From the Dowagiac Herald-Palladium

 Ron Leatz, 68, the host of the Dowagiac Amtrak station, has been volunteering with the Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers for three years. He met with Herald-Palladium Staff Writer Kate Genellie to talk about what a station host does and the appeal of train travel.

Why did you join MARP?

I’ve always been a railroad fan. I’ve been to the West Coast eight or nine times on the Super Chief. Less than a month ago I went to Lancaster, Pa., on the train. Back in December I came from New York City. I use the train.

What’s the longest distance you’ve traveled by train?

From here to L.A. Forty-one hours.

You’re the host of the Dowagiac Amtrak Station. What does that mean?

We have two trains that come through. One’s called the Bluewater, one’s called the Wolverine. We have two Bluewater and two Wolverine trains that stop here.

This is an unstaffed Amtrak facility. As a volunteer with (MARP) … I take care of all the Amtrak literature. It’s sent to my home and I bring it down. We also put up the baggage tags.

The other thing we do, since we’re in the MARP, we get information from other things. We also are the only group that has Michigan information at Union Station in Chicago. All our trains terminate in Chicago. We put information, literature in the rack there. Because of that, we find out information that’s sitting right behind me here. We have a map of downtown Chicago.

The other thing I do – because the Dial-A-Ride office is dispatched out of here and it’s open 8 to 5, and the Chamber of Commerce is open 8 to 5 – if I’m available, I come down for the 7:04 p.m. train from Chicago. And I come down on weekends. I unlock the station. We have restrooms, we have a drinking fountain. It’s not a lot, but it’s better than them sitting out in the snowbank.

From 2009 to 2010, ridership at the Dowagiac station has increased 36 percent. Why is that?

The advantage we have now is parents who have students at Michigan State. At 7 at night we have a train that goes to East Lansing. At 10:30 in the morning we have a train that goes to the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.

Either one of those trains will get you to Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo. So the parents are finding out that instead of driving all the way over there – especially now that we’ve completed winter and the icy, snowy conditions and gasoline now is jumping up like crazy – once their student gets on that train, they’re safe, they’re sound.

They get to the university, they get off the train, and Mom and Dad have been home for an hour or two or three, instead of having to turn around and drive back. We get a lot of college kids.

I had a gentleman from Buchanan come in here, and his daughter was going to Michigan State. She was going to be a freshman. There was a little wondering, you know, she hadn’t been away from home.

And I said, “We’re running 95 miles an hour. What’s going to happen? You think she’s going to jump off the train? Once the conductor closes the door, it’s closed.”

Why do you enjoy train travel?

The seats are twice as wide as on an airplane. The other thing, every train in Michigan has a cafe car. The one amazing part about Amtrak is a dining car table holds four people. You make a reservation, and all of a sudden you and I, who have never seen each other before, are sitting there having dinner, having breakfast, having lunch. It creates camaraderie among all the passengers. You know, you sit on an airplane for hours – I went to Saudi Arabia 10 years ago – you don’t talk to nobody.

If a lady comes on the train with a baby, that baby’s entertained and so are all the passengers passing that baby around the car. It just happens.

You socialize with people on the train.

The train I took to Pennsylvania goes down in the valley of the Appalachian Mountains. You’re following the river all the way, and the thing you have to remember is the railroads have been there a long time. In Pennsylvania you have the mountains, and the railroads basically follow the rivers. Because of that, you’re in an area you don’t see in a car. You may be five miles from any highway.

Some people pick up a book and they read from the time they get on to the time they get off. If I take a new route, I’m always looking out the window.

Source: http://theh-p.com/articles/2011/03/21/local_news/3933858.txt#blogcomments

From WSJM AM&FM

Construction starts today (Wednesday) on a project that will dramatically change the exterior of the Amtrak station in St. Joseph by adding a new all glass waiting room. Silver Beach Pizza shares the building with Amtrak. The restaurant is paying for the upgrade because it will earn additional seating, but also because it will improve the aesthetics of the building and create a larger waiting space.

Listen here: http://www.wsjm.com/pages/9407249.php

From The Detroit News

The Transportation Department is putting $2.4 billion in returned high-speed rail funds on the fast-track for competitive bids.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said today that all states can compete for $2.4 billion in funds returned by Florida to develop high-speed rail corridors across the United States.

They must submit applications by April 4 and funding decisions could be made by May.

“The Obama Administration’s bold high-speed rail plan will create jobs, reinvigorate our manufacturing sector and spur economic development for years to come,” LaHood said. “States across the country have been banging down our door for the opportunity to receive additional high-speed rail dollars and to deliver all of its economic benefits to their citizens.”

