Th e Michigan Passenger

Your Source For Passenger Rail News Since 1973

Spring 2012 Volume 39, Number 2 Study looks for speed savings between Detroit and Chicago By Larry Sobczak Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and cials, an important focus of the The U.S. Department of the Norfolk Southern Railway study will be reducing conges- Transportation (USDOT) is un- will contribute $200,000 each. tion by linking a double track Michigan Association dertaking a new $4 million study “This is an important part- passenger main to the 110 mph of Railroad Passengers to reduce passenger and freight nership in our efforts to reinvent service at Porter. The study will www.marp.org rail congestion between De- Michigan, specifi cally creating build on progress Michigan has troit and Chicago along the high an accelerated rail connection already made by achieving 110 speed rail corridor. between Detroit and Chicago for mph service from Porter to Ka- WHAT’S lamazoo. The USDOT announced both citizens and businesses,” INSIDE May 4 that it will contribute $3.2 said Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder. “This is an important step million towards the study while According to USDOT offi - (See STUDY, page 8) Passengers head “south of the border” See Page 3 Meeting highlights See Page 4 Rewarding Amtrak adventure See Page 5 Celebrate National Train Day See Page 6 Grade crossing crashes discussed See Page 7 Amtrak and Canadian National trains meet in the city of Detroit. This is one of three areas in Michigan Recall targets transit that Amtrak claims it is delayed by the freight train operator. (Photo by Steve Sobel) center opponent

See Page 8 Amtrak and CN argue about delays Amtrak and Canadian Na- verine service and a shorter sec- starting points without these bul- tional Railroad (CN) have asked tion of track in Battle Creek used letins) and failure to meet with the Surface Transportation Board by both the Blue Water and Wol- Amtrak to iron out problems. (STB) for a mediator to resolve a verine. Under the legislation that PAID 44870 dispute about Amtrak’s on-time The dispute began in Janu- transferred national passen- U.S. POSTAGE U.S. PRESORT STD. PRESORT PERMIT NO. 10 PERMIT NO. SANDUSKEY, OH SANDUSKEY, performance along CN’s rail- ary when Amtrak fi led a 46 page ger rail operations to Amtrak in roads in the U.S. including three complaint with the STB stating 1971, railroads hosting Amtrak segments in Michigan. that CN was purposely delaying are not supposed to give freight On March 27, Amtrak and passenger trains hosted on CN trains preference over passenger CN jointly fi led a motion before railroads throughout the U.S. trains. the STB requesting that STB The complaint details CN’s In its complaint, Amtrak delay action for 90 days and ap- poor performance and gives claims: point a mediator to supervise dis- many specifi c examples, point- cussions to resolve the issues. • CN failed to meet stan- ing out that CN delivers more dards for host-responsible Amtrak is hosted on three late trains than any other carrier delays for the Blue Water sections of CN-owned railroads in the country, by far. The ex- service in every single quar- Passengers on of Railroad Ɵ in Michigan including the Port amples include putting Amtrak ter of Fiscal Year 2011. CN’s Huron to Battle Creek segmen- on sidings in favor of freights, high delays contributed to tused by Amtrak’s Blue Water not providing Amtrak with daily the Blue Water’s failure to service, the Detroit to Pontiac operating bulletins (engineers meet the End Point OTP stan- railroad used by Amtrak’s Wol- are not allowed to leave their PO Box 532256 PO Box 48153-2256 Michigan Livonia, Michigan Associa Michigan (See ARGUE, page 8) Page 2 Th e Michigan Passenger Spring 2012

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 © 2012 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 Vacant issues for publication. Material sent for publication should be sent Secretary to our Editor at: [email protected] Hugh Gurney 517-545-2979 Clippings from newspapers and magazines must include the [email protected] publication’s name and date. Photos sent in by e-mail should be in JPEG format. Treasurer David Randall We reserve the right to edit all submissions. 248-924-4078 [email protected] To subscribe to this publication, join MARP by fi lling out the application below. All MARP members receive a copy of this REGIONAL CHAIRS publication sent to their home or business.

Metro Detroit Michigan Passenger Editor: Jim Hinkins Larry Sobczak, larrysobczak@hotmail. com 313-881-6258 586-781-6891 [email protected] Contributors: East/Central Michigan John DeLora Jim Wallington, acting Hugh Gurney 517-303-6038 [email protected] Nathan Nietering Steve Sobel West Michigan Mike Whims John D. Langdon, acting 616-218-9009 [email protected] About MARP…

Northern Michigan The Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers, Inc. (MARP) Don Monteith was established in 1973 as a consumer advocacy group to improve 231-547-6854 intercity rail and bus service, improve local transit and encourage [email protected] the preservation of historic railroad stations.

