Construction underway on Detroit's light rail line

[marmar]

DETROIT (CBS Detroit) – The sounds of jack hammers pulverizing concrete replaced the roar of engines Monday on Woodward in downtown Detroit as construction began on the M-1 Rail project.

Crews closed Woodward between Grand Circus Park and Campus Martius to start construction on the 3.3-mile project – which runs from Jefferson to Grand Blvd. – to bring light rail to Detroit.



The start of the project marked the start of an effort to bring a railway system back to Detroit after nearly 50 years.



“This is history,” said Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, who sees the project as the start of something larger. “We ultimately need to build this rail not just to Grand Blvd., but out to 8 Mile and out to Pontiac.” ...................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://m-1rail.com/history-made-construction-starts-m-1-rail-project/

[Vogon_Glory]

1. When Detroit Abandoned Its Previous Streetcar Network, Did It?

When Detroit abandoned its previous streetcar network, did it tear out the rails or just pave them over?

Dallas' McKinney Avenue Transit Authority (A non-profit entity operating near downtown Dallas) benefitted by the fact that so much of its right-of-way still had the old tracks lying underneath the asphalt.

Other cities were more unfortunate--the rails were removed after light-rail operations ended.