WALLY commuter line 16 months and $32 million away from pulling into station

The commuter rail project commonly known as WALLY is chugging along. The project needs about 16 months of work and $32 million to become a reality.

Excerpt:

Here’s the down and dirty info that came from the recently released feasibility study for the proposed U.S. 23 commuter rail line commonly known as WALLY.

— The commuter rail project is feasible
— 16 month timeline before service can begin
— 24 steps need to be taken to initiate service
— $32.4 million in start-up costs
— $6.3 million in operating costs
— Fare box is project to cover 30 percent of operating costs
— Ridership estimated at 1,300

The hope is to get WALLY up and running before planned improvements on U.S. 23 will once again bring traffic to a standstill in 2010. The next step is for RL Banks & Associates to publicly present the findings to both Washtenaw and Livingston counties on August 6 and 7.

Read the rest of the story here.