Michigan Flyer Expands Service

SUMMER 2013 Michigan Flyer expands service Volume 40, Number 3 BY JIM WALLINGTON ning Commission in mid-Mich- to convince airlines to add local Indian Trails capped a ban- igan late last month (June 26) fl ights. ner month of June when its reversed blockage of the grant Michigan Flyer insisted it Michigan Flyer subsidiary when a member absent from the was seeking to take private driv- gained local approval to re- May 9-9 vote broke the tie when ers off the road, not capturing ceive a $595,000 federal grant he voted yea. regular fl yers out of Lansing. Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers to fi nance expansion of service Opposition to the funding They also said they carried thou- between East Lansing and Ann came from the Capital Region sands of riders between the col- www.marp.org Arbor. International Airport in a bit- lege campuses in East Lansing The increase from eight to ter campaign. Airport offi cials and Ann Arbor seperate from WHAT’S 12 round trips, expected to be- claimed the four extra trips to airport traffi c. Those runs extend Metro Airport would lure their to and from Metro airport. INSIDE… gin this fall, was paved when the Tri-County Regional Plan- passengers, thus making tougher See page 8 for more bus news. Station improvements status update See Page 3

Another grant seeks to improve service See Page 4

Big court loss for Amtrak See Page 5

From the Board Room See Page 6 PAID 44870 U.S. POSTAGE U.S. PRESORT STD. PRESORT PERMIT NO. 10 PERMIT NO. SANDUSKEY, OH SANDUSKEY, BIKES ON BOARD. League of Michigan Bicyclists Advocacy and Policy Director John Lindenmayer loads a bike on board Amtrak Train #350 in Kalamazoo on May 15. The bicyclists, the Michigan De- partment of Transportation and Amtrak were testing the feasibility of accomodating bikes on Michigan trains. Special racks were installed in the cafe car to hold the bikes. (Photo by Derrick James, Amtrak) Amtrak tests bike service in Michigan BY LARRY SOBCZAK will evaluate whether it makes charge. On May 15 the League of sense to retrofi t a suffi cient num- The demo event was co- Michigan Bicyclists (LMB) par- ber of café cars to allow a bicycle ordinated by Amtrak and the ticipated in Amtrak’s Roll-on Bi- rack on every train operating in Michigan Department of Trans- cycle Demonstration on Wolver- the Midwest hub. Only after a portation and it was aimed at ine Train #350. suffi cient number of café cars are generating feedback from bicy- converted, roll-on bike service clists on a new prototype bike For this demonstration Am- will be offered on a regular basis. trak removed several tables and rack design Amtrak is in the pro- booths in the café car and in- “We were told they need to cess of fi eld-testing. stalled four angle bike stands to convert six or seven café cars be- Bicyclists boarded and dis- allow safe and secure storage fore they can offer the service,” embarked train #350 at various while in transit. Lindenmayer said. legs along the Wolverine service “We have been campaigning He was told by Amtrak of- route. Bicyclists participated at for this the past few years,” LMB fi cials when the program rolls stops in Chicago, Kalamazoo, Advocacy and Policy Director out, bikes would only be allowed Battle Creek, Jackson, Ann Ar- John Lindenmayer said. “We’re on a train by a reservation. He bor, Detroit, and Royal Oak. excited to see it happen.” said that Amtrak has not decided Amtrak currently does not MI 48318-0076 ca, Ɵ if there would be an additional MARP 180076 PO Box U After a test period, Amtrak (See BIKES, page 3) Page 2 Th e Michigan Passenger Summer 2013

Michigan Association of Railroad Th e Michigan Passenger Passengers, Inc. is published four times annually by the Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers, Inc. OFFICERS Copyright © 2013 Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers, Inc.

Chair All articles not originated by MARP are copyrighted by their Robert Tischbein respective originators. All rights reserved. Articles used in 586-726-9737 accordance with the Fair Use Clause of the United States [email protected] Constitution. Vice Chair The Michigan Passenger welcomes submissions on passenger rail Larry Krieg 734-347-2179 issues for publication. Material sent for publication should be sent [email protected] to our Editor at: [email protected].