AT-LARGE EXECUTIVES MARP is not affi liated with Amtrak, the railroads, governments or John D. Langdon any political party. MARP is incorporated as a Michigan non-profi t 616-218-9009 organization and is exempt from federal income tax under the IRS [email protected] code, 501( c )(3) as a charitable educational organization. Dues and donations to MARP may be tax-deductible in accordance with the Jim Wallington IRS code. 517-303-6038 [email protected] MARP is an all-volunteer organization. Its membership consists of 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

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Name: ______MEMBERSHIP DUES ___ Contact me, I want to be active! ___ Please send me information about Address: ______Unit: ______the National Association of Railroad Student (under 21) $15 Passengers City:______State: _____ Zip: ______Seniors (65+) $15 ___ I want to be notifi ed no more than Individual $25 4 times per year by email or phone Phone: (____) ______Family $30 when critical issues arrise Email: ______Advocate $50 Total Dues: ______* We do not sell, rent or trade email addresses. We use emails for important time-sensitive news First Class $100 Additional Donation ______and when urgent phone calls are needed for elected offi cials. Lifetime $500 TOTAL ENCLOSED:______Spring 2012 Th e Michigan Passenger Page 3 Michigan residents help boost ridership at Ohio and Indiana Amtrak stations By Nathan Nietering Amtrak stations just “south of the border” in northern Indi- ana and Ohio provide a travel choice not just for their home states, but for passengers from southern Michigan. These stations include Tole- do, Ohio, and Waterloo, Elkhart, and South Bend, Indiana. All are served by Amtrak’s long-dis- tance Capitol Limited and Lake Shore Limited, which connect Chicago with points on the east coast. Both trains provide full sleeping and dining cars in addi- tion to coach cars on their routes. An Amtrak train arrives at the Elkhart station. (Photo by Nathan Nietering) Michigan tabulated record Amtrak ridership during Fiscal offered. the town was awarded a federal increased nearly every year, and Year 2011, with over 880,000 Ridership has increased for 2010 grant for $1.8 million to ex- has since surpassed the 2000 boardings and alightings at the several years at this station, with tend the platform, add new plat- level, to reach 17,070 in 2011, state’s twenty-two stations. a count of 66,413 passengers in form lighting, meet ADA com- nearly three times the 2003 level. Michigan residents also contrib- 2011. This increase is in part pliance, and open a portion of Given Elkhart’s fairly close uted to another increase in Am- due to the guaranteed Amtrak the restored station building for proximity to US-131, passen- trak station use, just beyond the Thruway bus connection from Amtrak passenger use. gers come from as far away as state line. Michigan (The Michigan Pas- At the present time, the town Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids to Stations “south of the border” senger, Winter 2009). This pro- is working through the fi nal de- travel out of the Elkhart station. have also seen an increase in rid- vides a daily connection from the tails of the plan with the US- Today, the waiting room is ership. Considering many travel- Amtrak stations in East Lansing, DOT and Amtrak, according to open at train time in the morning lers are from Michigan, it could Ann Arbor, Dearborn and De- DeWayne Nodine, Town Man- and evening, and is well looked mean travelers meandered to troit with the eastbound Capitol ager of Waterloo. Amtrak’s plan after by the volunteer caretaker. neighboring states for increased Limted and Lake Shore at To- should have construction begin The building is located at the frequency options, better equip- ledo each evening. The returning early in 2013 and complete by south end of downtown and has ment (dining and sleeping cars) motorcoach receives passengers the end of that year. room for both short term and and more direct connections to from the westbound trains in the The historic station at Elkhart long term parking. the east. early morning and brings them has shown the most impressive back north. This would be a good and se- Information about these sta- recent growth. cure location to provide a Quik- tions and their services is particu- Alternately, a long-term Until 2001, this was a staffed Trak ticketing machine, which larly timely given the past delays parking lot provides space for Amtrak station with an agent would provide an on-site ticket- on the Michigan Line highlight- passengers from afar to leave on duty at train time. Due to ing option for passengers. ed elsewhere in this publication. their cars. While Amtrak does budget cuts, the station became Several Amtrak stations are For those living in the southern not offer security for this lot, I unstaffed that year and rider- located in the Michiana area, and tiers of Michigan counties, the have parked my car at this lot for ship plummeted from 15,610 the South Bend station offers the trains just to our south provide over a week and didn’t experi- in 2000 down to 6,062 in 2003. greatest number of services. seats with more legroom in the ence any problems. The Capitol Limited stop was re- long-distance coaches, and addi- Indiana’s three stations serve moved in 2001 and the extension Built as the South Bend ter- tional dining options in the full- passengers in the northern coun- of the Pennsylvanian west of minus on the electrifi ed South service Dining Car. In the current ties of that state as well as pas- Pittsburgh was removed in 2003, Shore Line, the station building era of Michigan Line delays, the sengers from south-central and leaving just a single train depart- today serves as the city’s