A 20-year master plan for regional transit in Metro Detroit was unveiled today, after the Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan spent over a year gathering input on the plan.
The goal is to help fix metro Detroit’s fractured transit systems and pull them together under the umbrella of a $4.6 billion plan to connect Detroit with Wayne, Oakland, Macomb and Washtenaw counties.
The plan would revive a commuter rail line connecting Detroit to Ann Arbor, and express service to Detroit Metro Airport from all four counties. It would also bring improvements to bus lines and paratransit service for seniors and riders with disabilities.
Finally, it would boast a universal fare card system, with access to all transit entities in the metro Detroit area.
Voters in Southeast Michigan will be asked to approve a 20-year, $1.2 million tax to help fund the plan.
We spoke with Megan Owens, executive director of Transportation Riders United, on Stateside. For more on what this plan will mean for the state, listen to that conversation below.