'We're doing a lot of work which might be called below the radar, because this is very complicated and politically delicate,' said Hertel, head of the group Detroit Regional Mass Transit. 'We're not interested in raising anyone's hopes and having them dashed.' Hertel said components of the plan have made progress. Among them: • Last week, the state House passed bills that would boost nonprofit light rail corporations -- public-private partnerships such as one that may emerge in Detroit. The bills, which are awaiting approval in the Senate, would allow for setting up tax-capture zones to go toward maintaining routes. • The Detroit Department of Transportation is in talks to meld its $371 million Woodward light-rail plan linking downtown Detroit to the Oakland County border with another proposal for a $103 million privately funded line that ends at New Center. The private plan has the backing of prominent Detroit businessmen, including Roger Penske, Mike Ilitch and Peter Karmanos. • An Ann Arbor to Detroit commuter line is on track for an October 2010 start date, with the hope of securing $100 million in federal grant money to fund the project. Hertel insists a mass transit plan won't be mired in a regional tussle like the proposed Cobo Center expansion. He says the process has avoided past pitfalls by planning to phase in future infrastructure around ridership demand. Deputy Oakland County Executive Gerald Poisson said his county has been supportive of Hertel, and while funding remains an issue, voters would have to sign off on the eventual plan before any special funding proposals are made. If Hertel's plan gets approval, the first step would be to increase the frequency of city and suburban buses. Busy corridors such as Woodward, Gratiot, Telegraph and M-59 are being considered for express buses which could cost $300,000 to $450,000 per mile to implement. Proponents of the plan say such changes would help connect people throughout the entire region, especially those without vehicles. After borrowing a friend's car when going on family business in Romulus, Antonio Jordan, 32, of Detroit said he'd welcome the new, enhanced routes and use it when leaving city limits. 'Everybody is not fortunate enough to have a car,' Jordan said. 'People have the right to get to the business they have.' Marie Donigan, chairwoman of the Michigan House public transit subcommittee, said the state needs to rework how it generates revenue to run its transportation systems. Among the options proposed are increasing vehicle registration fees or adjusting the gas tax. 'We really don't have a good way to fund transit systems,' Donigan of Royal Oak said. 'We get federal dollars, but we have to be able to respond with our state match.' Critics say the bulk of funding for Detroit's proposed system would fall on those residents who won't use it. 'When the people who aren't doing the riding are paying for it you tend to get redundancies. You get empty buses,' said Ken Braun, an analyst for the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Any new infrastructure would be partially funded federally--the amount, experts say, potentially heightened with President-elect Barack Obama extolling infrastructure investments -- but local taxpayers would be required to foot at least some of the bill. 'The president-elect talked pretty strongly to invest in alternative transportation options,' said Robert Puentes, a public transportation expert for the Brookings Institution. 'It depends on if (Congress) will see using infrastructure projects as a stimulus as a priority.' Detroit resident Kim DeLoach, 48, says a system is overdue. While the People Mover is an option for downtown travel, she welcomes a regional alternative that would link the city to the suburbs. 'It's a long-term solution and saves us from higher gas and energy prices,' DeLoach said as she approached the Millender Center People Mover turnstiles. 'The easier it is to get here, with the comfort and safety, people will come here more often.' You can reach Tanveer Ali at (734) 462-2094 or talidteom.