The M-1 Rail project will soon be $25M closer to reality, courtesy of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. The Free Press tells us that Mr. LaHood will be in town January 18 to award the cash, which has been withheld from the project several times in the past. There are funding commitments from various leaders and corporations--Dan Gilbert mentioned "rail" as one of his "Three R's" for 2013--so it's not exactly clear where the new $25M leaves us. While the bigwigs figure that out, lets take a gander at exactly where this train might be headed!

The most recent incarnation of the streetcar line is 3.3 miles in length, running from Downtown to New Center. It is designed to allow easy transfers to Amtrak, local bus systems, and the People Mover (meeting up at Grand Circus Park.)

An excerpt from the M-1 Rail project Summer 2012 Project Update:

· The light rail would have 11 stops from the Riverfront to the New Center area
· Stations will be wheel-chair accessible and fully lit, have a closed-circuit security system, emergency phone and covered ticket vending machine
· Each light rail car stops every seven to eight minutes during peak hours and every 12 to 13 minutes during off-peak hours
· Vehicles seat 60 passengers with the capacity to carry 149
· The light rail will be equipped with a heating, ventilation and air conditioning system

· Woodward light rail project will receive $25 million in federal funding [Freep]
· Project Update | Summer 2012 [M-1 Rail Streetcar]
· Detroit Light Rail Plan Does What it Does Best: Stalls Again! [Curbed Detroit]
· Some Rich Folks Will Pay A Lot Of Money To See You Ride Light Rail Down the Middle of [Part of] Detroit [Curbed Detroit]