Secretary Clippings from newspapers and magazines must include the Hugh Gurney publication’s name and date. Photos sent in by e-mail should be in 517-545-2979 JPEG format. [email protected] We reserve the right to edit all submissions.To subscribe to this Treasurer publication, join MARP by fi lling out the application below. All David Randall MARP members receive a copy of this publication sent to their 248-924-4078 home or business. [email protected] Michigan Passenger Editor & MARP Webmaster: REGIONAL CHAIRS Larry Sobczak, [email protected] 586-781-6891 Metro Detroit Jim Hinkins Contributors: 313-881-6258 John DeLora [email protected] Hugh Gurney Derrick James East/Central Michigan Rosemary Horvath League of Michigan Bicyclists 989-506-9539 Steve Sobel [email protected] Jim Wallington Kelly Weber West Michigan Vacant Contact MARP if you interested in this position. About MARP… [email protected] The Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers, Inc. (MARP) Northern Michigan was established in 1973 as a consumer advocacy group to improve Don Monteith intercity rail and bus service, improve local transit and encourage 231-547-6854 the preservation of historic railroad stations. [email protected] MARP is not affi liated with Amtrak, the railroads, governments or AT-LARGE EXECUTIVES any political party. MARP is incorporated as a Michigan non-profi t organization and is exempt from federal income tax under the IRS John D. Langdon 616-218-9009 code, 501( c )(3) as a charitable educational organization. Dues and [email protected] donations to MARP may be tax-deductible in accordance with the IRS code. Jim Wallington 517-303-6038 MARP is an all-volunteer organization. Its membership consists of [email protected] passengers and citizens who want a viable, balanced transportation Kay M. Chase system in Michigan. We can all use the help we can get! 269-388-3777 [email protected] http://www.marp.org [email protected] Kathleen Newell http://www.facebook.com/pages/michigan-association-of-railroad-passengers 310-740-0421 [email protected] http://twitter.com/michrailpass Summer 2013 Th e Michigan Passenger Page 3 Station improvements progressing along BY LARRY SOBCZAK Since 2009, an unprecedented $71 million has been proposed in improvements to passenger train stations in Michigan. Here’s is a brief update on the status of the projects which were originally reported in the Autumn 2011 edi- tion of The Michigan Passenger: Ann Arbor — A proposed $25 million transit center has been scaled down and it is still in the planning stages. Contro- versy over the proposed location caused the University of Michi- gan to back out of plans to co- locate a parking structure at the transit center. Battle Creek — A $3.8 million extensive refurbishing of the station was completed in 2012 and it is now open. MOVING ON UP. The passenger bridge rises next to the tracks at the Dearborn Intermodal Station in Dearborn — Construction is early June. Below, most of the Troy station’s main structures are completed. (Photos by Steve Sobel.) moving along quickly on the $25 million facility on Michigan Av- nial ground breaking, work be- enue next to Greenfi eld Village. gan in earnest this spring on the The facility should be completed $4.6 million facility. by years end. Pontiac — The $1.4 million Durand —A $285,000 proj- transit center on Woodward Av- ect to pave the parking lot and enue opened in 2011. improve the drainage was completed in 2012. Troy — The $8.5 million facility has been scaled down East Lansing — A ground- to $6.5 million after consider- breaking ceremony was held last able political wrangling in late year for a new $6.3 million facil- 2011 and early 2012. Construc- ity at the current station site. tion is moving along quickly and Grand Rapids — Nearly a this transit center should also be year and a half after the ceremo- completed by year’s end. BIKE (Continued from page 1) allow bicycles on board most of their Midwest routes, including all that pass through Michigan. For the past several years the LMB has actively lobbied Am- trak to change their policies and urged them to modify their existing cars with bike racks to help bridge the ‘last mile’ problem many commuters and potential commuters face. In March 2012, the LMB de- livered a petition with over 3,000 signatures to Amtrak Chairman Thomas C. Carper