Michigan Services Totally Explained

Everything about Michigan Services totally explained

Michigan Services is an umbrella term used by Amtrak to describe passenger rail service by three separate routes connecting Chicago, Illinois with the Michigan cities of Grand Rapids, Port Huron, and Detroit, as well as other stations along the three lines. The Michigan Services routes as a group are a component of the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative.

Michigan Services routes

Michigan Services is made up of the following routes:

Blue Water: Port Huron, Michigan to Chicago
Wolverine: Pontiac, Michigan to Chicago
Pere Marquette: Grand Rapids, Michigan to Chicago

Ridership

The three routes taken together carried 664,284 passengers for revenues of $20.3 million during fiscal year 2005-2006, a record.

Funding

The Pere Marquette and Blue Water services receive funding from the State of Michigan. For fiscal year 2005-2006 this was $7.1 million. Because of improving revenues and patronage over the past year, the contract for FY 2006-2007 is for $6.2 million. A 97-mile stretch along the route of Blue Water and Wolverine from Porter, Indiana to Kalamazoo, Michigan is the longest segment of track owned by Amtrak outside of the Northeast Corridor.

Track

The tracks used were originally part of the Pennsylvania Railroad, New York Central Railroad, Grand Trunk Railway and Pere Marquette Railway systems, and are now owned by CSX, Norfolk Southern, the Canadian National Railway, Conrail and Amtrak. The following lines are used:

Wolverine

Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railway (PRR), Chicago, Illinois to Whiting, Indiana, now NS

Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway (NYC), Whiting to Porter, Indiana, now NS

Michigan Central Railroad (NYC), Porter to Detroit, Michigan, now Amtrak west of and NS east of Kalamazoo, Michigan, and Conrail in Detroit

Detroit, Grand Haven and Milwaukee Railway (GT), Detroit to Pontiac, Michigan, now CN

Blue Water

Grand Trunk Western Railway (GT), Battle Creek, Michigan (on the Michigan Central Railroad east of Kalamazoo) to Port Huron, Michigan, now CN

Pere Marquette

Pere Marquette Railway, Porter, Indiana to Grand Rapids, Michigan, now CSX

Airport connections

At the Chicago end of all three lines, riders may easily connect to either O'Hare International Airport or Midway International Airport, using nearby CTA stations. For O'Hare, riders should walk to the Clinton CTA station and ride the Blue line, which operates 24 hours a day. For Midway, riders should walk to the Quincy/Wells CTA station and ride the Orange line.
Travelers headed to Detroit Metropolitan Airport should exit at the Dearborn station, take SMART bus route 200 west (outbound) and transfer to route 280 south at Middlebelt Road.
Travelers headed to Lansing Capital City Airport must take Capital Area Transportation Authority bus route 20 north to Grand River Avenue, the route 1 west to Grand Boulevard in Downtown Lansing, then route 14 north to the Airport.

Further Information

Get more info on 'Michigan Services'.

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