Category Archives: Press Releases

Press Releases

ACTION ALERT! Tell your state legislator to restore funding for Michigan passenger trains to 2009 levels ($7.3 million) in the new transportation budget

The Michigan senate slashed fiscal year 2010 funds for Michigan passenger train service by almost half. The Michigan house of representatives followed the governor’s recommended budget and slashed fiscal year 2010 funds by 22%. Two of the state’s three train routes will cease to operate by early or late spring next year under these budgets. What’s worse is that these actions jeopardize the state’s application for $800 million in federal grants to build a high-speed route linking Detroit to Chicago and other destinations throughout the Midwest and to improve train operations and stations throughout Michigan.

Michigan’s continued investment in current train service is essential to leveraging the federal funding available to bring passenger trains into the 21st century, along with the jobs and economic development that will accompany this expansion.

Please PHONE or EMAIL your state senator and representative NOW.

— Tell them YOU RIDE THE TRAIN, and

— Ask them to RESTORE FUNDING for the Pere Marquette and the Blue Water routes to the full $7.3 million provided in the current year.

Phone or email Your Legislator http://senate.michigan.gov/SenatorInfo/find-your-senator.htm – (517) 373-2400 http://house.michigan.gov/find_a_rep.asp – (517) 373-0135

Let Governor Granholm Know You Support Trains http://www.michigan.gov/gov/0,1607,7-168-21995—,00.html – (517) 335-7858 – Constituent Services

The Blue Water route provides daily roundtrip service to Port Huron, Lapeer, Flint, Durand, East Lansing, Battle Creek, Kalamazoo, Dowagiac and Niles. The Pere Marquette provides daily service for travelers in Grand Rapids, Holland, Bangor, St. Joseph, and New Buffalo.

Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers

Press Releases

Amtrak’s Pere Marquette service will celebrate Silver Anniversary on Aug. 5

Contact: Janet Foran, MDOT Office of Communications, 517-335-7176, Agency: Transportation

WHAT: Save the date! The public is invited to celebrate 25 years of the Pere Marquette, Amtrak service between Grand Rapids and Chicago, with stops in Holland, Bangor and St. Joseph/Benton Harbor. Westrain Collaborative and Amtrak will promote the Silver Anniversary event with a Superliner train, including a double-decker lounge car and three coaches; an opportunity to win free round-trip tickets at each stop; and commemorative gift bags and refreshments. The event is sponsored by Westrain Collaborative, Amtrak and the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), which provides state support for the route.

Approximately one-half hour prior to regularly scheduled train departure, Silver Anniversary ceremonies at each city are slated to include local mayors and other city leaders, federal and state legislators, as well as MDOT and Amtrak officials.

To commemorate the occasion, tickets will be discounted 25 percent from Aug. 3-7 for all stops on the Pere Marquette route. Go to Amtrak.com for ticket details.

WHO: Kirk T. Steudle, director, MDOT
George Heartwell, mayor, Grand Rapids
Al McGeehan, mayor, Holland
Mike Selden, city manager, Bangor
Bob Judd, mayor, St. Joseph
U.S. Rep. Vern Ehlers
State Sen. Ron Jelinek
State, county and local officials
Amtrak, business and community representatives
Interested public

WHEN: Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2009
Grand Rapids: 7:00 a.m. event (7:35 a.m. departure)
Holland: 7:50 a.m. event (8:21 a.m. departure)
Bangor: 8:30 a.m. event (9:02 a.m. departure)
St. Joseph/Benton Harbor: 9:10 a.m. event (9:39 a.m. departure)

WHERE: Grand Rapids Amtrak Station, 431 Wealthy St., SW
Holland Amtrak Station, 171 Lincoln Ave.
Bangor Amtrak Station, 541 Railroad St.
St. Joseph/Benton Harbor Amtrak Station, 410 1/2 Vine St., St. Joseph

BACKGROUND: The Pere Marquette serves Grand Rapids, Holland, Bangor, and St. Joseph/Benton Harbor with daily passenger service to and from Chicago. This is one of two state-supported routes. Michigan is among 15 states that pay Amtrak for service, including the Midwestern states of Illinois, Missouri and Wisconsin.

Last year, Amtrak ridership hit all-time highs when gas prices jumped to $4 a gallon. From 2002 to 2008, Amtrak ridership in Michigan has grown by 60 percent. Pere Marquette service has grown every year since 2001. However, it is trailing behind last year’s record-breaking totals due to the economy.

Westrain Collaborative’s membership includes the Macatawa Area Coordinating Council, Grand Valley Metro Council, the city of Bangor, and Cornerstone Alliance, and is supported by the Michigan Association of Rail Passengers.

MDOT: Working with our partners at airports, bus systems, marine and rail to find innovative solutions for Michigan’s transportation systems.