Amtrak timeliness of these long-distance southwest Michigan. ing the station each day. station, located on the west side services may be an added draw of town. This is a staffed station, Waterloo, located just a few The waiting room in the Rich- for passengers going to Chicago. providing a waiting room and miles east of I-69, is also the stop ardsonian-Prairie Style building These trains also provide rail checked baggage service on both closest to Fort Wayne, which became just a place where the links for Michigan passengers to the Capitol Limited and Lake provides a signifi cant source heat was on in the winter. several eastern destinations, in- Shore Limited routes. of the 22,661 passengers who cluding Pittsburgh, Washington Fortunately, improvements boarded or alighted here in 2011. South Bend is a gateway DC, Boston, and New York City. began around 2005. Amtrak station to southwest Michigan, This station offers the fewest ser- reinstated the Capitol Limited Here’s a breakdown of the much as the Niles station is a vices of any of the four stations stop, providing a second daily activity at each station and what gateway to South Bend on the in this article: providing a pair of departure, and volunteers began to expect if you fi nd yourself Michigan side. 23,662 passen- simple enclosed metal and Plexi- to maintain the waiting room and driving “south of the border.” glass shelters beside the plat- gers were counted here in 2011, assist passengers at the station, which includes a sizable propor- Toledo’s Central Union Sta- form. Parking for long-term and myself included. tion from both Michigan and tion is the busiest of these sta- short-term use is also provided. Amtrak hasn’t reinstated the Notre Dame. tions. The renovated lower level In 2010, the town of Water- agent at Elkhart, but the work of of the Art-Moderne station build- Nathan Nietering is a MARP loo completed restoration of the volunteers is certainly making an ing is home to a large waiting member whom you may fi nd rid- historic New York Central sta- impact. room and staffed ticket window tion, located near the Amtrak ing some of the rails on the East with checked baggage service platform site. That same year, Ridership since 2003 has Coast right now. Page 4 Th e Michigan Passenger Spring 2012 February, March and April meeting highlights By Hugh Gurney ity for Regional Transportation MARP Secretary (SMART), the local transit agen- Attendance at the February, cy for Oakland, Macomb and March and April meetings has Wayne counties. After watch- been excellent, with a sprinkling ing Wolverine #353 board about of new faces and those of some twenty passengers and depart on who have been less active in time for Chicago, we were wel- recent years. Steve Sobel, our comed by Jim Fetzer, Deputy timekeeper, has done a good job General Manager of Operations of keeping meetings on track. for SMART. Fetzer is look- ing for ways to better connect The February 11 meeting was SMART with Amtrak service held at the Old Dog Tavern, ad- at Pontiac, Birmingham-Troy, jacent to the Grand Elk Railroad Royal Oak and Dearborn. The in Kalamazoo. We were wel- planned Rapid Bus will also con- comed by State Representative nect with Amtrak at several sta- The March 21 meeting in Kalamazoo was well-attended at the Old Sean McCann of the 60th Dis- tions. Fetzer urged support of Dog Tavern next to the Gran Elk Railroad tracks. trict, who is sponsoring a bill to legislation creating a Regional (Photo by Steve Sobel) require Amtrak to carry bicycles Transportation Authority, now that Congress never intended of the Norfolk Southern some- aboard Michigan trains. Mike under consideration in Lan- that Amtrak have preference on time between April 30 and May Madill and John Conor discussed sing. Such an authority would privately owned railroad 31. The Wayne Yard and the the history of the Chicago, Ka- help transportation providers in The Executive Committee Willow Run Yard are excluded lamazoo and Saginaw Railroad Wayne, Washtenaw, Oakland from the acquisition. (CK&S), which connected with accepted the resignation of Trea- and Macomb counties better co- surer Dave Randall, who is re- The SS Badger, which pro- the Grand Trunk south of Ka- ordinate their services. lamazoo, then proceeded north locating to Texas to be closer to vides ferry service between Lud- through Kalamazoo, then north- Chase noted that TRANS4M elderly relatives. ington, Michigan, and Manito- easterly through Barry County to (Transportation for Michigan) On April 21, MARP met at woc, Wisconsin, may be shut Hastings. The Grand Elk con- would be staging a Transporta- the well maintained 1880 Chel- down at the end of December, tinues to use the section between tion Odyssey to build support sea Depot, where we were wel- 2012, because it continues to the Grand Trunk at Pavilion and statewide for the Regional Trans- comed by members of the Chel- dump toxic coal ash into Lake Kalamazoo. Madill and Conor portation Authority. Beginning sea Depot Association. Chelsea Michigan. The vessel was con- are working to assure that the March 21, participants using lo- railroad historian Robert D. structed by the Chesapeake and CK&S is not forgotten, putting cal public transportation, Amtrak Shannon gave an excellent pre- Ohio Railroad as a railroad car up markers along the old right and Indian Trails, would transit sentation on the history of the ferry between Ludington and of way and at several surviving from Detroit Metro Airport to Michigan Central Railroad and several points on the western bridges and depots. downtown Detroit, then to Bir- the evolution of railroad service shores of Lake Michigan. Plans mingham, Kalamazoo, Grand in Chelsea. Shannon showed are in the works for conversion Tim Hoeffner, newly ap- Rapids