Category Archives: FYI

Announcements, FYI, News

Amtrak is scheduling more train service in Michigan for Thanksgiving travel

In anticipation of its busiest travel week of  2012, Amtrak is adding more trains between Chicago and Michigan for Thanksgiving week.

The passenger railroad encourages passengers to plan ahead for Thanksgiving travel and book their tickets now for best availability and pricing.

The busiest travel days that are likely to sell out are the Tuesday and Wednesday before and the Saturday and Sunday following Thanksgiving. Passengers can also consider traveling on less-busy days such as the Monday before or the Friday and Monday following the Thanksgiving holiday, when more availability and price options could be available.

Amtrak will offer two additional eastbound and one additional westbound Wolverine Service trains between Chicago and Kalamazoo/Ann Arbor, Mich., on Thanksgiving Eve, Nov. 21. Amtrak will operate two additional Wolverine Service round-trips daily between Chicago and Kalamazoo/Ann Arbor on Friday, Nov. 23, on Saturday, Nov. 24, and on Sunday, Nov. 25.

Amtrak ordinarily offers three daily round-trips through Ann Arbor and four daily roundtrips through Kalamazoo, with all these trains operating at top speeds of 110 mph through parts of Indiana and Western Michigan. Please see the schedules below for the special added trains 356-359. Check www.amtrak.com for a complete schedule of all available trains for these dates.

In preparation for the anticipated heavy holiday passenger volume, Amtrak will also operate every available passenger rail car in its fleet and is scheduling extra trains to accommodate additional passengers in the Northeast, Midwest, and on the West Coast.

More than 724,000 passengers traveled on Amtrak trains for the Thanksgiving holiday in 2011, the most ever for the holiday. Amtrak announced last week it carried more than 31.2 million passengers in the 12 months ending September 30, marking its highest-ever ridership.

 

Announcements, FYI, News

Jackson’s Amtrak train station changes hours

Jackson’s train station courtesy M-Live.

From The Jackson Citizen-Patriot:

Hours at Jackson’s Amtrak train station moved up a half hour due to a change in the travel schedule, starting Sept. 10.

New hours for the station, 501 E. Michigan Ave., are 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. seven days a week, said service station agent Brian Karhoff.

The first daily westbound train from Jackson to Battle Creek is scheduled to leave at 8:08 a.m., and the last westbound train will leave the station at 8:01 p.m., according to the new schedule.

The first daily eastbound train from Jackson to Ann Arbor is scheduled to leave at 12:18 p.m., and the last eastbound train will leave the station at 10:37 p.m., according to the schedule.

Source: http://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/index.ssf/2012/09/jacksons_amtrak_train_station.html

Announcements, FYI

Pere Marquette trains 370 and 371 interim schedule

Effective September 17, 2012

To help reduce potential delays between Grand Rapids and Chicago, the Pere Marquette will operate according to interim schedules, as Amtrak and the Michigan Department of Transportation work together to provide a more reliable service along the route.

Effective September 17, Train 370 will operate 25 minutes earlier, and Train 371 will operate five minutes later than the times shown in Amtrak printed timetables. The revised schedules shown below are posted on Amtrak.com.

Train 371 Effective September 17, 2012 Daily Train 370 Effective September 17, 2012 Daily
Grand Rapids, MI 7:40A (ET) Chicago, IL 4:55P (CT)
Holland, MI 8:26A St. Joseph-Benton Harbor, MI 7:38P (ET)
Bangor, MI 9:07A Bangor, MI 8:14P
St. Joseph-Benton Harbor, MI 9:44A (ET) Holland, MI 8:56P
Chicago, IL 10:38A (CT) Grand Rapids, MI 9:55P (ET)

Tickets issued prior to the schedule change date may not reflect the new departure times. While Amtrak makes every effort to notify passengers about schedule changes, passengers are encouraged to confirm their departure times prior to travel.

The most up-to-date schedule and train status information is available on Amtrak.com, our free iPhone app and at 1-800-USA-RAIL (1-800-872-7245).

PSN 0912-130

Announcements, FYI

“Oakland County Rode the Rails” interurban bus tour scheduled Oct. 6, 2012

 

From the Jackson District Library collection.

The Oakland County Historical Commission in collaboration with Oakland  County Parks  and Recreation and the Farmington Historical Society is sponsoring a guided bus tour retracing the main routes of the historic Detroit United Railway in Oakland County , on Saturday, October 6,2012. Reservations are required; tickets are $30.00 and include lunch @ Dick O’Dow’s in Birmingham . A promotional flyer is attached. Please share with all you think may be interested. Thank you!

For more information, please contact: Brian Golden, Oakland County Historical Commissioner and Tour Conductor @ 248-701-8112.

Announcements, FYI

New Amtrak timetable reflect faster Blue Water and Wolverine services

 Beginning September 10, 2012, the Blue Water and Wolverine Service will operate according to new schedules to accommodate Amtrak trains operating at higher speeds of 110 mph along an 80-mile stretch of Amtrak-owned track in Michigan and Indiana.

The schedules below replace those shown in Amtrak printed timetables. CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE.

Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge

Please note: Tickets issued prior to the schedule change date may not reflect the adjusted departure times. Amtrak said that it makes every effort to notify passengers about schedule changes, passengers are encouraged to confirm their departure times prior to travel.  The most up-to-date schedule and train status information is available on Amtrak.com, the free Amtrak iPhone app and at 1-800-USA-RAIL (1-800-872-7245).