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Assessment of Transportation Modes

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Assessment of Transportation Modes ASSESSMENT OF TRANSPORTATION MODES Rail service is a vital transportation mode within the study area. Providing interconnectivity between modes for rail passengers to access destinations in the study area is a concern for a truly interconnected transportation system. PASSENGER RAIL SERVICE Amtrak is the only passenger rail service that operates in the study area. The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak (reporting mark AMTK), is operated and managed as a hybrid public/private entity. Amtrak began operations to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States on May 1, 1971. On the public side of its public/private identity, Amtrak receives investment from the federal and state government. The only Amtrak station that is within the study area is in Niles. The structure was built in 1892, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and is a well known landmark within the community. Amtrak operates an engineering department branch at the Niles Amtrak station that maintains the 97-mile track segment between Kalamazoo and Porter, Indiana. From their Niles location, Amtrak employees maintain the track for high-speed service. Michigan’s three Amtrak lines are the Blue Water, Pere Marquette, and Wolverine. Map 9 - Southwest Michigan Amtrak Passenger Service Image courtesy of MDOT http://mdotcf.state.mi.us/public/railstats/ Amtrak’s three corridor passenger services in the NATS region including the Wolverine and Blue Water that focus on providing rail service between Detroit and Chicago, Illinois, and the Pere Marquette providing service between Chicago and Grand Rapids. 94 • The Wolverine passenger service is a 304 mile line that offers three daily round trips from Chicago, Illinois to Pontiac, Michigan, with a stop in Niles, Michigan. The Wolverine operates over tracks owned by Norfolk Southern Railway, Amtrak, Conrail, and Canadian National Railway. • The Blue Water is the second service that makes a daily stop in Niles, Michigan, from Chicago, Illinois to Port Huron, Michigan. The Blue Water operates on a 319-mile line that includes sections owned by Norfolk Southern Railway, Amtrak, and Grand Trunk Western Railroad. The 97-mile segment between Porter, Indiana and Kalamazoo, Michigan, is the longest segment of track owned by Amtrak outside of the northeast corridor. • The Pere Marquette provides a third train option that travels from Chicago to Grand Rapids daily. The line operates on CSX lines from Grand Rapids to Porter, Indiana then on a line owned by Norfolk Southern to Chicago, Illinois. The one Berrien County stop is in St. Joseph. Advocacy for the promotion of the Pere Marquette is provided by a group consisting of local governments, public transit agencies, chambers of commerce, metropolitan planning organizations, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), and Amtrak. The organization is called Westrain. The collaborative promotes the Pere Marquette and seeks to enhance the service while addressing service deficiencies. Table 16 - Ridership and Ticket Revenue Year Ridership Ticket Revenue (In Dollars) Blue Water Pere Marquette Wolverine Blue Water Pere Marquette Wolverine 2012 189,193 109,321 484,138 $ 6,094,659 $ 3,276,210 $ 17,704,897 2011 187,065 106,662 503,290 $ 5,797,878 $ 3,197,106 $ 18,769,770 2010 157,709 101,907 479,782 $ 4,741,560 $ 2,912,070 $ 16,909,193 2009 132,851 103,246 444,127 $ 4,111,375 $ 2,818,294 $ 15,041,919 2008 136,538 111,716 472,393 $ 4,158,742 $ 2,975,391 $ 16,243,510 Ridership since 2008 on the Blue Water has increased 38 percent and has increased 2.5 percent on the Wolverine line. A similar trend has been seen in the amount of ticket revenues throughout the system. An increase of 46 percent on the Blue Water and 8.9 percent on the Wolverine represent important gains. The sluggish performance of the Wolverine line may be due in part to the expiration of maintenance contracts between Amtrak and Norfolk Southern. The track conditions subsequently deteoriated and resulted in lower travel speeds along this corridor. The upper limit on passenger rail speed was reduced from 79 to 55 mph. With slower speeds and overall performance reductions, some potential passengers may have found the route to be a less viable choice. 