asking to allow roll-on bicycle service. From left to right, LMB’s Vice Chair Rory Neuner, Amtrak Government Affairs Director Derrick James and LMB’s Advocacy and Policy Director John Lindenmayer show off the bike racks. (Photo by LMB) Carper responded that he “Amtrak has placed an order cars and 25 new baggage-dorm road environment,” Carper said. was in favor of roll-on bicycle for 130 new, single-level cars to cars. These two types of cars Modeled after California service and he felt that there was supplement the existing fl eet and will be equipped with bicycle enough demand among the trav- cars, the new coaches will pro- allow retirement of some cars racks. It has not yet been deter- vide 12 spaces for bikes and elling public to justify equipping beyond their serviceable life, mined how bicycles will be ac- trains with bicycle racks. potentially space for up to 16 mostly on long-distance routes cepted and stored. We will look additional bikes within the new However Carper said that operating east of Chicago. This to the cycling community to help baggage cars, said Derrick James there is currently not enough order is being constructed by us craft a service that meets the of Amtrak’s Government Affairs equipment yet available to add CAF USA of Elmira, New York, needs of travelers within the op- Department. the service. and includes 55 new baggage erational constraints of the rail- Page 4 Th e Michigan Passenger Summer 2013 Grant applicants seek new connection and faster service in west Michigan BY LARRY SOBCZAK The city of New Buffalo has taken the lead in applying for $58.3 million in federal grants to improve Amtrak travel times and to increase frequency of Amtrak service to southwest Michigan. New Buffalo submitted a Transportation Investment Gen- erating Economic Recovery (TIGER) June 3 and it is bill- ing itself as the lead party of the Western Michigan Intercity Pas- senger Rail Connectivity and Expansion Initiative. The city is partnering with the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), Amtrak and CSX. The TIGER grant will help fund a $72.9 million project that includes designing a connect- Above, an aerial photo shows the proposed connecting track between the Amtrak and CSX track in ing track between the Amtrak- New Buffalo. The wavy line that extends from the left to the right sides of the picture depicts the exist- owned tracks to CSX tracks on ing Amtrak tracks. The diagonal line that extends from the lower left to the upper right indicates the the east side of New Buffalo and existing CSX tracks. The enlargement box shows the proposed connection between the two ralroads. building a 19 mile-long passing track from Niles to a location Below, the bold line shows the proposed passing track on the Amtrak line between Niles and to the northeast of Dowagiac. northeast of Dowagiac. Currently this segment of the railroad has two short passing tracks which forces one train to slow down or stop while the opposing train passes. The new track will allow trains MDOT will contribute an ad- to pass at full speed. ditional $14.6 million towards (Graphics by Western Michigan Intercity Passenger Rail Connectivity and Expansion Initiative) the project in order to meet the required 20 percent local match for the TIGER grant. “This grant application, if approved, will provide jobs, improve intercity passenger rail service, and contribute to the economic development and tour- ism of not just New Buffalo, but the whole state by integrat- ing Michigan’s passenger rail services,” New Buffalo Mayor Migs Murray said. The city is requesting that $2 million of the grant go towards the design and environmental assessment study of a track that will connect the east-west Am- trak line between Detroit and Chicago to the north-south CSX its residents work in downtown Amtrak’s Detroit-Chicago Wol- down or stop while an opposing line between Porter, Indiana, and Chicago and that many of its vis- verine trains to use New Buffalo train passes. Grand Rapids. itors come from Chicago. as connecting point to travel to The proposed confi guration The connecting track will al- The city said that the con- Grand Rapids. will allow trains travelling in low the Pere Marquette to stop necting track will eliminate the The city estimates it will cost opposite directions to pass each at the New Buffalo Amtrak sta- need to