Amtrak's Web Site

Publication date: 2000-07-20