The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), in partnership with the Illinois Department of Transportation, Indiana Department of Transportation, and Norfolk Southern Railway, has issued a request for proposal (RFP) for services of a qualified and experienced transportation consultant or team to complete a service development plan and a Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Tier-1 environmental impact statement for the 304-mile rail corridor between Chicago, Ill., and Detroit/Pontiac, Mich.
Last year, the FRA issued a notice of funding availability on April 1, 2010, for the High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Program, and an application submitted by MDOT was selected by the U.S. Department of Transportation to receive funding to develop a Passenger Rail Corridor Investment Plan. The service development plan and environmental impact statement that are the subject of the current RFP are part of the planning phase for the corridor.
The deadline for firms or teams to submit responses to the RFP is Dec. 12, 2011.