UPDATE: High-speed Kalamazoo-Niles rail link planned

Today from the Kalamazoo Gazette:

"Boosting speeds to up to 110 mph along a stretch of rail between Kalamazoo and Niles tops the list of plans to improve high-speed rail travel in the Midwest, Michigan Department of Transportation officials said Thursday.

That 43-mile stretch of track could be the first area outside the Northeast where trains are allowed to reach those speeds, MDOT officials said.

The upgrade could be completed as early as this year, MDOT officials said, following President Barack Obama's announcement Thursday that $8 billion in economic-stimulus spending would target high-speed rail corridors nationwide.

"I believe (the Kalamazoo to Niles stretch of track) could be the first place outside the Northeast corridor where we see train speeds over 100 mph," said Tim Hoeffner, administrator of MDOT's intermodal policy division."