and Traverse City. of the ship to natural gas, but that pointed Director of Michigan a blown up photo of Michigan Both MDOT and Amtrak are Central’s Mercury taking on wa- is expensive and will take time. Department of Transportation A committee including Monte- (MDOT) Offi ce of Rail, re- supporting New Buffalo’s appli- ter on the run from a water trough cation for a Transportation In- just east of Chelsea. The Mer- ith, Chase, Gurney and Larry viewed the planned roll out of Bean of the Chelsea Depot Asso- 110 mph speeds on the Amtrak vestment Generating Economic cury made the trip from Detroit Recovery, or TIGER Discre- to Chicago in four hours during ciation will review the most suit- owned portion of the Wolverine able response for MARP. and Blue Water routes between tionary Grant to build a ten mile the 1940’s. Kalamazoo and Porter, Indiana. passing track on the Amtrak line The present depot is the third Despite the withdrawal of the A special train will depart Chi- between Dowagiac and Niles to serve Chelsea. In the 1890’s, University of Michigan from the cago at 7:00 a.m. on Wednesday, and to fund an engineering study eight trains a day stopped there. Fuller Road Transportation Cen- February 15, and operate at up to on linking CSX tracks with Am- Fortunately, the Chelsea Depot ter project, the City of Ann Arbor 110 mph between Porter and Ka- trak just north of New Buffalo. Association saved the structure plans to confi rm a contract for lamazoo, then return to Chicago. Such a connection would per- from demolition by Conrail in design of a station at that location Festivities are scheduled for New mit the Pere Marquette to serve the 1970’s. Most funding for near the University of Michigan Buffalo and Kalamazoo. Hoef- New Buffalo and access the 110 upkeep of the depot comes from Medical Center in the very near fner noted that the Governor’s mph route. MDOT has approved rentals for wedding receptions, future. Work is underway on the budget has a new format, with a a station stop on the Pere Mar- banquets and other functions. new Grand Rapids Amtrak sta- number of separate items dealing quette at Fennville. Amtrak and tion. Westrain plans to involve CSX will now review this pro- Michigan will be receiving Chambers of Commerce, Con- with rail folded into larger pack- twenty new bi-level coaches out ets. posal. vention and Visitor Bureaus and of a total order of 130 cars. The municipal leaders in its promo- Chase urged members to con- Canadian National has re- coaches will be similar to ones sponded to Amtrak’s petition tion of a second Pere Marquette tact their U.S. Representative, currently in use in California. frequency. Repair of last year’s urging defeat of H.R. 7 which to the Surface Transportation The contract should be awarded Board protesting that CN unrea- water damage to the Durand proposes elimination of dedicat- in October, with the fi rst of the Union Station is now complete. ed funding for transit from fed- sonably delays Amtrak trains. new cars arriving in 2015. New eral gas tax revenue. Hinkins re- CN has asked that a decision locomotives are also scheduled MARP will have a table at the ported that the Troy City Council be postponed until a suit by the for delivery in 2015. large National Train Day event in reversed itself in January, so American Association of Rail- Toledo on May 5. National Train roads is decided. That suit con- The Michigan Senate is ex- Day observances are planned at a plans for the Troy Transportation pected to take up legislation for Center can proceed. tends that the Passenger Rail In- number of stations in Michigan vestment and Improvement Act the Regional Transportation Au- on May 12. The March 17 meeting took of 2008 (PRIIA) Section 209 is thority in the next week. place at Pontiac’s handsome The next meeting is sched- unconstitutional because it per- The Surface Transportation uled at the Muskegon Railroad new transportation center, which mits Amtrak, a private company, Board has received a petition serves Amtrak, Greyhound and Depot at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, to establish and enforce legal from MDOT for acquisition of June 16. Suburban Mobility Author- regulations. CN also contends the Dearborn-Kalamazoo stretch Spring 2012 Th e Michigan Passenger Page 5 Trip report: Amtrak reward points allow for an adventure BY JP Descamps My great train adventure began after I accrued enough Amtrak Guest Reward MasterCard points over the course of two years to travel fi rst class while enjoying de- luxe sleeper compartments on all long dis- tance trains across this great country of ours. My journey began in Kalamazoo where I boarded the local Wolverine train to Chi- cago. From Union Station in Chicago, I boarded the Southwest Chief, a huge bi- level, 14 car cruise-ship-on-rails headed to Albuquerque, N.M., for a three day visit. After exploring northern New Mexico and southern Colorado, I continued my travels on the westbound Southwest Chief again and made my way to Los Angeles where I caught the plush Coast Starlight to Portland, OR. After two days in Portland, I boarded The Coast Starlight is on the Cuesta Grade between San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles, Calif. a local, well patronized Cascades train to (Amtrak Photo) Seattle for a quick connection on the in- famous Empire Builder to Minneapolis. My journey far exceeded any expecta- tions while traveling aboard all short and long distance Amtrak trains. They do a wonder- ful job …and the food on the long distance trains was nothing short of haute cuisine. I must say, the most awesome portion of the entire journey was the ride on the Coast Starlight. While hugging the Pacifi c coast line, the scenery, the food, the wine and cheese tasting and exceptional