Through proper planning, and perhaps some fed stimulus dollars, has anyone considered looking at re-introducing rail as a viable tourism option? Not for just getting people to Michigan, but beyond that.

Say, a coastline rail - patterned after the Oriental Luxury lines so popular in Europe.

Additional depots in tourism areas, or more lines running from Grand Rapids to those areas.

Considering not just the end destination, but how people might get from a depot to outlying areas rich in experiential tourism, i.e. inland lakes, campsites and resorts. Through the use of a sort of "reverse engineering" such as the addition of rental vehicles (and not just any vehicles, but infrastructure for use of electric and hybrid transport, or bike, rental, with luggage pick up and drop off options.) Even allowing for resorts to run for example, horse drawn carriage transport, snowmobile or CAT transport in the winter - fun and different ways for tourists to enjoy all the state has to offer.

Michigan has a chance here of becoming a bell-weather for the use of green energy and creating inter-state transport options that would be a shining example of infrastructure. Creating something of this nature that works for tourism would set an example for other parts of the nation dealing with transport issues. Not to mention the jobs it would create, and the ideal way in which it would allow people more flexibility in getting to different seasonal jobs around the state.

It seems to that putting some funding into researching this possibility would be prudent and good for the state and it's residents. Rail was the right choice 100 years ago, and I think it's the right choice again.

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