Category Archives: Announcements

Announcements, News

Amtrak Thruway bus service has a new U.P. MDOT Station

St. Ignace and the Upper Peninsula have a new Bus Depot/Travel Center located on US-2, just east of the I-75 intersection on the North side of US-2 near the Mackinac Bridge.

An Indian Trails official said the company plans on using the new St. Ignace station starting Sept. 22 with dedication slated Sept. 28.

MARP Vice-chair Don Monteith said the Michigan Association of Rail Passengers will be represented at inaugural of service from the station and the dedication.

The new bus station is the northern terminus of Indian Trails‘ Amtrak/Thruway route that starts in Kalamazoo at the Transportation Center that is shared with Kalamazoo Transit buses, Amtrak train and Indian Trails’ Amtrak/Thruway route # 8364. The Amtrak Thruway service leaves Kalamazoo at 3 p.m. for Big Rapids, Cadillac, Traverse City, Boyne Falls, Petoskey, plus other intermediate stops, arriving at St. Ignace at 11:45 p.m. The southbound schedule # 8365 has a 8:30 a.m. departure from St. Ignace with an 5:20 p.m. arrival in Kalamazoo.

The new bus station is also the terminus of another Indian Trails bus route that runs from Lansing and Bay City along the shore of Lake Huron to St. Ignace.

Indian Trails also operates a connecting westbound motor coach to Escanaba, where it connects to another Indian Trails Amtrak/Thruway (# 8539) motor coach to to Marquette, L’Anse, Houghton and Hancock with intermediate stops. Indian Trails extends service to Calumet but it is not part of the Thruway service.

South from Escanaba, Indian Trails operates another Amtrak/Thruway service (# 8532) that stops at Marinette, Green Bay, Manitowoc, and intermediate points. ending at the Milwaukee Amtrak Intermodal Station at 7:45 a.m., connecting to Amtrak’s 8 a.m. Hiawatha train to Chicago. With a layover, passengers can connect to Amtrak’s Empire Builder to Minneapolis-St. Paul, Spokane, Seattle and Portland. In Chicago, U.P. residents can connect to the entire Amtrak network

There is also reported interest to connect at St. Ignace to Sault St. Marie, the third largest city in the U.P., but which has no scheduled transportation service.

Announcements, Meetings

Ann Arbor intermodal transit station outreach meeting on Sept. 17

The city of Ann Arbor has announced an outreach meeting on the planned Fuller Road intermodal transit station to take place on Thursday, September 17.

The meeting will seek input on the creation of a $500,000 conceptual plan for a station oriented around trains—though it will also serve as a focal point for buses, cyclists and pedestrians. It is also hoped that the Fuller Road transit station will connect to a proposed Detroit-Ann Arbor commuter rail line, Chicago-Detroit high-speed rail service, and a streetcar line to downtown.

The city will holding input meetings from 3-5 PM and 6-8 PM in the City Council chambers of City Hall. For information, contact Eli Cooper at ecooper@a2gov.com , or (734) 794-6000, ext. 43710.

Announcements

Service Alert: Pere Marquette Train 371 Temporary Schedule Change

Due to track work being performed by CSX Transportation, westbound Pere Marquette Train 371 will operate according to an adjusted schedule, as described below:

Monday through Friday Earlier Schedule
On Monday through Friday (except August 5) of each week beginning July 27 through September 10, 2009, Train 371 will operate on an earlier schedule. The train will depart Grand Rapids at 6 am and depart all stations on the route one hour and 35 minutes earlier.

Saturday and Sunday
Saturday and Sunday schedules will not change. The train will continue to depart Grand Rapids at 7:35 am and arrive in Chicago at 10:33 am.

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

To accommodate the Pere Marquette 25th anniversary celebration, Train 371 will depart Grand Rapids at 7:35 am and depart all stations on the route according to the weekend schedule on Wednesday, August 5.

During this period, the schedules shown on Amtrak.com replace the one published in Amtrak’s 2009 Spring-Summer System Timetable.

From press releases provided by Amtrak. Visit Amtrak.com or call 1-800-USA-RAIL (1-800-872-7245) for reservations and information.

PSN 709-461

Announcements

Service Alert: Schedule Changes for Wolverine and Blue Water Services

Beginning June 29, the trains shown below will operate according to new schedules:
• Blue Water Trains 364 and 365
• Wolverine Trains 350, 351, 352, 353, 354 and 355

Trains 350, 351 and 353 will operate on an earlier schedule at all stations. Please note: Thruway Motorcoach 8353 will operate 20 minutes earlier to allow passengers to make connections to Train 353 in Battle Creek.

Train 354, 355, 364 and 365 will operate on a later schedule at most stations.

Train 352 will be adjusted a few minutes later at most stations and slightly earlier at others.

For schedule information, visit Amtrak.com, call 1-800-USA-RAIL (1-800-872-7245) or speak with a ticket agent. Schedules will also be posted at stations.

The new schedules replace those published in Amtrak’s 2009 Spring-Summer System Timetable.

PSN 609-444

Announcements, Meetings, Press Releases

NATIONAL TRAIN DAY 2009

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DISCOVER THE RAIL WAY at NATIONAL TRAIN DAY

On Saturday, May 9, 2009, the Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers (MARP) and fellow organizations will join Amtrak in celebrating its second annual National Train Day at stations across the state of Michigan.