put Positive Train Con- $20 million to build the connect- other at 110 miles per hour. tion. Since 2009, the Pere Mar- trol (PTC) signal equipment ing track but it decided to ask for New Buffalo offi cials es- quette has not stopped in the city along 23.5 miles of CSX tracks only design and environmental because it is routed over CSX timate that the shorter passing between northern Indiana and funding at this point due to limit- times will equate to a savings tracks on the east side of the city. New Buffalo in order to meet ed funds available per fi scal year. The station was moved from the of 10 minutes on each train’s federal guidelines mandated by The majority of the grant schedule. Offi cials also say that CSX tracks to the Amtrak tracks 2016. The Amtrak line between in October of 2009. request is for the construction the passing siding will better ac- Porter Indiana and New Buffalo of 19 miles of passing track be- commodate the planned increase In its grant application, the already meets federal guidelines tween Dowagiac and Glenwood in frequency of Wolverine trains city said that travelers will ben- for PTC. Road which is northeast of Niles. by the end of the decade. efi t from the resulting increased The city also said that the passenger train frequency by That stretch of track cur- Currently fi ve of the eight connecting track will allow trav- rently has two passing sidings trains using the Amtrak Michi- adding the city to the Pere Mar- elers on Amtrak’s Chicago-Port quette route. It said that many of totalling three miles long and it gan Line are scheduled to meet Huron Blue Water train and requires one train to either slow- between Niles and Kalamazoo. Summer 2013 Th e Michigan Passenger Page 5 Big Court Loss for Amtrak On July 2nd, Amtrak took At issue was whether Am- (The private shareholders are What now? Three options a big hit in the U.S. Court of trak is a government entity. If the railroads who took Amtrak remain: Appeals for the District of not, could the government give stock in lieu of making startup 1. Amtrak can appeal to Columbia. The case, American a private corporation the power payments to Amtrak when it the U.S. Supreme Court, but Association of to regulate private was created in 1971). chances that the Court will hear Railroads (AAR) sector companies? The Court recognized that the case are not good. vs. Amtrak, was The National Amtrak had “Amtrak is a curious entity that 2. Amtrak can ask Con- complicated, so Limited successfully ar- occupies the twilight between what follows will gress to re-write Section 207 gued in the lower the public and private sectors.” and allow Amtrak advisory in- focus only on the court that it was However, the Court held that the main element. put (which the Court said would a government enabling statute was the con- be legal). PRIIA was passed The facts entity, citing the trolling factor, and that Amtrak with a bipartisan majority, so were straightfor- facts that it board was, in fact, a private corpora- this is possible, although the ward. In 2008 is appointed by tion. That in turn made it uncon- current polarization in Congress Congress passed the President and stitutional for Amtrak and the is not a good omen. the Passenger that its funding FRA to have jointly the power Rail Investment comes almost to write regulations affecting the 3. Amtrak can do nothing. and Improvement entirely from operations of private companies. If this is the course taken, it is By John DeLora Act (PRIIA). Congressional ap- In effect, Amtrak would have likely that on-time performance Section 207 of propriations. the power to regulate itself. The will revert to the low percent- PRIIA empow- Appeals Court’s opinion was ages that were common before The AAR the enactment of PRIIA. ered Amtrak and the Federal argued that the law creating Am- pretty thorough in its repudia- Railroad Administration (FRA) trak stated explicitly that Amtrak tion of Amtrak arguments. To read the opinion for your- to develop jointly performance “shall be operated and managed The decision invalidates self, go to U.S. Court of Ap- measures and standards to as a for profi t corporation” and Section 207 of PRIIA including peals, District of Columbia, then enhance Amtrak’s existing right “is not a department, agency or the standards which were writ- to “Recent Court Decisions,” of priority over