95 Table 17 – Passenger Rail Boarding and Deboarding Year Boarding Deboarding Blue Water Wolverine Blue Water Wolverine Pere Marquette Pere Marquette Niles Niles Niles Niles St. Joseph St. Joseph New Buffalo New Buffalo New Buffalo New Buffalo 3,702 7,505 2,529 7,505 2012 5,118 5,700 3,260 2,991 3,495 5,071 3,866 7,663 2,540 7,663 2011 4,951 5,551 3,020 2,291 3,528 4,279 3,606 6,856 2,278 6,856 2010 4,622 5,221 2,578 1,517 2,647 2,997 3,343 5,513 2,075 7,264 2009 4,030 4,296 0 0 0 0 3,509 5,855 2,037 7,717 2008 3,963 4,387 0 1 0 0 There have been consistent increases in those boarding (entering the train to begin a trip) and deboarding (leaving the train to end a trip) at the Niles station for both routes. This information is particularly useful when considering the improved inter-connectedness to which NATS aspires. Currently, there is no transit service for those arriving by train after 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. For arrivals by train on Saturday there is the option to take the Niles Dial A Ride (public transit with trips arranged through a call to the dispatch center) between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. However, there are a couple of conditions. The demand response system requires a 24-hour reservation, which could make it difficult for rail passengers to schedule a transit ride if they do not know the exact time that they will arrive. The other issue is that there is no Sunday passenger rail service. HIGH SPEED RAIL ALONG THE BLUE WATER AND WOLVERINE LINES The 97-mile segment between Porter, Indiana and Kalamazoo, Michigan, is the longest segment of track owned by Amtrak outside of the northeast corridor. The Federal Rail Administration (FRA) has designated the Detroit to Chicago corridor as a high-speed corridor. The trains have increased their speeds from 95 mph to 110 mph on 80 miles of track between Kalamazoo and Porter, Indiana. The increased speeds in western Michigan set the stage for the expansion of 110 mph service from Kalamazoo east to near Dearborn on the track segment purchased by the Michigan Department of Transportation from Norfolk Southern Railway in December of 2012. This change will reduce the travel time an additional 30 minutes. Chicago - Detroit/ Pontiac Passenger Rail Corridor Program The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) has initiated a program to evaluate passenger rail improvements for the Chicago-Detroit/Pontiac passenger rail corridor. The program is being prepared in partnership with the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) and the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), and in association with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). 96 The purpose of the program is to improve intercity mobility by providing an improved passenger rail service that would be a competitive transportation alternative to automobile, bus and air service between Chicago and Detroit/Pontiac, Michigan. The program will provide sufficient information for the FRA to potentially support future decisions to fund and implement a major investment in the passenger rail corridor. Map 10 - High Speed Rail Corridor Source: http://greatlakesrail.org/~grtlakes/ SOUTH SHORE LINE (SOUTH BEND, IN) The South Shore Line, operated by the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD), provides interurban electric commuter train service between South Bend, Indiana and Chicago, Illinois. The South Bend boarding site, located at the South Bend Regional Airport, links the South Shore with domestic airline service and inter- and intra- city bus service. Seven daily trains leave from South Bend bound for Chicago, with five trains offering return service. The weekend and holiday schedule offers eight trains that originate from South Bend and seven trains that provide return service. The South Bend Regional Airport is the only multimodal passenger facility operating in the Michiana area. South Bend Regional Airport offers connecting air service through Chicago, Cincinnati, Detroit, Atlanta and Minneapolis, intercity bus service to Chicago, Indianapolis, commuter rail service to Chicago and local bus service to the South Bend-Mishawaka area. Currently residents within the study area could connect to this system via the Niles Dial A Ride transfer point with Transpo at Auten Road, and then take Transpo to the South Bend Regional Airport where they can board the South Shore Line and travel to Chicago. 97 CAPITOL AND LAKESHORE LIMITED The Capitol and Lakeshore Limited service has two trains that leave from the South Bend, Indiana train station in the evening and return in the morning. This service provides an additional connection to area residents for travel east to Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, upstate New York, New York City, and Boston. THE FUTURE OF HIGHER-SPEED RAIL Federal Momentum continues to grow across the country for greater investment in passenger rail service amid concerns over rising gas prices, climate change, and traffic congestion. On April 16, 2009, President Obama, together with Vice President Biden, and U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, announced a new vision for developing high-speed intercity passenger rail in America. The vision calls for a collaborative effort by the federal government, states, railroads, and other key stakeholders to help transform America’s transportation system through the creation of a national network of high-speed rail corridors.
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