service from a hand selected staff created wonderful memories while in the confi nes of a plush, rolling palace called the Pacifi c Parlor Car. In fact, all the train rides were so good that when I fl ew back home from Minneapo- lis to Kalamazoo on a cramped regional jet, Above photo shows the view of I thought to myself ...I would have boarded the Pacifi c Ocean from the din- another train in a New York second versus ing car on Coast Starlight. Middle photo shows a meal on the Coast getting on this “Ken and Barbie trainer jet”. Starlight. Below, here is a shot of entering the lounge on the Coast Of course, going through security re- Starlight. lieved me of my expensive Aveeno face lo- tion, my Edge shave, champagne splits from (Photos by JP Descamps) Amtrak fi rst class, stolen water bottles and a host of other things. My brain was not in airplane or airport mode, so I literally forgot! Because I had my airline ID with me, I knew that going through the employee se- curity check would be simple and quick. Wrong. That turned out to be a 12 minute nightmare. Thank goodness they didn’t fi nd anything REALLY scary like embarassing adult items or weapons (is there a difference?) or a JetBlue crewmember hidden in my bags. For you TSA naysayers, your tax dollars really do work! Needless to say, I should have popped for spending the extra fi ve thousand points and taken the train all the way back home. --- Tell us about your jouneys. Send stories and photos to [email protected] Page 6 Th e Michigan Passenger Spring 2012 Celebrate National Train Day on May 12 National Train Day is back Kalamazoo Model Railroad to celebrate train travel and the Historical Society ways trains touch the lives of The society will operate a people across America. Saturday, 20 x 40 foot HO Scale Layout May 12, 2012, will be the day in display. Vintage Boyne City, where train stations and other Gaylord & Alpena caboose is venues across the country, host open for tours. Refreshments, activities and exhibits that high- free parking, free admission. light the past, present and future 9336 N. Riverview of trains and travel. Amtrak will Parchment, MI 49004 host major events in New York, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Philadelphia, Chicago and Los Angeles with free live entertain- The Railroad Café -- Bangor ment and activities for both chil- The Mayor of Bangor will dren and adults: interactive and read a proclamation to the crew educational exhibits, model train of Amtrak's Grand Rapids - to displays and tours of Amtrak - Chicago Pere Marquette train equipment, and notable private upon arrival of the train at 9:02 railroad cars. a.m. followed by family-friendly Preserve, and see the popular fernwoodbotanical.org for more events including live music, an Railway Garden, designed by details and ticket prices. National Train Day marks the landscape architect and natural- 143rd anniversary of the creation HO scale model railroad lay- 13988 Range Line Road out, refreshments, and the Grand ist, Paul Busse. This is the fourth Niles, MI 49120 of the nation's fi rst transcontinen- season for this family attraction, tal railroad. On May 10, 1869, in Opening of the ice cream shop at 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Railroad Cafe. which features bridges, tunnels, Promontory Summit, Utah, the waterfalls, and four train tracks National Association of Rail- 'golden spike' was driven into the 555 Railroad Street at varying levels. Buildings are way Business Women- Saginaw- fi nal tie that joined 1,776 miles Bangor, MI 49013 replicas of fi ve local attractions, Great Lakes Chapter #68 -- Flint of the Central Pacifi c and Union 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. including Buchanan's Pears Mill, Activities include Operation Pacifi c railways, forever trans- Lifesaver, NARBW Display, re- Fernwood Botanical Garden the St. Joseph Lighthouse, Notre forming the face and character of freshments, model train exhibit, & Nature Preserve – Niles Dame's Golden Dome, the Niles America. and more. Celebrate National Train Train Depot, and new this year, Here’s a listing of events in Day with a visit to Fernwood the historic Niles City Hall, all 1407 S Dort Hwy (M-54) Michigan on May 12th: Botanical Garden and Nature made with natural materials. See Flint, MI 95340 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. Bergmann, longtime Upcoming MARP transportation advocate, dies member meetings Dietrich Rudolf Bergmann of In 1982 he met John DeLora, (Meetings begin at 10 a.m., Ann Arbor died April 3, 2012, at who was active in the Michigan except where noted) the University of Michigan Hospi- Association of Railroad Passen- May – National Train Day tal after suffering a heart attack on gers (MARP) as well as the Na- activities pre-empt monthly March 26th. He was born Aug. 12, tional Association of Railroad Pas- meeting 1938 in Monroe, Mich. sengers (NARP). He was intrigued June 16 – Muskegon Railroad He graduated from the Univer- by the possibilities that these orga- Historical Depot, 610 Western sity of Michigan with a degree in nizations offered, and he soon was Ave., Muskegon Civil Engineering. After gradua- elected Chairman of MARP, and July 28 – Grand Rapids, Grand tion, he served as an offi cer in the was soon also elected as a member Rails 2012-77th Annual NMRA of the Board of NARP. U.S. Navy on a destroyer in the Dietrich Bergmann National Convention, the Rapid western Pacifi c. He then worked After he left GM, he spent a Central Station, 2nd Floor Con- for an engineering fi rm but was great deal of time as an expert wit- simply breathtaking. His passion ference Center, Bartlett Street frustrated by being assigned only ness in grade crossing accident for detail and accuracy in his work