Category Archives: Announcements

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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

Announcements, Meetings

MARP Member Meeting Saturday, January 16, 2016 is in Lansing

January 2, 2016 admin

MARP Member Meeting

Saturday, Jan, 16, 2016
10am – Noon
REO Town Depot (former GTW Depot)
1203 S Washington Ave, Lansing MI 48910
Map & Directions

It is becoming somewhat of a tradition for MARP to have its first meeting of the New Year in Lansing’s former GTW station which has been reborn as the REO Town Depot. This classic Spier & Rohn-designed structure was built in 1902 for the Grand Trunk Western Railway, but has not seen service as a passenger station since 1971. The building has been painstakingly restored in conjunction with the development of the new Lansing Board of Water & Light co-generation plant with which it shares the 5.3 acre site in the area known as REO Town. The depot is listed on the State Register of Historic Sites and the National Register of Historic Places.

Tim Hoeffner, Director of MDOT’s Office of Rail, is our featured speaker. He will give us an update on the progress made in 2015 on the Wolverine corridor upgrade as well as what to expect in 2016 for Michigan passenger trains.

Plan to arrive a bit early so you can look around the building, The BWL spent more than $2.8 million to restore it as its home for board meetings and employee training. From the terra cotta roof to the dark wood ceiling, period light fixtures, windows, and wainscoting, the restoration has been described as “stunning”.

Of particular interest is the eye-catching terra cotta roof. The tiles were 110 years old and needed to be replaced. The original manufacturer — Ludowici Roof Tile Co. of New Lexington, Ohio, a 120-year-old company with roots in Renaissance Rome and still in business — had the original plans for the depot and produced 14,600 new tiles to the original specifications.

Following the meeting, please plan to socialize over lunch at Clara’s Lansing Station, another of Lansing’s historic railway stations, at 637 East Michigan.

If you would like to arrange car-sharing to the meeting, please reply to this email. We will put you in touch with others in your area.

Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers

REO Town , located just south of Downtown Lansing, is at the core of Lansing’s automotive history and is one of Lansing’s revitalized gems. The commercial corridor and three neighborhoods of Moore’s Park, Fabulous Acres and River Point make up Reo Town. These distinct neighbors surround the former R. E. Olds Motor plant which was the backbone of Capital region labor in the early 1900’s.

History of REO Town

Automotive History in Lansing

Things to do in Lansing

Clara’s Lansing Station

Announcements, FYI, News

Amtrak adds 10 extra trains to handle Thanksgiving travel in Michigan

November 9, 2015 admin

Amtrak will operate 10 extra trains in Michigan for the 2015 Thanksgiving holiday in addition to its regularly scheduled service.

On Nov. 25 and 29, an extra eastbound morning train will depart Chicago bound for Grand Rapids and an extra westbound evening train will depart Grand Rapids bound for Chicago.

On Nov. 25, 28 and 29, an extra eastbound morning train will depart Chicago bound for Ann Arbor and an extra westbound evening train will depart Ann Arbor for Chicago.

Click on the timetable below for more details.

Amtrak plans on utilizing every available piece of equipment to handle one of their busiest travel weeks of the year.

Amtrak recommends that passengers book their trip early in order to best match desired travel times and days.

Announcements, Meetings

MARP meets Oct. 10, 2015 in Mount Pleasant

September 30, 2015 admin

MARP Member Meeting
Sat., Oct. 10, 2015, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
CMU Research Corporation
2625 Denison Drive
Mt Pleasant, MI 48858

Map & Directions

Please plan to join us in Mt. Pleasant as we explore the question “Passenger Trains on the Annie Again?” As you know, the folks in Traverse City have created a good deal of excitement around the idea of reviving passenger train service between Traverse City and Ann Arbor, a project they call A2TC.

We are fortunate to have as our speaker, Chris Bagwell, who will give his perspective as Executive Vice-President and General Manager of the Great Lakes Central Railroad (GLC) on potential for passenger services along the former “Annie“ route. He will also update us on the status of the MITRAIN equipment that was refurbished by GLC for use on the proposed WALLY and Ann Arbor-Detroit commuter routes.

Also on the agenda is Erin Strang, President and CEO of the Central Michigan University Research Corporation, and our host for the meeting. She will lead a group discussion of ideas for instituting a local shuttle service in Mt. Pleasant.

Following the program and business meeting, we will gather at one of Mt. Pleasant’s former railroad depots for our usual no-host lunch.

Our Speakers:

Chris Bagwell is Executive Vice-President and General Manager Great Lakes Central Railroad (GLC). Chris is well known to MARP for his enthusiastic work retrofitting the MITRAIN cars and facilitating their display at events. Chris was honored in 2013 as a “Rising Star” by Progressive Railroading. You can read his profile here. Chris recently “starred” as well in a video talking about GLC operations in Michigan and promoting the proposed WALLY commuter train.

Erin Strang is President and CEO of the Central Michigan University Research Corporation. CMU-RC is a non-profit business accelerator that provides guidance to entrepreneurs to bring their ideas to market. CMU-RC is designated a Michigan SmartZone — one of 15 technology-oriented centers across the state — established to offer tax incentives while supporting research development and commercialization of new technology to promote economic growth.

Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers

Announcements, FYI

Priority Boarding Available at Chicago Union Station in the Legacy Club

August 18, 2015 admin

Priority boarding is now available at Chicago Union Station for an introductory price of $20, offering access to Amtrak trains ahead of general boarding.

The priority boarding fee includes access to the Legacy Club located in the southwest corner of the Great Hall where coach passengers, commuters and others can enjoy a quiet, comfortable atmosphere to wait for trains or unwind after traveling. The Legacy Club features include:

Priority boarding for all Amtrak trains
Comfortable, quiet lounge seating
Complimentary refreshments
Complimentary Wi-Fi and charging stations
Train status displays
Satellite TV

The Legacy Club is open daily from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. Daily access passes are available for $20..

For more information, speak with a uniformed Amtrak employee at Chicago Union Station or stop by the Amtrak kiosk in the Great Hall.

Sleeping car passengers, Business class and Amtrak Guest Rewards Plus and Select Executive members will continue to have complimentary access to the Metropolitan Lounge in the Concourse level of the station.

Reservations and information are available at Amtrak.com, our free mobile apps and at
1-800-USA-RAIL (1-800-872-7245).

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