Press Releases

Citizen group to State Legislature: Seven-day train service vital for Michigan’s downtowns, travelers

For Immediate Release

30 July 2009

Contact:
John Langdon, Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers: 616.218.9009
Tim Fischer, Michigan Environmental Council: 517.487.3606 ext. 12

The Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers has unanimously approved a resolution of support for continuing seven day a week passenger train service on both the Pere Marquette and Blue Water routes.

“Recent actions in Lansing have prompted us to take this action to protect a travel choice that is more important than ever in this difficult economy,” said John DeLora, who chairs the organization.

Proposed state budget cuts would eliminate at least one and perhaps both of the train routes at a time when more riders than ever rely on them.

“Ridership on these routes has grown more than 50% in the last six years,” DeLora said.

Convenient passenger trains service is an important component of revitalizing Michigan’s economy, said Tim Fischer, deputy policy director with the Michigan Environmental Council.

“Killing rail service will rip vital economic arteries from the hearts of downtowns served by these trains,” Fischer said. “This would be a loss not just for the riders, but for dozens of Michigan towns.”

Passenger trains have become increasingly essential over the last decade despite years of underfunding at the federal level. Last April, President Obama announced a $13 billion initiative to dramatically improve and expand train service throughout the nation.

“Michigan has a good chance to capture some of this funding to complete the high speed rail line connecting Chicago and Detroit,” said John Langdon, governmental affairs coordinator.

The state of Michigan provides operational support for two of the three routes in Michigan. The Pere Marquette, which is celebrating its 25th year of service, serves Grand Rapids, Holland, Bangor, St. Joseph, and New Buffalo. The Blue Water serves Port Huron, Lapeer, Flint, Durand, East Lansing, Battle Creek, Kalamazoo, Dowagiac, and Niles.

# # #

The Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers (MARP) is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit corporation established in 1973 to improve passenger train service, travel conditions for passengers, and to work for the preservation of historic rail stations. For more information, visit www.marp.org.

Press Releases

State Senate vote could result in the end of two Amtrak routes in Michigan

 

The Michigan Senate on Thursday, June 11, 2009 voted – along party lines – to gut public transportation funding by $11.5 million from the Governor’s budget recommendation. Amtrak was specifically targeted. Amtrak funds would be less than half of the amount required to maintain current service if this budget passes the House in its current form. This would undoubtedly mean that two of the state’s three lines would cease to operate by early spring, 2010.

The State House of Representatives is expected to vote on a similar budget bill soon. The budget needs to be signed by Governor Jennifer Granholm in order to take effect.

Senator Gleason’s (D-Flushing) insightful comments before the vote:

Today all indicators are showing that it is time we dedicate more resources and a stronger purpose toward mass transportation. And, yet, the budget before us today… will reduce Amtrak funding by $2 million; … A further difficulty is … reducing the number of days provided by Amtrak from seven to five.

In recent times, we’ve neglected the opportunity to put more people in the seats of Amtrak because we’ve never marketed that service. When you came to Flint, Michigan, you couldn’t even find where the depot was. So only a few years ago, we dedicated about $100,000 to market where you actually get on the train and how you utilize the services. … We’ve seen an immense increase in ridership and a greater increase in receipts for those who are riding Amtrak….

I think it is high time that we take serious our consideration toward mass transportation. Let’s do the right thing by putting more people in the seats of the mass transit opportunities. We are having intense conversations today in Washington, D.C., to find funding for light rail. At the same time, the conversations are being undertaken at our national level with our federal delegates. We are slashing the money which we are dedicating to mass transit right here today.

All Republican Senators voted in support of the budget except for Sen. George who did not vote. Two Democratic Senators – Jim Barcia of Bay City and Michael Switalski of Roseville – voted for the budget. The following is a vote break down from the Senate Journal, located at this link: http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(qwvfgc450kf5n445vobjfibg))/documents/2009-2010/Journal/Senate/htm/2009-SJ-06-11-051.htm

Roll Call No. 242 Yeas—22

Allen Cropsey Kahn Richardville Barcia Garcia Kuipers Sanborn Birkholz Gilbert McManus Stamas Bishop Hardiman Pappageorge Switalski Brown Jansen Patterson Van Woerkom Cassis Jelinek

Nays—12

Anderson Cherry Gleason Olshove Basham Clark-Coleman Hunter Thomas Brater Clarke Jacobs Whitmer

Excused—3

George Prusi Scott

Announcements, Meetings, Press Releases

NATIONAL TRAIN DAY 2009

1 Comment

DISCOVER THE RAIL WAY at NATIONAL TRAIN DAY

On Saturday, May 9, 2009, the Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers (MARP) and fellow organizations will join Amtrak in celebrating its second annual National Train Day at stations across the state of Michigan.

This celebration marks the eve of the 140th anniversary completion of the first transcontinental railroad at Promontory Summit, Utah in 1869. It was here that a “golden spike” was driven into the final tie that joined the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads, connecting the east and west coast together for the first time by rail.

