Artist's rendering of the Detroit-Lansing MagLev line

Artist's rendering of the Detroit-Lansing MagLev line

Lawmakers in Lansing are still asking plenty of questions about a proposed high-speed rail line linking Detroit to the state Capitol, but judging from today’s news coverage, the 200-mile-per-hour train is one step closer to reality. Maybe just a tiny step, but hey, progress is progress, right?

The state task force studying the proposal voted yesterday to send it on to the House Transportation Committee for that committee’s due diligence — and would-be seal of approval.

Michigan-based Interstate Traveler Company’s public-private proposal wouldn’t require the state to spend any funds on the project, but the state would have to authorize the use of public rights of way along the highways that make up the proposed route of the rail line utilizing state-of-the-art magnetic levitation technology.

(State-of-the-art in the United States, of course, but not so much in Europe or Japan.)

According to a story in today’s Lansing State Journal, the Republican lawmaker who leads the task force wants to see more info bucking up ITC’s ability to finance the project, something the company continues to say it’s got.

“Am I skittish? Yes, I am,” state Rep. Bill Rogers, R-Brighton, chairman of the task force, said after a press conference at the Capitol. “I’m a banker. I want to see the hard cash.”

Rogers went on to say the project “could prove to be a watershed moment for Michigan.”

Meanwhile, Justin Sutton, the founder and managing partner of ITC, assured the members of the task force that the financing is in place.

A story posted on LivingstonDaily.com earlier today fleshes out the other aspects of the proposal — including connections linking Detroit to Ann Arbor, Detroit to Grand Rapids, and Ann Arbor to Brighton — as well as other task force recommendations. From the story:

The task force also recommended the transportation committees consider other high-speed rail proposals; encourage the attorney general to review the public-private agreement; and add a bond to the agreement so the state would not be financially liable if the project failed.

Highlighting the proposal’s green appeal,  the MagLev line would also be used to distribute utilities along the route, including hydrogen fueling stations — for the cars of tomorrow — since the line would be fueled by solar-powered hydrogen. That kind of technology wouldn’t come cheap — construction cost estimates stand at $10 million per mile.

Last but not least, the ITC plan also calls for a 50-50 split on profits from the line with local governments.