In anticipation of its busiest travel week of the year, Amtrak is adding 18 additional trains to operate to and from Michigan during the Thanksgiving holiday season.

The holiday is the busiest travel week of the year, and to accommodate the expected surge of riders, Amtrak will operate every available passenger rail car in its fleet and is scheduling extra trains and adding capacity on other routes.

The busiest travel days are the Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the Sunday after the holiday. Other than Thanksgiving Day, morning trains typically have more available seats than those in the afternoon and evening.

The attached schedule (also on Amtrak.com) provides information on these extra trains that will operate in addition to the Amtrak Wolverine Service, Blue Water and Pere Marquette trains sponsored by the Michigan Department of Transportation.

Amtrak carried a record 737,537 passengers during the 2012 Thanksgiving travel period, up 1.9 percent over the previous year and the prior record set in 2011.

Starting Nov. 15, 2013, the Michigan Flyer -AirRide shuttle expands service on its route between East Lansing, Ann Arbor and Detroit Metro Airport (DTW)—just in time to accommodate holiday season travelers.

The new schedule will increase the frequency of service from eight to 12 trips a day on the segment between East Lansing and Ann Arbor.

On the segment between Ann Arbor and DTW, reliability and convenience of service will be improved by providing both earlier and later runs to and from DTW, increasing the number of daily round trips from 12 to 13, and discontinuing the stop at the U-M Central Campus Transit Center at a savings of about $407,000 in operating costs.

The new Michigan Flyer-AirRide schedule is available online at www.MichiganFlyer.com; a PDF version can be downloaded here: http://bit.ly/1dyvmn1.

Overall, the new schedule will make it easier for passengers to:

•  Connect with approximately 700 daily nonstop flights between DTW and top domestic and international destinations
•  Access about 150 more DTW arrivals and departures than before
•  Commute between East Lansing and Ann Arbor for business or pleasure
•  Enjoy much shorter waits between buses

The expanded schedule is a big plus for the Greater Lansing and Ann Arbor economies, noted Indian Trails and Michigan Flyer President Gordon Mackay. “One-third of Michigan Flyer-AirRide passengers—about 30,000 a year—come from out of state and spend millions locally,” he said. “Also, for many passengers who either don’t or can’t drive, this is a critical improvement in public transportation.”

According to Michael Ford, CEO of the Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority, “The improved schedule makes public transportation a more attractive option for travel.”

The Steam Railroading Institute announced the return of the historic Pere Marquette 1225 Locomotive to the rails in time for the Holiday Season for its North Pole Express service.

The Steam Railroad Institute takes passengers from Owosso to the village of Ashley’s Country Christmas, a late 1940’s Christmas village, offering live entertainment, music, food, games, shopping, elves, reindeer, horse drawn wagon rides and of course an appearance by Santa who will give away the first present of Christmas (just like in the movie).

This Famous Steam engines image and sounds were used to create the train which appears in the Warner Brothers Christmas classic, The Polar Express.

The 1225 has been undergoing her 15 year federally mandated rebuild since the end of 2009. This rebuild, paid for by donations from all over the world, has taken 4 years.

The Pere Marquette 1225 is a 4-8-2 Berkshire locomotive built by the Lima Corporation for the Pere Marquette Railroad in 1941. She stands 16 feet tall and is 101 feet long with a combined engine and tender, and weighs 400 tons. The locomotive produces 3000 horsepower and has pulled as many as 60 freight cars between Michigan factories and northern Indiana steel mills to support the war effort.

The 1225 was retired in 1951 and was saved from the scrap heap by Michigan State University who was seeking a static display piece as a tribute to the steam-era. In 1969 engineering students from MSU set out to restore the locomotive to operating condition. The 1225’s restoration was completed in 1988, making it the largest operating steam locomotive in Michigan. Now the Pere Marquette 1225 resides at the Steam Railroading Institute in Owosso Michigan.

Anyone interested in knowing more about the 1225 or the Steam Railroading Institute, its museum, excursions or programs can call 989-725-9464 between 10am and 4pm Wednesday through Sunday, or visit michigansteamtrain.com for more information.