Michigan Services: Difference between revisions

{{Use mdy dates|date=FebruaryOctober 20132023}}

'''''Michigan Services''''' are three [[Amtrak]] passenger rail routes connecting [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]] with the [[Michigan]] cities of [[Grand Rapids, Michigan|Grand Rapids]], [[Port Huron, Michigan|Port Huron]], and [[DetroitPontiac, Michigan|DetroitPontiac]], and stations en route. The group falls under the [[Amtrak Midwest]] brand and is a component of the [[Midwest Regional Rail Initiative]].

Up until fiscal year 2014, the State of Michigan only subsidized the operations of the ''Pere Marquette'' and ''Blue Water'' at a cost of $8 million in fiscal year 2014. Starting fiscal year 2014, the state took on the costs of operations for the ''Wolverine'' pushing the state subsidy to $25 million.<ref>{{cite news|last=VanHulle|first=Lindsay|title=Amtrak works with the state to upgrade service, raise number of riders|url=http://www.freep.com/article/20131006/NEWS06/310060086/amtrak-ridership-michigan-detroit-chicago-wifi-internet-bikes-subsidies-improvements|accessdateaccess-date=20 October 20, 2013|newspaper=Gannett Michigan|date=6 October 6, 2013|archive-date=September 24, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924130618/http://www.freep.com/article/20131006/NEWS06/310060086/amtrak-ridership-michigan-detroit-chicago-wifi-internet-bikes-subsidies-improvements|url-status=dead}}</ref>

When [[Amtrak]] was founded in 1971, five private companies provided inter-city passenger service in Michigan: the [[Baltimore and Ohio Railroad|Baltimore & Ohio]] (B&O), the [[Chesapeake and Ohio Railway|Chesapeake & Ohio]] (C&O), the [[Grand Trunk Western Railway|Grand Trunk Western]], the [[Norfolk and Western Railway|Norfolk & Western]], and [[Penn Central]]. Services provided:<ref>{{cite news | title=Amtrak's beginnings | first=John | last=Kelly | date=June 5, 2001 | accessdateaccess-date=2010-08-August 11, 2010 | url=http://www.trains.com/ctr/default.aspx?c=a&id=54 | publisher=Classic Trains | archive-date=June 2, 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080602150701/http://trains.com/ctr/default.aspx?c=a&id=54 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

|''[[Cincinnatian]]''

|''[[Pere Marquette (C&O train)|Pere Marquette]]''

|''[[Wabash CannonballCannon Ball (train)|Wabash Cannon Ball]]''

|formerly the ''[[Wolverine (NYC train)|Wolverine]]''

|formerly the ''Michigan'' and ''[[Twilight Limited]]''

Upon taking over national passenger rail service on May 1, 1971, Amtrak discontinued almost all of these, keeping just two round-trips on the Penn Central's Chicago—Detroit line. Detroit lost its direct connections to St Louis, Cincinnati, Buffalo and the Canadian province of [[Ontario]].<ref>{{cite web | title=Nationwide Schedules of Intercity Passenger Service | date=May 1, 1971 | accessdate=2010-08access-date=August 11, 2010 | url=http://www.timetables.org/full.php?group=19710501&item=0024 | author=Amtrak}}</ref> On its first new timetable, issued on November 14, 1971, Amtrak bestowed names on these trains: the ''[[Wolverine (train)|Wolverine]]'' and the ''[[St. Clair (train)|St. Clair]]''.<ref>{{cite web | title=Nationwide Schedules of Intercity Passenger Service | date=November 11, 1971 | accessdate=2010-08access-date=August 12, 2010 | author=Amtrak | url=http://www.timetables.org/full.php?group=19711114&item=0064}}</ref> In mid-May Amtrak announced a [[Toledo, Ohio]]—Detroit connection to the new Chicago—New York ''[[Lake Shore Limited|Lake Shore]]'' with financial support from the state of [[Michigan]]; this train was canceled before it ran because of poor track conditions between the two cities.<ref>{{cite news | title=Detroit-Toledo Train Cancelled | publishernewspaper=[[Argus-Press]] | date=May 26, 1971 | accessdate=2010-07access-date=July 19, 2010 | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=G3wwAAAAIBAJ&sjid=i6sFAAAAIBAJ&pg=791,2692495&dq=amtrak+detroit&hl=en}}</ref>