freight trains. instrumentality of the United ten jointly by Amtrak and the and scroll down. The cases are The AAR sued in federal court, States Government.” It was also FRA. It also means that Am- in the order they were decided; arguing that this section gave noted that Amtrak had private, trak’s lawsuit against Canadian this case was decided July 2, Amtrak unconstitutional powers. sector common shareholders National is thrown out as well. 2013. Ann Arbor fair shows off future commuter train BY LARRY SOBCZAK Hiefje said he’s expecting the The 13th annual Mayor’s new Southeast Michigan Re- Green Fair held June 14 in Ann gional Transportation Authority Arbor included a passenger train to assume responsibility. with equipment that may some- “This isn’t Ann Arbor’s proj- day serve the city. ect,” he said. “This is the state of A multitude of companies Michigan’s project. This is the and agencies arranged to have Southeast Michigan RTA’s proj- a special train made up of one ect. And we’re one of the willing upgraded former Chicago Me- participants — along with all the tra Commuter bi-level gallery cities along the line. Everybody’s car and a Great Lakes Central enthusiastic about it. But we Railroad locomotive to be dis- have no plan to put general fund played at the fair. The passenger money into this.” car was representative of 22 cars Hieftje said it’s his expec- Paul Tait, Executive Director, Southeast Michigan Council of Gov- refurbished by the Great Lakes tation that the RTA will be the ernment, speaks in front of the special commuter train. (Photo by Central Railroad for future com- controlling organization if Ann Steve Sobel) muter service in Southeast Mich- Arbor-to-Detroit commuter rail This year’s Mayor’s Green ganizations, government agen- igan. service is going to move forward. Fair was held on Main Street cies and participating business- At a press conference before “This project is frankly go- and celebrated the community’s es. They provided information the start of the fair, Ann Arbor ing to need the support of the environmental leadership as ex- and host hands-on activities for Mayor John Hieftje emphasized Regional Transit Authority that hibited by citizens, nonprofi ts, all ages, crafts, and live birds of that Ann Arbor-to-Detroit com- has just been made real by the government and businesses. prey demonstrations. muter rail is the focus right now, state,” he said. “We’ve been Main Street was closed to • The Clean Energy Expo and WALLY is something that working with them and we will motor vehicle traffi c and it was which had displays such as alter- might happen years down the continue to work with them, and opened to displays of environ- native fuel vehicles, green build- road. we are having some real posi- mental information, “green” ing materials, solar energy in- “WALLY is still a viable tive conversations coming out of products and entertainment. stallations and renewable energy the work that we’ve been doing. plan, but it is not my emphasis,” A live band, Kevin and the installations. and much more! And if it’s embraced by the RTA, he said. “It is not something I Glen Levens, powered its ampli- • The Green Commute Area this can become a reality in a few think is going to happen anytime fi ers with solar energy while lo- showcased a variety of ordi- years.” soon, but I think it is something cal vendors sold organic food. nary and innovative sustainable we will turn to at some point The press conference was The fair was divided into transportation choices including down the road, and it is probably held at Williams and First streets three events: commuter trains, AATA buses, a good thing to continue long- which is near a site on Washing- Zipcars, and bikes, including the range planning for.” ton Street where the city hopes to • The Environmental Lead- circumference/conference bike. extend the rail commuter service ers area which showcases from As for the proposed service Steve Sobel contributed to to some day. more than 50 environmental or- between Ann Arbor and Detroit, this report. Page 6 Th e Michigan Passenger Summer 2013 From the Board Room: Connecting the Dots BY HUGH GURNEY cago that will eliminate one frus- affectionately known as WALLY. City and St. Ignace. Jackson is From my perspective, the trating bottleneck. The Michigan As to passenger friendly now an Amtrak Thruway stop