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Announcements, Meetings, Press Releases

NATIONAL TRAIN DAY 2009

May 9, 2009 admin 1 Comment

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.

Ridership statistics

Michigan Services ridership stats for April 2009

April 30, 2009 admin

See below…

	NATIONAL RAILROAD PASSENGER CORPORATION (AMTRAK)

	SUMMARIZED FY 2009 MICHIGAN RIDERSHIP AND REVENUE RESULTS*

	COMPARATIVE SUMMARY – MONTH OF April 2009 VERSUS 2008

	MONTH ENDED APRIL 30, 2009 VERSUS 2008 *

	Ridership *				Ticket Revenue (In Dollars) *
	April	April	Increase/(Decrease)		April	April	Increase/(Decrease)
Corridor/Service	2009	2008	Amount	Percentage	2009	2008	Amount	Percentage

Blue Water	11,327	10,755	572	5.3%	$ 331,340	$ 302,218	$ 29,122	9.6%

Pere Marquette	8,547	9,055	(508)	-5.6%	228,070	227,038	1,032	0.5%

Wolverine	35,722	36,540	(818)	-2.2%	1,154,297	1,104,545	49,752	4.5%
Total	55,596	56,350	(754)	-1.3%	$ 1,713,707	$ 1,633,801	$ 79,906	4.9%


	FISCAL YEAR-TO-DATE 2009 – SIX MONTHS ENDED MARCH 31, 2009 VS. 2008

	Ridership *				Ticket Revenue (In Dollars) *
Corridor/Service	Year-To-Date APRIL 30,		Increase/(Decrease)		Year-To-Date APRIL 30,		Increase/(Decrease)
	2009	2008	Amount	Percentage	2009	2008	Amount	Percentage

Blue Water	75,975	74,390	1,585	2.1%	$ 2,272,553	$ 2,129,587	$ 142,966	6.7%

Pere Marquette	57,486	61,230	(3,744)	-6.1%	1,571,422	1,567,894	3,528	0.2%

Wolverine	249,815	260,917	(11,102)	-4.3%	8,348,980	8,496,581	(147,601)	-1.7%
Total	383,276	396,537	(13,261)	-3.3%	$12,192,955	$ 12,194,062	$ (1,107)	0%




* Per April 2009 Ridership and Revenue Report (FY09)

