Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers Member On-line Meeting
Thursday, January 15, 6:00 PM Eastern Time
HAPPY NEW YEAR MARP MEMBERS! As we look forward to the opportunities ahead of us in 2026, we hope you will click in to a ZOOM call on Thursday, 15 January at 6:00 PM Eastern Time.
Executive Committee member Eric Schertzing will be on board to get us thinking about the role of MARP and its individual members in promoting and improving Amtrak service in our state. Eric will kick off the discussion with some information on ridership numbers and on-time performance on Michigan’s three routes over the last few years.
Eric and the Executive Committee want to hear your ideas. The bulk of the meeting time will be devoted to facilitated discussion, focusing on issues around:
Promoting a cross-state bus service as a step toward implementation of the proposed Coast-to-Coast train service linking Detroit-Lansing-Grand Rapids;
Securing needed new equipment;
Growing MARP membership (ideas about outreach, use of social media);
How MARP can work effectively with MDOT, Amtrak, and other advocacy organizations;
To help the meeting move smoothly, you are invited to submit comments and questions in advance to MARP@MARP.org. During the meeting, you may use the Chatbox to comment or ask your question.
In 2023 the MARP Executive Committee appointed a committee to update the MARP Bylaws. The Bylaws had last been revised at the Annual Meeting in 2022 to remove the provision that made Regional Chairs automatically members of the Executive Committee. It was felt that additional revisions should be made.
Early on, the Committee decided that a general rewrite rather than a few changes should be made to make the document’s wording more uniform and to clarify ambiguities.
The changes to the Bylaws will be voted on at the annual meeting on October 18th, 2025, at Noon at the Durand Union Station.
We are pleased to announce our September meeting in Royal Oak!
Our guest speaker will be Vidal Vasquez, a detective with the Amtrak Police Department. He will talk about the function and duties of the Amtrak police, the number of officers, areas of responsibility, and their power and legal authority. He will also share stories from his time protecting Amtrak passengers in Michigan and beyond.
Light refreshments will be served. A $5 donation is appreciated.
For those choosing to travel to the meeting aboard Wolverine Train #350, the library is located just two blocks west on 11 Mile Road from the Amtrak station. The meeting will conclude in time to depart on Wolverine #355.
The area is also served by SMART buses 430, 450, 460, 492, 730, 740, and FAST Woodward 461/462, as well as Troy/Clawson SMART Flex service.
MRC Midwest 2025
“Railroads 200 Years – Learning from Past, Shaping the Future”
12-14 August 2025
University of Notre Dame
Organized for the first time since 2017, the combined Michigan/Midwest Conference brings together industry leaders, advocacy groups, academia and state organizations to discuss key issues shaping the region’s extensive rail network. Covering freight and passenger rail across states like Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Wisconsin, the conference explores a diverse range of topics, mixing speakers across stakeholder groups. This year’s conference will double up as the 2nd Annual Meeting for the National University Rail Center of Excellence (NURail CoE).
Keynote speakers include David Fink, nominated to head the Federal Railroad Administration (invited), Metra CEO James Derwinski, and Mabby Amouie, AVP of Enterprise Data and Analytics, Norfolk Southern Railroad. Eight technical sessions/panel discussions will feature industry, agency and academic experts across a variety of rail topics. Check out the preliminary program and register for the conference before early registration ends. Early
registration has been extended through July 18.