major objective of the Route En- Department of Transportation is schedules, the Route Enhance- along with East Lansing, Ann hancement Committee is to as- leading a multistate study on ment Committee continues to Arbor, Dearborn and Detroit on sure that all citizens of Michigan the best location for a passenger push for an early morning train the route that connects with east- have access to public transporta- train only route from Porter, Indi- from Kalamazoo to Chicago and bound Amtrak trains in Toledo. tion with convenient schedules to ana into Chicago Union Station. a late evening departure from Effective in June, 2013, Amtrak all other points in Michigan and New passenger coaches are on Chicago back to Kalamazoo. We Thruway passengers from Sault beyond. the way for Michigan and other also envision an early morning Ste. Marie, Charlevoix, Traverse To me, that translates to more Midwest states and new passen- train from Kalamazoo eastbound City and other points can con- and faster trains running on time ger locomotives will be ordered to Detroit/Pontiac and interme- nect with eastbound as well as to more points in Michigan. this summer. diate points and a late evening westbound trains in Kalamazoo. For less densely settled areas, In 2012, a completely reno- train from Pontiac/Detroit back Also effective in June, 2013, it means frequently scheduled vated intermodal station opened to Kalamazoo. We also advocate southbound passengers on the In- intercity buses connecting with in Battle Creek. Intermodal a morning train from Chicago dian Trails route along the Lake trains at multimodal stations. transportation stations are un- to Grand Rapids which would Huron shoreline will be able to connect with Amtrak at Pontiac. It also means local transit der construction in Troy/Bir- return to Chicago in the early mingham and Dearborn. A new evening. We support a new rail A northbound connection awaits that connects with both intercity completion of the rail upgrades trains and intercity buses, so that rail terminal will soon make the junction just north of New Buf- Grand Rapids Union Station tru- falo permitting trains to and from between Kalamazoo and Dear- a citizen in Oakland County can born. take a local bus to Pontiac, Troy ly intermodal. The entry of Indi- Grand Rapids and Holland to or Royal Oak, connect with a fast an Trails into the Detroit Metro- serve the New Buffalo station New arrival and departure train to Kalamazoo, board an in- politan area has doubled intercity and connect at that point with monitors in the Kalamazoo and tercity bus to Charlevoix, then bus service out of the Pontiac trains to and from eastern Michi- Battle Creek stations help pas- catch the ferry to Beaver Island. Transportation Center. A totally gan. sengers see the connectivity of Or this person might fi nd it more new transportation center has We feel that rail service con- local transit, rail and intercity convenient to take a local bus to been funded and is being planned necting Detroit, the state’s largest bus. Similar monitors are sched- Pontiac or Southfi eld, an intercity for East Lansing. Ann Arbor has city, with Lansing, our state capi- uled for Pontiac in the near fu- bus to Grand Rapids, a connect- ambitious plans for a truly Inter- tal, and Grand Rapids, the sec- ture. The Route Enhancement ing intercity bus to Charlevoix, modal Transportation Center. ond largest city, is feasible. That Committee is currently seeking and the ferry to Beaver Island. In June, the Michigan De- service could be easily extended funds to develop an interactive web site where passengers can While the day is still far off partment of Transportation host- to Holland. ed the fi rst public showing of easily enter a departure address when Michigan will have a truly We are pleased with the con- in one city and an arrival address robust, seamless public transpor- commuter rail equipment which tinuing expansion of Amtrak could whisk commuters from in another community in Michi- tation network, we are making Thruway Bus service to more gan and quickly determine how progress. Trains began running Ann Arbor to Detroit along the and more points in Michigan. same tracks being upgraded for to get there by public transporta- at 110 mph between Kalamazoo Rail passengers can now con- tion. and Porter, Indiana, in Febru- Amtrak trains. These trains