Ridership statistics

Amtrak stats for April 2009

April 30, 2009 admin

See below…

April FY09

	Ridership					Ticket Revenue
				% change vs.					% change vs.
NEC Spine	FY09	FY08	Budget	FY08	Budget	FY09	FY08	Budget	FY08	Budget
1 – Acela	262,890	309,906	321,184	-15.2	-18.1	$35,843,470	$42,716,253	$46,265,820	-16.1	-22.5
5 – Northeast Regional	601,829	639,117	652,428	-5.8	-7.8	$37,652,753	$40,168,473	$42,878,347	-6.3	-12.2
99 – Special Trains	620	900	500	-31.1	+24.0	$131,900	$242,666	$160,000	-45.6	-17.6
Subtotal	865,339	949,923	974,112	-8.9	-11.2	$73,628,123	$83,127,392	$89,304,167	-11.4	-17.6
State Supported and Other Short Distance Corridors
3 – Ethan Allen	3,466	3,214	3,308	+7.8	+4.8	$169,362	$161,178	$174,187	+5.1	-2.8
4 – Vermonter	5,613	5,198	5,377	+8.0	+4.4	$301,036	$273,524	$296,320	+10.1	+1.6
7 – Albany-Niagara Falls-Toronto	28,771	25,321	26,462	+13.6	+8.7	$1,584,175	$1,534,584	$1,681,588	+3.2	-5.8
9 – Downeaster	41,018	42,810	45,116	-4.2	-9.1	$580,195	$582,086	$606,973	-0.3	-4.4
12 – New Haven-Springfield	26,012	28,695	30,153	-9.4	-13.7	$774,663	$805,069	$893,928	-3.8	-13.3
14 – Keystone	101,898	97,864	102,833	+4.1	-0.9	$2,046,672	$1,949,439	$2,152,888	+5.0	-4.9
15 – Empire (NYP-ALB)	77,304	81,048	85,006	-4.6	-9.1	$3,009,054	$3,322,045	$3,668,239	-9.4	-18.0
20 – Chicago-St. Louis (Lincoln Service)	40,576	34,499	37,551	+17.6	+8.1	$840,102	$729,768	$776,099	+15.1	+8.2
21 – Hiawatha	59,189	56,506	60,102	+4.7	-1.5	$1,041,160	$975,943	$1,057,275	+6.7	-1.5
22 – Wolverine	35,722	36,540	38,727	-2.2	-7.8	$1,154,297	$1,104,545	$1,212,748	+4.5	-4.8
23 – Chicago-Carbondale (Illini/Saluki)	20,721	20,390	22,163	+1.6	-6.5	$557,709	$532,281	$566,151	+4.8	-1.5
24 – Chicago-Quincy (IL Zephyr/Carl Sandburg)	17,109	16,126	17,496	+6.1	-2.2	$394,391	$375,794	$398,544	+4.9	-1.0
29 – Heartland Flyer	4,972	5,362	5,687	-7.3	-12.6	$105,164	$101,427	$110,155	+3.7	-4.5
35 – Pacific Surfliner	219,229	213,369	229,507	+2.7	-4.5	$3,820,810	$3,255,674	$3,629,011	+17.4	+5.3
36 – Cascades	57,175	61,955	65,876	-7.7	-13.2	$1,489,619	$1,559,558	$1,722,578	-4.5	-13.5
37 – Capitol Corridor	138,623	145,234	154,495	-4.6	-10.3	$1,909,012	$1,790,054	$1,973,918	+6.6	-3.3
39 – San Joaquin	79,108	68,334	75,476	+15.8	+4.8	$2,225,958	$2,008,936	$2,236,493	+10.8	-0.5
40 – Adirondack	7,375	6,828	7,100	+8.0	+3.9	$378,005	$331,398	$365,003	+14.1	+3.6
41 – Blue Water	11,327	10,755	11,401	+5.3	-0.6	$331,340	$302,218	$330,420	+9.6	+0.3
47 – Washington-Newport News	39,914	35,030	36,827	+13.9	+8.4	$2,089,820	$1,884,732	$2,101,870	+10.9	-0.6
54 – Hoosier State	2,355	2,368	2,522	-0.5	-6.6	$49,613	$47,715	$52,088	+4.0	-4.8
56 – Kansas City-St. Louis (MO River Runner)	11,708	11,342	11,970	+3.2	-2.2	$229,100	$215,641	$233,693	+6.2	-2.0
57 – Pennsylvanian	15,256	14,915	15,458	+2.3	-1.3	$581,114	$538,289	$589,867	+8.0	-1.5
65 – Pere Marquette	8,547	9,055	9,591	-5.6	-10.9	$228,070	$227,038	$246,657	+0.5	-7.5
66 – Carolinian	18,690	25,689	27,109	-27.2	-31.1	$858,780	$1,269,384	$1,366,023	-32.3	-37.1
67 – Piedmont	6,197	5,169	5,489	+19.9	+12.9	$96,956	$82,905	$89,756	+16.9	+8.0
74-81 – Buses	–	–	–	–	–	$333,955	$613,336	$615,246	-45.6	-45.7
96 – Special Trains	100	380	1,000	-73.7	-90.0	$27,200	$424,942	$300,000	-93.6	-90.9
Subtotal	1,077,975	1,063,996	1,133,802	+1.3	-4.9	$27,207,330	$26,999,505	$29,447,720	+0.8	-7.6
Long Distance
16 – Silver Star	31,343	29,638	30,445	+5.8	+2.9	$2,429,776	$2,275,715	$2,397,573	+6.8	+1.3
18 – Cardinal	8,668	8,495	8,771	+2.0	-1.2	$497,066	$479,227	$507,097	+3.7	-2.0
19 – Silver Meteor	27,667	26,754	27,445	+3.4	+0.8	$2,984,775	$2,558,222	$2,691,847	+16.7	+10.9
25 – Empire Builder	31,222	37,360	39,074	-16.4	-20.1	$2,619,860	$3,404,013	$3,693,764	-23.0	-29.1
26 – Capitol Ltd.	16,482	16,027	16,512	+2.8	-0.2	$1,340,647	$1,262,651	$1,338,995	+6.2	+0.1
27 – California Zephyr	23,747	23,943	24,951	-0.8	-4.8	$2,476,559	$2,501,629	$2,690,144	-1.0	-7.9
28 – Southwest Chief	22,944	23,749	24,672	-3.4	-7.0	$2,568,841	$2,750,693	$2,934,164	-6.6	-12.5
30 – City of New Orleans	15,522	14,676	15,099	+5.8	+2.8	$1,177,497	$1,103,459	$1,173,279	+6.7	+0.4
32 – Texas Eagle	19,016	16,200	16,757	+17.4	+13.5	$1,407,716	$1,251,919	$1,323,693	+12.4	+6.3
33 – Sunset Ltd.	6,118	4,895	5,107	+25.0	+19.8	$594,495	$557,975	$597,182	+6.5	-0.4
34 – Coast Starlight	32,170	20,670	28,473	+55.6	+13.0	$2,260,205	$756,149	$2,401,876	+198.9	-5.9
45 – Lake Shore Ltd.	26,103	25,700	26,566	+1.6	-1.7	$1,689,435	$1,711,298	$1,806,475	-1.3	-6.5
48 – Palmetto	15,911	14,181	14,580	+12.2	+9.1	$922,671	$1,032,560	$1,092,928	-10.6	-15.6
52 – Crescent	25,146	23,653	24,301	+6.3	+3.5	$2,264,823	$2,157,964	$2,284,821	+5.0	-0.9
63 – Auto Train	21,294	20,274	20,844	+5.0	+2.2	$6,330,464	$5,814,489	$6,084,107	+8.9	+4.0
Subtotal	323,353	306,215	323,597	+5.6	-0.1	$31,564,830	$29,617,963	$33,017,945	+6.6	-4.4