This celebration marks the eve of the 140th anniversary completion of the first transcontinental railroad at Promontory Summit, Utah in 1869. It was here that a “golden spike” was driven into the final tie that joined the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads, connecting the east and west coast together for the first time by rail.

Amtrak is using National Train Day to highlight the growing popularity of trains as a convenient, energy efficient, environmentally sound ways of travel. National Train Day spokesman is TV personality and American Idol judge Randy Jackson.

Amtrak is sponsoring major events in Los Angeles, CA, Chicago, IL, Philadelphia, PA, and Washington, D.C… MARP has organized celebrations to take place in the following communities across Michigan (please see the below list for locations, times and festivities of each celebration). All events are on Saturday, May 9, 2009 at the respective cities’ Amtrak stations unless otherwise noted.

City: Bangor, Michigan

Location: Amtrak Station – 541 Railroad Street (former Pere Marquette station) Time: 8:30am – 3:00pm

Sponsors: Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers, Beacon Specialized Living Services, City of Bangor, Holland Modular Railroad Club

Description: Join us as we help Amtrak celebrate National Train Day at the historic Pere Marquette Railroad station in Bangor, Michigan. Witness the presentation of a proclamation presented to Amtrak’s Pere Marquette from the Mayor of Bangor, followed by festivities taking place at the station that include train exhibits, a live model railroad display, entertainment, trip planning, giveaways and so much more.

City: Niles, Michigan

Location: Amtrak Station – 598 Dey Street (former Michigan Central station)

Time: 10:00am – 3:00pm

Sponsors: Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers, Amtrak, City of Niles, Four Flags Garden Club, Niles DDA Main Street, Cass County Model Railroad Club

Description: Join us as we help Amtrak celebrate National Train Day at the historic Michigan Central Railroad station in Niles, Michigan. Witness the presentation of a proclamation presented to Amtrak’s Blue Water from the Mayor of Niles, followed by festivities taking place at the station that include train exhibits, a live model railroad display, entertainment, trip planning, and so much more.

City: Kalamazoo, Michigan

Location(s): 485 N. Burdick Street (Kalamazoo Transportation Center) and 9336 N. Riverview Dr. (Kalamazoo Model Railroad Historical Society facility)

Time(s): 9:00am – 12:00pm (Transportation Center), 12:00 – 4:00pm (Model Railroad facility)

Sponsors: Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers, Kalamazoo Model Railroad Historical Society, Amtrak, City of Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo County

Description: Join us as we help Amtrak celebrate National Train Day at the Kalamazoo Transportation Center and Kalamazoo Model Railroad Historical Society facility in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Witness the presentation of a proclamation presented to Amtrak’s Blue Water from the Mayor of Kalamazoo, followed by festivities taking place at the station and model railroad facility that include train exhibits, a live model railroad display, trip planning, and so much more.

City: Jackson, Michigan

Location: Amtrak Station – 501 E. Michigan Avenue (historic Michigan Central station) Time: 8:30am – 2:00pm

Sponsors: Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers, Amtrak, City of Jackson, Central Michigan Model Railroad Club

Description: Join us as we help Amtrak celebrate National Train Day at the nation’s oldest train station in continuous active use, the historic Michigan Central Railroad station in Jackson, Michigan. Witness the presentation of a proclamation presented to Amtrak’s Wolverine from the Mayor of Jackson, followed by festivities that include exhibits, a live model railroad display, trip planning and so much more.

City: Lapeer, Michigan

Location: Amtrak Station – 111 Howard Ave. (former Grand Trunk Western station)

Time: 10:00am – 3:00pm

Sponsors: Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers, City of Lapeer, Lapeer Model Railroad Club, Blue Water Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society, Blue Water Connection

Description: Join us as we help Amtrak celebrate National Train Day at the historic Grand Trunk Western station in Lapeer, Michigan. Witness the presentation of a proclamation presented to Amtrak’s Blue Water from the Mayor of Lapeer at 6:00am, followed by festivities taking place at the station beginning at 10:00am that include train exhibits, a live model railroad display, trip planning, and so much more.

City: Detroit, Michigan

Location: Amtrak Station – 11 W. Baltimore Avenue

Time: 9:00am – 12:00pm

Sponsors: Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers, Transportation Riders United

Description: Join us as we help Amtrak celebration National Train Day at the Amtrak station in Detroit, Michigan. Witness the presentation of a proclamation presented to Amtrak’s Wolverine from the Mayor of Detroit, followed by festivities taking place at the station that include train exhibits, trip planning and so much more.

Other locations in Michigan
(no celebration but proclamation presentation ONLY)

Ann Arbor, Michigan, Amtrak Station – 325 Depot Street
(for Amtrak Wolverine train 351 at 8:23 a.m.)

Holland, Michigan, Padnos Transportation Center – 171 Lincoln Avenue
(for Amtrak Pere Marquette train 371 at 8:21 a.m.)

Want to volunteer at any of the above events?
Contact your MARP Editor. Your help is appreciated! MARP encourages its members to spread the word of the importance of passenger trains at the celebrations.

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