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Announcements, Meetings

MARP meets March 12, 2016 in Howell

March 6, 2016 admin

MARP Member Meeting
Saturday, March 12, 2016
10 am – Noon
Cleary’s Pub
117 East Grand River Avenue, Howell MI 48843

Map & Directions

MARP’s next general membership meeting will be held on Saturday, March 12, at Cleary’s Pub in Howell MI. Click on the link above for driving directions. You can park on the street or in the free lot located behind the pub.

Our featured speaker will be Michael Benham who is the Special Assistant for Strategic Planning at the Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority. As such, he is responsible for guiding the planning for one of Michigan’s first commuter rail projects. The North-South Commuter Rail Project, otherwise known as the WALLY, is seen as a cost-effective alternative to ease traffic congestion along US-23 between Howell and Ann Arbor, as well as a spur to economic development and job creation opportunities in the region.

Mr. Benham will provide an update on the technical study currently underway. This detailed study is developing ridership and cost estimates, considering locations for stations and maintenance facilities, looking at governance and funding considerations, as well as reviewing possible alternatives, such as express bus service and high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes on US-23.

We hope to be joined by members of The Friends of WALLY, a grassroots organization working to build support for the commuter rail project. Several MARP members are among those who are working to see this project become a reality.

Following the business meeting, we will continue conversations over our usual non-host lunch. Cleary’s Pub enjoys a reputation for excellent food!

If you are interested in ride-sharing to the meeting, please respond to this email. And – a gentle reminder – if you have not yet paid your 2016 membership dues, please click here NOW to pay online or click here to download a mail-in form.

MICHIGAN ASSOCIATION OF RAILROAD PASSENGERS

Announcements, FYI, News

Amtrak is offering 20 percent off fares for the Blue Water, Pere Marquette and Wolverine trains

February 16, 2016 admin

Don’t sit in your house and wait for warm weather. See the fun activities Michigan has to offer this winter by planning a Pure Michigan Snow Day and taking advantage of the hot savings Amtrak is offering on their Michigan trains! From now until March 31, Amtrak is offering 20 percent off fare for the Blue Water, Pere Marquette and Wolverine trains. Below are just a few of the special prices available (adult fares, each way, as low as):

Chicago	to	Detroit	$28.00
Chicago	to	Grand Rapids	$24.80
Chicago	to	Port Huron	$24.80

To receive discounts, apply Amtrak fare code V441 for Michigan trains. The fare code must be used to take advantage of these low fares. Tickets are non-refundable and some blackout dates apply. See the Deals tab on Amtrak.com for other applicable restrictions, including advance reservation and purchase requirements for discounts through March 31. Terms and conditions vary.

Once you have your ticket, here is a sampling of special events occurring now until the end of March:

Amtrak Route	Event	City	Dates
Wolverine	North American International Auto Show	Detroit	Jan. 11-24
Blue Water/ Wolverine	Kalamazoo Beer Week	Kalamazoo	Jan. 16-23
Wolverine	Avondale Train Show	Auburn Hills	Jan. 17
Blue Water	Port Huron Chilly Fest	Port Huron	Jan. 22-23
Pere Marquette	Annual Chili Tour	St. Joseph	Jan. 29
Blue Water	Art & Craft Beer Fest	Lansing	Jan. 29-30
Pere Marquette	St. Joe Winter Beer Fest	St. Joseph	Jan. 30
Wolverine	Winter Fun Fest	Ann Arbor	Jan. 30 – Feb. 20
Blue Water/ Wolverine	Coopers Glen Music Festival	Kalamazoo	Feb. 5-6
Pere Marquette	Magical Ice Fest	St. Joseph	Feb. 5-7
Wolverine	Paczki Day	Hamtramck	Feb. 9
Wolverine	Meridian Winter Blast	Detroit	Feb. 12-14
Wolverine	Ann Arbor Train Show & Sale	Saline	Feb. 13-14
Pere Marquette	Beer Week	Grand Rapids	Feb. 17-28
Blue Water/ Wolverine	Pub & Grub Fest	Battle Creek	Feb. 20
Pere Marquette	Winterfest	Grand Rapids	Feb. 25
Wolverine	Autorama	Detroit	Feb. 26-28
Pere Marquette	LaughFest	Grand Rapids	Mar. 10-20
Wolverine	St. Patrick’s Day Parade	Detroit	Mar. 13