Amtrak Total	2,266,667	2,320,134	2,431,511	-2.3	-6.8	$132,400,283	$139,744,860	$151,769,832	-5.3	-12.8

Minutes

Minutes – April 18, 2009 – New Buffalo

April 18, 2009 admin

MINUTES

MICHIGAN ASSOCIATION OF RAILROAD PASSENGERS
Monthly Membership Meeting
Hannah’s Restaurant, New Buffalo, MI
April 18, 2009

Those Signing In: Hugh Gurney, Don Montieth, Rich Vavra-Musser, John Langdon, James Wallberg, Dianne Patterson, Robert Patterson, Burton Ten Brink, Clark Charnetski, Steve T. Sobel, Dave Randall, John Guidinger, Jim Hinkins, Bob Tischbein, Jack Kessler, J. R. Valderas, Kay Chase, Jesse Auerbach, Tim Fischer, John DeLora

Also Present: New Buffalo Mayor Gary Ramberg

Call to Order: Chairman DeLora called the meeting to order at 3:05 p.m., following the joint meeting of MARP & MWHSRA addressing the Porter, IN – Chicago “Gap”. Minutes of that meeting were done by Kay Chase.

Regional Chair Reports:

East/Central: Fischer reported that no issues had come to his attention since the last meeting.

Northern: Monteith reported that the Traverse City area had set aside $2 million for support of rail.

Western: The Pere Marquette will celebrate its 25th year of service on August 5, 2009, according to Langdon. Ideas for celebrating this silver anniversary are being formulated.

Metro: Hinkins reported that commuter service between Ann Arbor and Detroit is slated to start in October, 2010, with four round trips daily. Bridge replacement and a crossover at West Detroit must be accomplished before that date. The cost of these improvements will be $20 m. The plan is to use the same equipment for both the Ann Arbor-Detroit route and the WALLY.

Surveyors’ tapes on the ground indicate progress on the Birmingham/Troy Transportation Center.

Roger Penske has pledged his support for Woodward Avenue light rail. Work should commence next year.

The proposed demolition of the Michigan Central Depot in Detroit is on hold at the moment.

National Train Day commemorations are slated for Detroit and Ann Arbor on May 9.

Coordinator Reports:

Membership:Vavra-Musser announced that we now have our first Advocate member, joining at the $100 level. Copies of the new membership brochure were distributed. Chase reminded all that the old brochures must now be recycled. Langdon and Valderas agreed to create a pdf version on the MARP website. DeLora stressed that the most effective use of the brochures will be distribution on the trains themselves.

Communications: No Report

Meetings: Montieth handed out a schedule of the meeting dates and locations for the remainder of 2009. Chase reported that the Annual Meeting is now set for Kalamazoo on September 12. The site of the meeting is still to be determined. Vavra-Musser suggested we invite Congressman Schauer. DeLora suggested we present an award to either Schauer or Gordon MacKay.

Governmental/Public Affairs: Langdon urged members to involve themselves in the Let’s Get Moving Legislative Day, scheduled for April 21 in Lansing . Those attending should meet at 8:45 a.m. that morning in the cafeteria of the House Office Building .

As to funding, we should have an answer for the remainder of 2009 on April 21. For 2010, the current proposal is for $5.6 million to support Amtrak, far below the current $7.1 level. DeLora recommended a $1.00 tax on each ticket to provide the additional funds needed. New Buffalo Mayor Ramberg suggested $5.00 per ticket. Ten Brink suggested that we ask for a check off on the state income tax return for trains.

