Chicago to Detroit rail corridor RFP for investment plan and environmental study issued

The Michigan Department of Transportation, in partnership with the Illinois Department of Transportation, Indiana Department of Transportation and Norfolk Southern, issued a Request for Proposal for services of a qualified and experienced transportation (planning, environmental and engineering services) consultant or consultant team to complete a Service Development Plan and a Federal Railroad Administration Tier-1 Environmental Impact Statement for the Chicago, Ill. -- Detroit/Pontiac, Mich., Rail Corridor. The FRA issued a Notice of Funding Availability on April 1, 2010, for the High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Program in the Federal Register. In response, MDOT submitted an application, which was selected by the U.S. Department of Transportation to receive funding to develop a Passenger Rail Corridor Investment Plan. The 304-mile corridor between Chicago and Detroit/Pontiac is part of the Chicago Hub Network and is a federally designated High-Speed Rail Corridor. The existing corridor is also one of several major branches in the hub-and-spoke passenger rail system centered in Chicago, part of the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative. In Chicago, construction started in October on the Englewood Flyover, a $133 million project to eliminate one of the Midwest's worst rail bottlenecks and reduce delays for passenger service. The project, made possible by $126 million in federal funding and $6.6 million in matching state funds, also will make preparations for additional tracks for expanded 110 mph service from Chicago to Detroit, Cleveland and the East Coast. The deadline for individual firms or teams to submit responses to the RFP is Dec. 12, 2011.