MDOT Press Release
| Contact: Janet Foran, MDOT Office of Communications, foranj@michigan.gov 517-335-7176 Agency: Transportation |
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| WHAT: The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), Amtrak, Greyhound and the city of Pontiac will host a groundbreaking for the new Pontiac Transportation Center, which will serve both passenger rail and intercity bus passengers. The intermodal station is expected to be finished by summer 2011. Located at 51000 Woodward Ave., the facility will serve as a hub for mass transit, including Amtrak’s Wolverine service to Chicago.WHO: State Transportation Director Kirk T. Steudle Thomas Carper, Amtrak Board Chairman Pontiac Mayor Leon Jukowski Heather Carmona, Executive Director, Woodward Avenue Action Association State, county and local officials Business and community representatives Interested public WHEN: Friday, July 16, 2010 WHERE: 51000 Woodward Ave., southbound BACKGROUND: Pontiac’s central location is an important asset to the community. It is at a transportation crossroads, serving passenger rail, intercity bus and local transit customers, with easy access to I-75 and M-59, and Oakland County International Airport. SMART, which serves local transit passengers in Oakland, Wayne and Macomb counties, stops within sight of the facility on Woodward Avenue. The previous transportation center was demolished in 2008. The new energy-efficient, fully accessible facility will be built with 100 percent state funds. During construction, tickets must be purchased online from Amtrak or Greyhound, or from a kiosk or agent in another facility. When the new facility opens, a Greyhound ticketing agent will assist bus passengers. Greyhound has eight daily schedules that go through Pontiac. The top five destinations of travelers from Pontiac are Chicago, Indianapolis, Saginaw, Lansing and New York. Greyhound has 160 locations throughout the state of Michigan. As the nation’s intercity passenger rail operator, Amtrak connects America in safer, greener and healthier ways. Amtrak also is the partner of choice for state-supported corridor services in 15 states, including Michigan. Amtrak has three routes in Michigan, including the Blue Water to East Lansing and Port Huron, the Pere Marquette to St. Joseph and Grand Rapids and the Wolverine to Detroit and Pontiac. Ridership on Amtrak services in Michigan is up over last year, with more than 300,000 passengers on the Wolverine so far this year. |