nect at Milwaukee with Indian ary, 2012. The 110 mph zone is could easily service Chelsea and Trails to Menominee, Escanaba, Much still needs to be done, scheduled for extension to Battle Jackson to the west and Royal Marquette and Houghton; from but we are connecting more and Creek by the end of 2013. The Oak, Birmingham/Troy and Pon- Kalamazoo to Grand Rapids, more dots to the intercity public enhanced speed zone will be ex- tiac to the north of Detroit. This Traverse City, St. Ignace and transportation grid. tended to the Detroit City line by same commuter equipment could Sault Ste. Marie; and from Bat- In addition to chairing the Route 2015. Work is currently under- also provide service on the pro- tle Creek to Flint, Saginaw, Bay Enhancement Committee, Hugh Gurney way on a fl yover in South Chi- posed Ann Arbor-Howell route, City, Cheboygan, Mackinaw serves as MARP’s Secretary. Ahoy, MARP Mateys! MARP Members, Spouses, Family Members, and Friends Have fun attending MARP’s August 10 meeting aboard a real (but retired) railroad ferry - the S.S. City of Mil- waukee. The ship is designated a National Historic Landmark and is permanently berthed on Lake Manistee in the northwest Michigan vacation community of Manistee. We will meet on the rail car deck of a vessel that once shuttled rail cars between Muskegon and Milwaukee for the Grand Trunk Western Railroad. Members of the City of Milwaukee’s preservation group, meeting the same weekend, will attend our meeting and have invited us to attend their events. You are invited to treat this meeting, and the weekend of Aug. 9-10-11, as part of your summer vacation. Decide now to attend, save your gas money, and get ready to enjoy a weekend of history and good company. As a special treat, we have the opportunity to experience lodging aboard this 1920’s Great Lakes steamship. Most rooms are located in the historic passenger area which features beautiful oak paneling and polished brass. Other rooms are located in the Engineer’s hallway. You can fi sh from the ship, just enjoy lounging on the deck under the stars, or watch a movie in the observation room. Passenger, crew, and offi cer rooms are available at $25.00 for a single, $15.00 per extra person in a room + 11% tax. Options include: 8 rooms with two single bunks, 8 rooms with one single bunk, 1 room with four bunks. Don’t dawdle - there are 30 bunks total and the one room with a double bed is already rented. When gone, rooms will be offered aboard the former Coast Cutter Acacia at $25.00 person + tax. To make reservations aboard ship: • Call 231-723-3587 during business hours on Mondays and Thursday-Sunday. Or go online to request booking information at http://carferry.com/contact • Visit the www.marp.org?p=4628 for a listing of Manistee area lodging alternatives to the ferry. Summer 2013 Th e Michigan Passenger Page 7 2013 MARP Meeting Schedule July 20 – Flushing Depot Museum August 9-10-11–Historic train ferry City of Milwaukee berthed and open in Manist- ee. See page 6 for more. September 14 – Durand Union Station for the annual meeting –Kevin Keefe of Trains magazine is the speaker October 12 –Open November 2 or 9 – Albion Amtrak Depot December – executive meeting only Promoting Check www.marp.org for Passenger Rail Travel additions and changes to May was a busy month for MARP vol- this schedule. unteers across the state. MARP meetings are held Above MARP photographer Steve in various places around the Sobel took this photo of National Train state in order to give every- Day in Ann Arbor on May 11 with (left one a chance to participate. to right) Clark Charnetski, MARP Vice Chair Larry Krieg, Ren Farley and Meeting announcements MARP Secretary Hugh Gurney handing are posted on the website out refreshments to travellers. www.marp.org and include The middle photo also taken by Sobel program information and shows MARP Chair Bob Tschibein driving directions. Meeting and Mike Frezzel at Railroad Days in minutes are archived on the Durand on May 18. website so you can review In the photo below taken by Kelly We- past topics discussed. ber, (left to right) MARP Governmental and Public Affairs Coordinator John Langdon, Congressman Fred S. Upton, BUS Ken Ratzlaff, State Rep. Aric Nesbitt, and Floyd Nelson were on hand for a (Continued from proclamaiton supporting National Train page 8) Day at Bangor May 11.

