Michigan Deserves Better

Michigan needs a flourishing network of fast, frequent, and affordable trains.

There are incredible opportunities, and there is strong demand. Few states can match Michigan’s combination of existing assets and untapped potential.

A vibrant network of modern trains will build a strong economy, attract workers and investments, slash greenhouse gas emissions, and put Michigan at the center of a U.S. transportation revolution.

Michigan needs fully staffed rail operations and services to protect the safety of all.

Michigan's railway workers have seen staff cuts in their workplaces. Ticketing and maintenance workers were found to be most threatened by job losses, the former of which disproportionately threatens women’s jobs.

Reductions in staff, make Amtrak less accessible for people with disabilities and other vulnerable groups. As a result, passenger miles travelled tend to fall.

This threatens the safety and security of passengers, and the communities rail moves between and through. Low staffing also puts passengers and workers, particularly women, at higher risk of violence and harassment.

We need skilled railroad workers on our trains, in our stations, and building and repairing our tracks. We need rail apprenticeships for women, young people and all workers that face higher barriers to entry, retention and promotion in the industry. New technology in rail is not necessarily safer or more ‘efficient’ than skilled, fully-staffed rail systems.

Rail is a public good. Rail must be designed to meet the needs of workers, passengers and communities, not the needs of corporations and private interests.

Public financing is the only way to ensure rail is safe, funded and strong enough to power us out of the crises we face today and tomorrow. Safe and sustainable rail goes beyond reducing emissions. It offers a new economic and social model of mobility that redefines the role of the workers, the state and the environment. This social model can harness new technology to upskill workers & create good jobs.

Investment in high-speed rail reduces emissions from long-distance vehicles, and opens up existing rail capacity for freight transportation. In Germany, a 1% increase in access to high-speed rail leads to a 0.25% increase in economic growth. High-speed rail must be at the heart of any national and international sustainable economy.