From the Holland Sentinel

People are feeling pain at the pump.

That’s the reason why Sherri Cadeaux of the Macatawa Area Express said many Hollanders are relying on public transit to get around as gas prices are expected to hit $4 a gallon.

From March 2010 to March 2011, the MAX saw a 25.66 percent increase in ridership, and from February to March this year, there were 7,000 more passengers opting to take the bus.

“The last time we saw such a huge yearly jump like this was in 2008,” Cadeaux said. “I think it’s maybe even a little bit more severe now, because people have sustained longer term economic hardships.”

It’s not just the bus that’s picking up more passengers, though.

The Michigan Department of Transportation reported that February marked 16 consecutive months of Amtrak ridership growth and was the best February on record with more than 2.1 million passengers nationwide.

The Pere Marquette line experienced increased ridership in the past year with a total of 39,906 riders from October 2010 to February 2011, Elisa Hoekwater of the Macatawa Area Coordinating Council said.

“(Amtrak) added cars to take care of the people that are wanting to take the train,” said John Langdon, a member of the Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers.

“Sometimes the train gets sold out because it’s an all-reserved train. That’s an indication that April is going to be a darn good month.”

As for MAX, rising gas prices mean their demographics could change with more middle-income people forgoing a second vehicle and jumping on the bus instead, Cadeaux said.

“Our drivers are recognizing a lot of new faces on the bus,” Cadeaux said, “and the office has been getting a lot more calls over the past 90 days from new passengers inquiring about how to use the bus system.”

Source: http://www.hollandsentinel.com/news/x215603268/Gas-prices-push-alternative-rides

From the Detroit Free Press

Detroit was once a place where people with new ideas came to make them happen, especially ideas that involved transportation.

Not anymore, it seems, based on the lack of response to overtures to the city from Jerry Sanders, chairman and CEO of SkyTran.

SkyTran would love to make Detroit the site for its first large-scale project, an overhead mass-transit system that no less an outfit than NASA has said can “revolutionize personal transportation.”

Before the city starts tearing up streets for the $520-million light-rail line up Woodward, which will inevitably cost more and be used less than projected, maybe someone should get back in touch with Sanders and at least invite him to make a presentation. Especially considering that he doesn’t want any taxpayer money to build his new system, just rights-of-way, and would consider manufacturing its components here for export to other cities that SkyTran is sure will want what they see working cheaply and cleanly in Detroit.

“We’re not coming with a hand out; we’re a privately held company,” Sanders said in a telephone interview last week. “We’re simply saying, ‘Give us a chance.’ If we can be accommodated, we can install an exceptionally low-cost, low-maintenance, high-profit system. Unlike other public transportation, we won’t need a subsidy.”

SkyTran is a system of four-passenger cars that zip along on an overhead track powered by a version of the same maglev technology (a term derived from the magnetic levitation that propels the cars) that drives trains in China, Japan and South Korea. The company says each car runs on about as much juice as it takes to power two blow-dryers. Passengers use touch screens to tell the cars where they want to exit the system. You can get the idea at www.skytran.net and watch the Plum TV video to the left. The SkyTran portion is 14 minutes and 30 seconds in.

Read more: http://www.freep.com/article/20110417/COL32/104170600/Ron-Dzwonkowski-SkyTran-offers-Detroit-new-idea-mass-transit

From the Port Huron Times Herald

Amtrak’s passenger services in Michigan saw higher ridership numbers in the first six months of the 2010-11 fiscal year ending in March.

Growth was noted on all three routes, including the Blue Water service between Port Huron and Chicago, according to the Michigan Department of Transportation.

Blue Water service saw a 26.2% increase over the same period last year, with 85,823 passengers, one of the largest increases in the nation, according to a statement from MDOT.

Ticket revenue was up by 23.9%, to $2,616,534. Amtrak’s Wolverine service on the Pontiac/Detroit-Chicago corridor saw an increase of 16.3% in the same period.

Ridership on the Pere Marquette service between Grand Rapids and Chicago saw a 6.7% passenger increase in the same period.

More information is available at the MDOT Web site, www.michigan.gov/mdot.

Analyzes conventional and high-speed equipment needs

From an Amtrak press release – April 1, 2011

 With its intercity passenger rail equipment nearing an average age of 26 years, Amtrak today is issuing an updated fleet strategy plan that analyzes the company’s need to replace its existing conventional and high-speed fleet and manage capacity to meet the forecasted growth in ridership across its national network.

Since its initial publication last year, the plan is updated throughout to reflect the current state of the fleet, programs that are underway and changes in the larger business environment.

For example, last year Amtrak awarded two major equipment contracts. One is for 130 single-level cars to replace the oldest cars in the fleet and provide increased capacity for long-distance trains. The other is for 70 electric locomotives to replace all those now in use on the Northeast and Keystone Corridors to improve reliability and support future service expansion.

The updated plan also provides more detail on the recent Amtrak announcement that the railroad intends to begin procurement in fiscal year 2012 of 40 additional

Acela Express cars to increase capacity on all 20 existing high-speed trainsets, if funding is identified. New to the plan is discussion about development work now underway to support more frequent Acela service with the acquisition of a new fleet of high-speed trainsets to expand Amtrak’s premium service.

There is also an extensive update on the work of the Next Generation Equipment Committee, a partnership between Amtrak, states, the Federal Railroad Administration and industry participants. The group has generated specifications for new corridor equipment including a bi-level car, a single-level car and a high-speed diesel locomotive. Amtrak will use these specifications in coming rounds of equipment procurement.

The plan provides Amtrak with a flexible and adaptable strategy to fleet development to meet demand for service now and in the future, and support the growth of a domestic manufacturing base vital for the success of intercity passenger rail in America.

It will be posted here on Amtrak.com under the Comprehensive Business Plan section.

From The Detroit News