Not all news is good news The mid-day westbound Thruway bus now departs Flint and East Lansing two hours earli- er, creating a 2-hour and 45-min- ute layover in Battle Creek for Wolverine #353 passengers. Am- trak agents indicate reduced Thru- way ridership as a result. The pre- vious wait was a more reasonable 54 minutes. Indian Trails cited the need to connect with Greyhound runs out of Chicago. Indian Trails, a private, family-owned company based in Owosso, has been in the transportation business for more than century. It also operates extensive charter service, local services at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, as well as The Mich- igan Flyer service from East Lan- sing. Page 8 Th e Michigan Passenger Summer 2013 Motorcoach service improves in June BY JIM WALLINGTON June was a whirl-wind month for the inter-city motorcoach industry in Michigan and passengers were the big winners, even those who want to ride Amtrak. Here is what riders are now getting that was not available prior to June 1: • Through bus service from Detroit to St. Ignace along the Lake Huron route thanks to Indian Trails move into the Detroit-Flint market. Greyhound dropped out as a result. • A second round trip between Detroit and Bay City thanks to the Indian Trails move that provides morning and afternoon departures from both cities, allowing people to take advantage of the morning buses, con- duct business or visit the destinations and return the same day. An Indian Trails motorcoach stops at the Pontiac Intermodal Station on June 1, its innau- • More Thruway connections through- gral day of service. (Photo by John DeLora) out Michigan, including breakthroughs at Kalamazoo and Pontiac. These came after soon will be able to use an Amtrak with Trinity Transportation of Detroit a short-lived scare that Thruway was be- ticket to Pontiac, wait 45 minutes and for this service. MARP has advocat- ing cutback in Michigan. Thruway service is board the 5:40 p.m. Wolverine to cited the service be extended to Grand an arrangement that allows Amtrak to issue ies along southern Michigan and into Rapids. connecting tickets between its trains and bus Chicago. MARP hopes a northbound • Passengers are getting more options companies to expand service to cities on the Thruway connection from Pontiac in East Lansing to Chicago and Ann Arbor bus routes. Indian Trails is the major Thru- will be instituted after track reha- via Greyhound, which is now competing in way carrier in Michigan. bilitation is complete between the the mid-Michigan market directly with In- The Thruway picture: Detroit area and Kalamazoo on the dian Trails/Michigan Flyer and Megabus as 1. On the west side of the state Indian railroad that the state purchased from well as Amtrak. Greyhound moved into that Trails riders from such points as Norfolk Southern. market after Indian Trails jumped into the Petoskey, Charlevoix, Traverse City 3. Thruway service was extended to Detroit-Pontiac-Flint routing. Greyhound and Cadillac now can reserve and Mackinac City and St. Ignace on the dropped its Detroit-Flint run in mid-June. print a Thruway ticket to Kalamazoo Lake Huron run. Indian Trails hopes An Indian Trails offi cial said his fi rm his- where they can board the Blue Water that increased ridership from Thru- torically stayed out of the Detroit-Flint mar- to Battle Creek, East Lansing, Flint way will help preserve this route that ket to avoid confl ict with Greyhound, which and Port Huron. Or if want to wait has been under the microscope of served the market for years. But Greyhound three-and-a-half hours they board MDOT offi cials who approve subsi- was not making convenient connections for Wolverine #354 to Jackson, Ann Ar- dies for Indian Trails runs in northern Indian Trails passengers north of Flint, he bor, Dearborn, Detroit and Pontiac. Michigan. said. 4. Indian Trails Thruway connections • Megabus continues to be an actor in This routing has long been advocat- survive at Kalamazoo to Niles and Detroit-Chicago market but has cut back on ed by MARP executive committee Chicago; between Kalamazoo, Battle some of its overnight runs via East Lansing member Don Monteith, who recently Creek, East Lansing and Flint; and and Grand Rapids. Some days it has two celebrated the fact that Indian Trails from the U.P. to Milwaukee. This is round trips and three on other days. Offi cials created a stop in his hometown of in addition to the East Lansing-Jack- are closely watching the impact of Megabus Charlevoix a few months ago to con- son-Ann Arbor-Dearborn-Detroit on Amtrak ridership in East Lansing and nect to the Beaver Island ferry. Thruway service to and from Toledo Grand Rapids. 2. Indian Trail riders from such north- to connect with the Capitol Ltd. and ern points as Cheboygan and Alpena the Lake Shore Ltd. Amtrak contracts (See BUS, page 7)

Working on the Chelsea siding This tamping machine is used to tamp down newly laid ballast or stone under each railroad tie near Chelsea. The three mile long passing track that be- gins east of town to a point two miles west of town called CP Lake is being rehabilitated and brought back into service. The track will reduce delays for Amtrak’s Wolverine Service because it gives dispatchers another option to schedule meets between trains. This passing track rehabilitation is one part of the plan to rebuild the tracks between Kalama- zoo and Dearborn in order to increase speeds from 79 MPH to 110 MPH in many areas. Crews have begun work on rebuilding the mainline between Kalamazoo and Battle Creek and plan on completing that section by the end of this year. (Photo by Steve Sobel)