Beyond the special events, the following list is an excerpt of family-friendly attractions that will keep visitors warm indoors. These attractions are open year-round:

Amtrak Route	Attraction	City
Blue Water/ Wolverine	Air Zoo	Kalamazoo
Wolverine	Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum	Ann Arbor
Blue Water	Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland	Frankenmuth
Wolverine	Detroit Institute of Arts	Detroit
Blue Water	Durand Union Station/Michigan Railroad History Museum	Durand
Pere Marquette	Federick Meijer Garden & Sculpture Park	Grand Rapids
Blue Water	Flint Institute of Arts	Flint
Pere Marquette	Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum	Grand Rapids
Blue Water/ Wolverine	Gilmore Car Museum	Kalamazoo (Hickory Corners)
Pere Marquette	Grand Rapids Children’s Museum	Grand Rapids
Pere Marquette	Holland Museum	Holland
Wolverine	The Henry Ford	Dearborn
Blue Water/ Wolverine	Kalamazoo Valley Museum	Kalamazoo
Blue Water	Michigan Historical Center	Lansing
Wolverine	Michigan Science Center	Detroit
Blue Water	Michigan State University Museum	East Lansing
Blue Water	Port Huron museums	Port Huron
Blue Water	Sloan*Longway	Flint
Wolverine	University of Michigan Museum of Natural History	Ann Arbor

The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) does not endorse the events and attractions listed above as they just offer a snapshot of what visitors and residents can do along the Amtrak routes. For more information on other events, attractions, dining, lodging and connecting transportation to the trains, visit the following travel and visitor bureau websites:

Pure Michigan

Calhoun County Visitors Bureau

Dearborn Visitor and Welcome Center

Discover the Blue

Discover Kalamazoo

Experience Grand Rapids

Flint and Genesee Chamber of Commerce

Frankenmuth Convention and Visitor’s Bureau

Four Flags Area Council on Tourism

Greater Lansing Convention and Visitor’s Bureau

Holland

Lapeer Chamber of Commerce

New Buffalo Travel and Visitor’s Guide

Saugatuck/Douglas

St. Joseph Today

Shiawassee County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau

Visit Ann Arbor

Visit Detroit

Visit Grand Haven

West Michigan Tourism Association

Ypsilanti Convention and Visitor’s Bureau

Amtrak conductor talks to passenger on the Blue Water

A conductor talks to passengers aboard the Amtrak Blue Water.

More information at: http://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/MIDOT/bulletins/12f7aed

News

Port Authority approves plan for combined train, bus station

February 16, 2016 admin

From The Toledo Blade:

The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza will soon be hosting a triple-decker of transportation — trains, buses, and Subway.

That is, Amtrak, Greyhound, and Subway, the sandwich shop.

The Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority board of directors early today voted to approve new leases for the ground level of the MLK Plaza for Amtrak and Greyhound.

The board also approved plans to build a space for a Subway franchise to serve travelers.

Paul Toth Jr., port authority president, said the train and bus schedules tend to operate at opposite times of the day, leading to the likelihood of 24-hour activity. He said Amtrak and Greyhound have been co-locating their terminals at other cities in the U.S.

Amtrak has already been using MLK Plaza for decades. Greyhound is moving over from its terminal at 811 Jefferson Ave. when its long-term lease expires next year.

Mr. Toth said the opening of the new Plaza with train, bus, and Subway will open in May or June after renovations are complete.

He said the port authority is spending up to $500,000 for improvements to make space in the building for Greyhound and Subway.
Read more at http://www.toledoblade.com/local/2015/12/17/Port-Authority-approves-plan-for-combined-train-bus-station.html#83ekU3o55wawMbJY.99