SW, Grand Rapids drove a lot of people nuts, but they for routine tasks because he only cases. He also engaged in litiga- August – no membership meet- all respected his results. had a bachelor’s degree. As a result, tion to stop construction of what he ing he went to Stanford University and considered to be wasteful projects. He loved going to the Ozarks September 22– Durand Union earned a Ph.D. in Transportation Before his death, he was actively with his children, camping, canoe- Station tentative site for the an- Economics. When interviewed for trying to guide public policy deci- ing, hiking, and simply commun- nual meeting the Ph.D. program, he was asked sions with the New International ing with nature. He led a very mod- what he wanted to achieve. He re- Trade Crossing and the Fuller est lifestyle, and everyone thought October 13 – St. Louis Histori- sponse was characteristic, “I don’t Road Station in Ann Arbor. he would live an extremely long cal Society, which is housed in want to just build things- I want to Besides transportation, he was life. Those who knew him best the c. 1910 Pere Marquette Rail- fi nd the best solutions possible.” a very active environmentalist and loved him for the depth of his in- road Station, 110 E. Crawford That was also the best summary of worked with the Sierra Club on tegrity, friendship and loyalty. Street, St. Louis, MI his life’s work. many environmental issues. His He is survived by his former wife November 10 – Essex, Ont., his- passion for detail and accuracy After earning his doctorate, he Phyllis, his daughter Liisa, a physi- toric Michigan Central Station, was legendary. He often worked taught at Wayne State University cian in Hawaii, his son Erich, cur- 17 miles southeast of Ambassa- until the wee hours of the morn- in Detroit, then went on to work rently a nuclear power offi cer in the dor Bridge between Detroit and ing studying law cases, reading for GM Transportation Systems, a Navy and sisters Hedi and Louise. Windsor General Motors subsidiary which reports, and drafting regulatory submittals. The breadth and depth - John DeLora December – no membership was exploring entering the railroad meeting and mass transit markets. of his research on an issue were Spring 2012 Th e Michigan Passenger Page 7 Grade Crossing Crashs: How to Reduce Them? Grade-crossing crashes have always How do we get bad drivers off the road? if this is due to distractions such as talk- been a problem. Although steady progress More important, how do we get the courts to ing on cellphones, entertainment devices has been made over the years, they still occur enforce the law effectively? In my experi- or other inattention. Industrial psycholo- too often. The sad fact is that most of them ence, drivers whose licenses get revoked can gists need to be consulted on more effec- can be prevented with a greater focus on ed- almost always get them re-instated for lim- tive ways of getting a driver’s attention at ucation, training, research and enforcement. ited driving to and from work. After a point grade crossings. to be determined, at what point should courts Virtually everyone knows that trains order forfeiture of a driver’s vehicle? How • More attention needs to be paid to re- can’t stop as quickly as an automobile, so the do we balance the needs of the driver against searching “highway hypnosis” and ways temptation is to the safety of the public? to combat it. The truck crash with the Cal- blame “dumb ifornia Zephyr last year happened in good drivers” who The National Crossing hardware and characteristics weather with unlimited visibility, yet the fail to stop at Limited truck struck the side of the train in the crossings. Un- • Signs at crossings need to have promi- fi fth or sixth car. fortunately, it nent 800 phone number and an identify- isn’t that sim- ing crossing number on both sides of the A news story gave the length of the skid ple. There are crossing. This should include all cross- marks, and after entering that into a for- multiple under- ings, urban and rural, passenger and mula, it was determined that the truck had lying reasons freight. Drivers, both commercial and pri- to be going at least 83 mph before apply- for these colli- vate, need to be aware of these signs, what ing the brakes. It is impossible to know sions and each to report and to do so immediately. whether the driver was distracted by talk- needs attention. ing on a CB radio, a cell phone, texting • Visibility issues need to be addressed. or whether he was under the infl uence of This article By John DeLora Brush growing close to the tracks, bill- what is termed “highway hypnosis.” This argues that a boards and buildings which block vis- phenomenon arises from a driver concen- joint task force ibility need to be catalogued. The FHWA trating on the lane markings to the point should be estab- publication Railroad-Highway Grade that he unconsciously slips into a trance. lished between the American Association of Crossing Hand- Although this happens State Highway and Transportation Offi cials book contains more often when a (AASHTO) the American Association of guidance on sight driver is tired, it can oc- Railroads (AAR), The American Trucking distance evalu- cur any time. Industrial Association (ATA), the Teamsters Union, ations for grade psychologists need to the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers/ crossings, as be consulted on ways Teamsters, the American Automobile As- does AASHTO’s to remedy this, possi- sociation and the Federal Highway Admin- A Policy on the bly by warning devic- istration, with subcommittees dealing with Geometric De- es inside the vehicle. each of the following issues. sign of Highways Some auto manufactur- and Streets. Most ers already have these The motor