Earlier this week, LaHood said “just about every member of Congress” has asked for the $2.4 billion in high speed rail funds. Florida was to use the funds for the proposed Tampa to Orlando line.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder met with LaHood late last month at the National Governors Association winter meetings in Washington, and they discussed high speed rail funds. Snyder has expressed support for high speed rail.

President Obama’s wants to connect 80 percent of Americans to high-speed rail within the next 25 years. The Obama Administration has proposed a six-year, $53 billion plan that would provide rail access to new communities; improve the reliability, speed and frequency of existing lines.

The program has a 100 percent “Buy America” requirement for high-speed rail projects which ensures that U.S. manufacturers and workers will receive the maximum economic benefits from this federal investment.

A merit-driven process will be used to award the newly available high-speed rail dollars to projects that can deliver public and economic benefits quickly. A project’s ability to reduce energy consumption, improve the efficiency of a region’s overall transportation network, and generate sustained economic activity along the corridor are among the selection criteria.

In 2009, the Michigan Department of Transportation won $153.2 million in federal funding to improve a planned high-speed rail corridor between Dearborn and Kalamazoo.

.Michigan also won $40 million in rail stimulus funding to build a new Amtrak station in Dearborn and to renovate stations in Battle Creek and Troy.

Michigan had sought more than $1.7 billion to make high speed rail a reality from Chicago to Detroit — including improvements in Indiana and Illinois — that was not approved in earlier funding rounds.

Source: http://www.detnews.com/article/20110311/METRO/103110444/1409/metro

From The Detroit News

“The train is coming.”

That was the message sent by city official March 10 to neighbors and members of Mount Olive Baptist Church about a proposed light rail system on Woodward that would pass directly in front of the church.

Hosted by the Detroit Department of Transportation, the meeting provided environmental, economic and quality of life information about the 91/3 mile long project, which would run from Hart Plaza to the former Michigan State Fairgrounds near Eight Mile.

Officials noted the uniqueness of the project which would be funded by private investors, the city of Detroit and the federal government.

The cost of the electrically powered system is pegged at about $450 million, with private investors — including Mike Ilitch, Peter Karmanos and Roger Penske — funding the first segment running from Jefferson to the New Center area for $125 million.

Lifelong Detroiter Carl Hoskins came to the meeting because he said he’s concerned about the lack of transit in his city.

“I’ve been all over the country and I feel like Detroit is so far behind when it comes to a mass transit system,” Hoskins said. “They pulled up the rails to make us buy cars.”

Jason Fligger brought his daughter Jessica, 6. “I live near McNichols and Woodward and I’m excited about the idea to be able to take a trolley downtown and not have to pay for parking,” Fligger said.

Public comment on the project ends on Monday.

Construction on the project is expected to begin in 2012 and be completed by 2016.

Source: http://www.detnews.com/article/20110311/METRO05/103110387/1410/METRO01/Woodward-light-rail-excites-supporters

From the Petoskey News-Review

Petoskey officials have tentatively closed on their long-sought acquisition of a rail corridor running through the city’s downtown area.

The 1.17-mile route, which was owned by the state of Michigan, extends from Emmet Street to the Petoskey city limit near Bay View.

City officials have conceptual plans for developing the route into a linear park. It would include sidewalks along the entire length that would link surrounding neighborhoods with the business district. In addition, the city owns a trolley which could operate along part of the corridor to shuttle visitors to and from remote parking lots.

In the downtown area, the corridor includes railroad tracks and surrounding property. Tracks have been removed from the segment between Winter Park Lane and Bay View.

Following last week’s tentative closing, city parks and recreation director Al Hansen noted that a formality remains to be completed in the purchase process. An administrative board within the Michigan Department of Transportation still must approve the release of deed and title documents. If any complications block the way, Hansen said the state would be obligated to return the payment for the corridor.

To assist with the city’s $895,000 corridor acquisition, some $577,000 in funding was provided through the Transportation Enhancement Activities Surface Transportation Program administered by the Michigan Department of Transportation and the United States Federal Highway Administration.

A year or so ago, city officials were figuring on an acquisition cost of about $670,000. But based on discrepancies between maps used for the city’s property appraisal and those used by MDOT, Hansen said the purchase ended up including more square footage along the route than earlier anticipated.

MDOT was able to boost the transportation grant amount by more than $200,000 to offset the additional land value.

“They were willing to work with us on that,” Hansen said.

An $80,000 allocation of parking reserve funds overseen by Petoskey’s Downtown Management Board was among the local funding sources applied to the purchase.

With the corridor acquisition largely complete, city officials have begun considering funding sources to help with development of the linear park features. Staff are preparing an application to the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund for grant funding to help pay for the first phase of corridor development between Bay Street and MacDonald Drive. Hansen anticipates that Petoskey’s parks and recreation commission and the city council will review the proposed application in the near future.

Source: http://articles.petoskeynews.com/2011-03-09/petoskey-officials_28674201