National Train Day: Valderas handed out a list of what is planned in for National Train Day on May 9 in Bangor , Niles , Kalamazoo , Jackson , Lapeer and Detroit . Proclamations will also be presented in Ann Arbor and Holland without additional festivities. We have been very successful in lining up sponsors in each community and they will be recognized on posters and other publicity. In each participating community, posters will be placed in depots, schools, libraries, stores and other places where people gather.

DeLora reminded all that they should wear their ID tags while assisting at these events. If you don’t have one, Valderas will make one for you. Chase reported that, in conjunction with National Train Day, MARP will be presenting a certificate to the Kalamazoo Garden Club for their beautification efforts around the station. A Kalamazoo County Resolution will be presented to Amtrak. Additional festivities will take place at the Kalamazoo Model Railroad headquarters a few blocks north of the depot.

DeLora reported that Valderas is working on a newsletter similar to The Michigan Passenger which NARP will hand out in conjunction with National Train Day. It was moved by Randall that MARP be authorized to spend up to $500.00 for a Michigan add on to this publication. The motion was seconded by Charnetski and passed by the membership present.

Committee Reports:

Outreach: Randall confirmed that MARP had paid for a table at the National Steam Festival in Owosso in July. Wallington has arranged that our meeting take place at the Indian Trails headquarters with them shuttlin us down to the festival. Chase stressed the need to be represented at Earth Day events and Energy Fairs. Robert Patterson still has green buttons we can hand out. New Buffalo Mayor Ramberg recommended adding a section on to the MARP website dealing with rail’s energy savings.

REC: No report

Get Michigan On Track: Already reported by Vavra-Musser under Membership.

Minutes: Gurney distributed copies of the meeting of February 21, 2009, in Durand. After revision, approval was moved by Langdon, seconded by Charnetski, and agreed to by the members present.

It was moved by Langdon that MARP make a donation not to exceed $250.00 for purchase of a section of fence at Durand Union Station. The motion was seconded by Gurney and approved by the members present.

Fill the Gap Follow Up:

Langdon offered to work with Rick Harnish of MWHSRA on a follow up meeting to identify:
• What the Options Are
• Who Is Currently On Board
• Who Should Be On Board
• Develop A Draft Letter to Those Not Currently On Board
• Identify Funding Sources

Langdon feels we should focus on key players in Ohio , Indiana , Michigan and Illinois .

The meeting adjourned at 4:45 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Hugh D. Gurney, Secretary

Approved:

John Delora, Chair

Ridership statistics

Michigan Services ridership stats for March 2009

March 31, 2009 admin

See below…

	NATIONAL RAILROAD PASSENGER CORPORATION (AMTRAK)

	SUMMARIZED FY 2009 MICHIGAN RIDERSHIP AND REVENUE RESULTS*

	COMPARATIVE SUMMARY – MONTH OF MARCH 2009 VERSUS 2008

	MONTH ENDED MARCH 31, 2009 VERSUS 2008 *

	Ridership *				Ticket Revenue (In Dollars) *
	March	March	Increase/(Decrease)		March	March	Increase/(Decrease)
Corridor/Service	2009	2008	Amount	Percentage	2009	2008	Amount	Percentage

Blue Water	10,503	11,175	(672)	-6.0%	$ 306,090	$ 328,089	$ (21,999)	-6.7%

Pere Marquette	7,556	9,234	(1,678)	-18.2%	194,735	242,422	(47,687)	-19.7%

Wolverine	33,915	40,115	(6,200)	-15.5%	1,066,218	1,376,379	(310,161)	-22.5%
Totals	51,974	60,524	(8,550)	-14.1%	$ 1,567,043	$ 1,946,890	$ (379,847)	-19.5%


	FISCAL YEAR-TO-DATE 2009 – SIX MONTHS ENDED MARCH 31, 2009 VS. 2008

	Ridership *				Ticket Revenue (In Dollars) *
Corridor/Service	Year-To-Date MARCH 31,		Increase/(Decrease)		Year-To-Date MARCH 31,		Increase/(Decrease)
	2009	2008	Amount	Percentage	2009	2008	Amount	Percentage

Blue Water	64,648	63,635	1,013	1.6%	$ 1,941,213	$ 1,827,369	$ 113,844	6.2%

Pere Marquette	48,939	52,175	(3,236)	-6.2%	1,343,352	1,340,857	2,495	0.2%

Wolverine	214,093	224,377	(10,284)	-4.6%	7,194,683	7,392,035	(197,352)	-2.7%
Totals	327,680	340,187	(12,507)	-3.7%	$10,479,248	$ 10,560,261	$ (81,013)	-0.8%




* Per March 2009 Ridership and Revenue Report (FY09)

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