vehicle driver states have an in- devices; should they be made mandatory • Licensing procedures should be geared ventory of all grade crossings; their in- for all motor vehicles? to keeping unsafe drivers off the road. Al- ventories should include any restricted though reliable statistics are impossible visibility situations, and recommenda- Education to fi nd, it is a well-known fact within the tions on how to remediate them. • Operation Lifesaver (www.oli.org) has trucking industry that that there are a sig- made good progress in educating the nifi cant number of Commercial Drivers • Adequate traffi c storage at crossings is a public about grade crossing safety, but who have fraudulently obtained multiple problem found in all parts of the country. its funding is inadequate for the task at licenses from different states. Research The most common type is where a road hand. Staffed in each state entirely by needs to be done on how to minimize this parallels the tracks; often, there is not volunteers, it is a 501c3 organization; it practice. The American Trucking Associ- enough room for a standard tractor-trail- receives some support for supplies from ation places a high value on safe practices er to wait in the space between the road state departments of transportation and and would be a critical partner in this re- and the tracks. Signage may help, but is some donations from individuals. More search. it practical to have crossing signals tied in sources of funding need to be identifi ed with auto traffi c signals so that vehicles for this organization. • Enforcement needs to be made more cannot enter this zone? comprehensive. In the Bournabais IL • Public service announcements could be crash, the driver was found to have a Another problem is the temporary disruption produced which drive home the need for poor driving record, and that he should of normal traffi c patterns during construction vigilance at crossings. A funding source have been to fi ve remedial driving clinics, at grade crossings. The STB found that inad- for producing these announcements needs but didn’t. In the Canton Twp., MI crash equate traffi c management was the primary to be identifi ed. which killed fi ve teenagers, the driver of cause of the1994 crash in Ft. Lauderdale, the car had three concurrent license sus- FL between an Amtrak train and a gasoline • Education of commercial and individual pensions in effect, yet his mother still al- tanker truck which killed six people. Lane drivers should be an ongoing effort as part lowed him to use the family vehicle. An- closures caused congestion which in turn led of the licensing process. other problem is that due to lack of public to vehicles bunching up, bumper to bumper. When the train came, the truck driver was Further reductions in grade crossing transportation, courts are often willing crashes can be achieved, and all of the stake- to restore restricted driving privileges unable to back up, and was unable to move forward quickly enough to prevent the crash.. holders mentioned at the beginning of this to drivers whose licenses have been re- article have an interest in reducing them. voked. Judges are leery of taking away a Can a common traffi c management policy be developed to prevent similar situations? There certainly have been many consulta- person’s only practical method of getting tions between many of the parties, but a to or from work. Legal experts need to be Driver psychology more comprehensive approach may lead to consulted on a practical way to enforce • It seems incredible, but many drivers greater reductions of these tragedies. license restrictions, suspensions and revo- simply don’t believe a train is coming cations which will get bad drivers off the even when crossing fl ashers are activated. John DeLora retired in 2009 as a police of- road. Research needs to be done to determine fi cer after a 28 year career. Page 8 Th e Michigan Passenger Spring 2012 Recall targets transit center opponent By Larry Sobczak A recall effort is underway against Troy Mayor Janice Daniels who voted against hir- ing an architect and construction manager for the Troy Multi-Modal Transit Center in December effectively cancelling the $8.4 million federal grant to build a multi-modal transit center near Maple and Coolidge roads in the Oakland County community. The Oakland County Election Commis- sion unanimously approved a recall petition March 1 that cited her lead in a vote against the transit center. The collection of signatures began early in the spring and according to the Detroit Free Press, Daniels opponents collected nearly 1,600 of the 8,000 signatures required Amtrak’s Wolverine train passes by the future site of the Troy Multi-Modal Transit Center in to place it on the November ballot within the March. There is no sign of construction work. fi rst few days of the effort. (Photo by John DeLora) Petition collectors have 180 days to get promise deal before the Troy City Council lion by eliminating landscaping and green enough signatures to place the recall on the on Jan. 18. energy systems used to heat and cool the fa- ballot. Councilman Wade Fleming changed his cility. The transit center is funded 100 per- The transit project was revived in Janu- vote and the city is now seeking a construc- cent by federal grants. ary after the Troy Chamber of Commerce tion manager and architect contract with bid- Daniels, who was elected in November, scrambled to win deadline extensions from ders. has drawn national attention for her contro- the Federal Railroad Administration and to The compromise deal reduces the cost of versial views towards the transit center and gather political support in order to put a com- the transit center by approximately $2 mil- her views about homosexuality.