Michigan, Amtrak and the Canadian province of [[Ontario]] had discussed restoring Port Huron—Toronto service since 1973; this finally occurred on October 31, 1982, with the extension of the ''Blue Water Limited'', which was renamed the ''International Limited'' (later shortened to ''International''). Amtrak and [[Via Rail]], the state-supported Canadian rail company, jointly operated the ''International'' until April 25, 2004, when cross-border service was discontinued: massive border delays post-[[September 11 attacks|September 11]] led to falling ridership. Amtrak and Michigan agreed to truncate service at Port Huron and bring back the old ''Blue Water''.<ref name="sanders" />{{rp|207}}

On August 3, 1980, Amtrak extended the ''St Clair'', the midday Chicago—Detroit train, to [[Toledo, Ohio]]. The train was renamed the ''Lake Cities'' and continued to use [[Turboliner]] trainsets until mid-1981.<ref name="sanders" />{{rp|202}}<ref>{{cite news | title=Michigan–Toledo Runs Instituted By Amtrak | newspaper=[[Toledo Blade]] | date=July 9, 1980 | accessdate=2010-04access-date=April 16, 2010 | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=cQ0VAAAAIBAJ&sjid=owIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6458,5031456&dq=amtrak+toledo&hl=en }}{{Dead link|date=April 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The ''Lake Cities'' schedule allowed both east- and westbound connections with the Chicago—New York ''[[Lake Shore Limited]]'', eliminating the need for Michigan travelers to backtrack through Chicago. Budget cuts led Amtrak to discontinue service to Toledo on April 1, 1995.

Amtrak extended the ''Wolverine'' and ''Twilight Limited'' to [[Pontiac, Michigan|Pontiac]] on May 5, 1994. With this change service began at a [[Detroit (Amtrak station)|new station]] in Detroit's [[New Center, Detroit|New Center]]. Although the [[Michigan Central Station]] in [[Corktown, Detroit]] had closed on January 6, 1988, trains continued to stop at a temporary platform just east of the old station. Besides Pontiac, new stations were opened at [[Royal Oak, Michigan|Royal Oak]] and [[Birmingham, Michigan (Amtrak station)|Birmingham]]. The ''Lake Cities'' also began serving Pontiac after the end of Toledo service in 1995.<ref name="sanders" />{{rp|199–200}}<ref>{{cite web | title=National Timetable Spring/Summer 1994 | author=[[Amtrak]] | author-link=Amtrak | date=May 1, 1994 | accessdateaccess-date=November 5, 2011-11-05 | url=http://www.timetables.org/full.php?group=19940501n&item=0021}}</ref>

Amtrak considered two routes for a Chicago—Grand Rapids train: the [[Chesapeake and Ohio Railway]] (ex-[[Pere Marquette Railway]]), which ran along the [[Lake Michigan]] coastline and joined the main Chicago—Detroit line at [[Porter, Indiana]]; and a [[Conrail]] (ex-[[Pennsylvania Railroad]]) route via Kalamazoo. Although the Conrail route was faster, a dispute over costs led to the selection of the C&O route. Service began August 5, 1984, with stops at Grand Rapids, [[Holland, Michigan|Holland]], [[Bangor, Michigan|Bangor]], [[St. Joseph, Michigan|St. Joseph]], [[New Buffalo, Michigan|New Buffalo]] and [[Hammond-Whiting (Amtrak station)|Hammond-Whiting]].<ref name="sanders" />{{rp|209}}<ref>{{cite web | title=National Train Timetables | author=[[Amtrak]] | author-link=Amtrak | date=October 28, 1984 | accessdateaccess-date=November 5, 2011-11-05 | url=http://www.timetables.org/full.php?group=19841028&item=0040}}</ref> Like the ''Blue Water'', the ''Pere Marquette'' receives financial support from the state of Michigan.

{{reflistReflist|refs=