From the Associated Press — The coronavirus pandemic has forced supporters of a new passenger train service to northern Michigan to put off plans for test rides on the proposed 240-mile line. The Detroit Free Press cites backers of the Ann Arbor-to-Traverse City
route as saying those test runs were slated for 2021. They are now on hold. The deputy director of a nonprofit organization leading the push for the new line, James Bruckbauer, says test runs are part of a multistep process that will also include deciding on an operating structure. But he says organizers aren’t sure when they’ll be able to do them “because of COVID-19 concerns.” Advocates say the service would give people along the line flexibility in commuting to jobs.