American Railroads and now in trial in Dis- In its response, CN also states that Am- ARGUE trict Court. trak's metrics are faulty, exaggerated and not (Continued from page 1) CN agrees in its response that Amtrak's used correctly: dard in any quarter and its failure to meet performance is poor, but it is primarily be- • End-Point OTP- Amtrak was unable the All Stations On-Time Performance cause of factors such as: to meet its self-imposed 80% end-point (OTP) standard in three of the four quar- • The level of capital investment by OTP on 30 of its 39 nation-wide routes ters. Amtrak last year. This can hardly be all CN’s • CN exceeded the allowable Host-Re- fault. CN has good business reasons for • The nature of Amtrak's schedules sponsible Delay minutes for the Wolver- its actions in the few times when it con- ine service in every quarter of Fiscal Year • The level of freight congestion on an tributes to this delay. 2011. Amtrak's route • Host Responsible Delay- Amtrak’s • Due in part to CN’s freight train in- • The number of host railroads on an trains are late entering CN’s system and terference and other CN-driven delays, Amtrak route would be delayed even if they never trav- the Wolverine service is consistently late. • The number of interlockings on an eled on CN. In CN’s response fi led with the STB in Amtrak route Amtrak’s complaint, fi led with the Sur- March, it states that the legal premise under • Maintenance and weather issues face Transportation Board on Jan 18, can be viewed at tinyurl.com/marp00024. which Amtrak brings its charges (the Pas- CN also states that Congress never gave senger Rail Investment and Improvement Amtrak absolute preference over freight "as CN’s response, fi led on March 9, is at Act of 2008, "PRIIA") may be found illegal if it were the only user of the freight rail sys- tinyurl.com/marp00036. under action brought by the Association of tem." (CN quote) - Mike Whims & John DeLora

is expected to be cleared this month when a station reconstruction in Battle Creek and a STUDY the Michigan Department of Transportation track “fl yover” under construction in Illinois (Continued from page 1) buys 136 miles of the Norfolk Southern Rail- that is expected to eliminate long waits for way between Kalamazoo and Dearborn for freight trains. A new station was opened in toward achieving higher speeds along the $149 million. August in Pontiac which is the eastern end of entire Chicago to Detroit rail corridor and the Detroit to Chicago service. improving the fl ow of freight to the east The sale of the railway will clear the way coast," said U.S. DOT Secretary Ray La- for another $200 million in signals, rail and Most of the improvements are expected Hood. “Eliminating bottlenecks will boost grade crossing improvements between Ka- to take up to two years to complete and trav- the economy by reducing delays and allow lamazoo and Dearborn that will allow pas- elers between Detroit and Chicago in April for the freer fl ow of both people and goods senger trains to travel up to 110 mph along got a preview of the delays expected. throughout the region.” that segment. Some Wolverine trains were cancelled The U.S. DOT study is the latest momen- In March ground was broken on a new or delayed in April to allow crews to replace tum to bring the entire 304 mile-long line up intermodal station next to Greenfi eld Village worn out ties. The ties were so worn that to 110 mph between Detroit and Chicago. in Dearborn that will create a better link for Norfolk Southern initially wanted to perma- passengers using Amtrak and other modes nently reduce speeds to 30 mph. The work Amtrak trains began running at speeds up of transportation in the Metropolitan Detroit was part of the anticipated repairs to the line to 110 mph between Porter and Kalamazoo area. and Amtrak and MDOT offi cials were able in February after the Federal Railroad Ad- negotiate a solution to the proposed speed ministration gave its approval of improved These improvements along the Detroit to reduction with Norfolk Southern while they- signals along that segment. Chicago high speed line are in addition to a new station planned in Ann Arbor as well as wait for fi nal sale approval of the rail line. A major hurdle to high speed service