Amtrak is using National Train Day to highlight the growing popularity of trains as a convenient, energy efficient, environmentally sound ways of travel. National Train Day spokesman is TV personality and American Idol judge Randy Jackson.

Amtrak is sponsoring major events in Los Angeles, CA, Chicago, IL, Philadelphia, PA, and Washington, D.C… MARP has organized celebrations to take place in the following communities across Michigan (please see the below list for locations, times and festivities of each celebration). All events are on Saturday, May 9, 2009 at the respective cities’ Amtrak stations unless otherwise noted.

City: Bangor, Michigan

Location: Amtrak Station – 541 Railroad Street (former Pere Marquette station) Time: 8:30am – 3:00pm

Sponsors: Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers, Beacon Specialized Living Services, City of Bangor, Holland Modular Railroad Club

Description: Join us as we help Amtrak celebrate National Train Day at the historic Pere Marquette Railroad station in Bangor, Michigan. Witness the presentation of a proclamation presented to Amtrak’s Pere Marquette from the Mayor of Bangor, followed by festivities taking place at the station that include train exhibits, a live model railroad display, entertainment, trip planning, giveaways and so much more.

City: Niles, Michigan

Location: Amtrak Station – 598 Dey Street (former Michigan Central station)

Time: 10:00am – 3:00pm

Sponsors: Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers, Amtrak, City of Niles, Four Flags Garden Club, Niles DDA Main Street, Cass County Model Railroad Club

Description: Join us as we help Amtrak celebrate National Train Day at the historic Michigan Central Railroad station in Niles, Michigan. Witness the presentation of a proclamation presented to Amtrak’s Blue Water from the Mayor of Niles, followed by festivities taking place at the station that include train exhibits, a live model railroad display, entertainment, trip planning, and so much more.

City: Kalamazoo, Michigan

Location(s): 485 N. Burdick Street (Kalamazoo Transportation Center) and 9336 N. Riverview Dr. (Kalamazoo Model Railroad Historical Society facility)

Time(s): 9:00am – 12:00pm (Transportation Center), 12:00 – 4:00pm (Model Railroad facility)

Sponsors: Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers, Kalamazoo Model Railroad Historical Society, Amtrak, City of Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo County

Description: Join us as we help Amtrak celebrate National Train Day at the Kalamazoo Transportation Center and Kalamazoo Model Railroad Historical Society facility in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Witness the presentation of a proclamation presented to Amtrak’s Blue Water from the Mayor of Kalamazoo, followed by festivities taking place at the station and model railroad facility that include train exhibits, a live model railroad display, trip planning, and so much more.

City: Jackson, Michigan

Location: Amtrak Station – 501 E. Michigan Avenue (historic Michigan Central station) Time: 8:30am – 2:00pm

Sponsors: Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers, Amtrak, City of Jackson, Central Michigan Model Railroad Club

Description: Join us as we help Amtrak celebrate National Train Day at the nation’s oldest train station in continuous active use, the historic Michigan Central Railroad station in Jackson, Michigan. Witness the presentation of a proclamation presented to Amtrak’s Wolverine from the Mayor of Jackson, followed by festivities that include exhibits, a live model railroad display, trip planning and so much more.

City: Lapeer, Michigan

Location: Amtrak Station – 111 Howard Ave. (former Grand Trunk Western station)

Time: 10:00am – 3:00pm

Sponsors: Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers, City of Lapeer, Lapeer Model Railroad Club, Blue Water Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society, Blue Water Connection

Description: Join us as we help Amtrak celebrate National Train Day at the historic Grand Trunk Western station in Lapeer, Michigan. Witness the presentation of a proclamation presented to Amtrak’s Blue Water from the Mayor of Lapeer at 6:00am, followed by festivities taking place at the station beginning at 10:00am that include train exhibits, a live model railroad display, trip planning, and so much more.

City: Detroit, Michigan

Location: Amtrak Station – 11 W. Baltimore Avenue

Time: 9:00am – 12:00pm

Sponsors: Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers, Transportation Riders United

Description: Join us as we help Amtrak celebration National Train Day at the Amtrak station in Detroit, Michigan. Witness the presentation of a proclamation presented to Amtrak’s Wolverine from the Mayor of Detroit, followed by festivities taking place at the station that include train exhibits, trip planning and so much more.

Other locations in Michigan
(no celebration but proclamation presentation ONLY)

Ann Arbor, Michigan, Amtrak Station – 325 Depot Street
(for Amtrak Wolverine train 351 at 8:23 a.m.)

Holland, Michigan, Padnos Transportation Center – 171 Lincoln Avenue
(for Amtrak Pere Marquette train 371 at 8:21 a.m.)

Want to volunteer at any of the above events?
Contact your MARP Editor. Your help is appreciated! MARP encourages its members to spread the word of the importance of passenger trains at the celebrations.

##