Amtrak press release

CHICAGO – Why labor through traffic and tolls during Labor Day Weekend when Amtrak is adding service between Chicago and Western Michigan? An early morning westbound train from Kalamazoo gets you to the Lake Michigan beaches or to Chicago in time to get breakfast and “Enjoy Illinois,” while a late evening eastbound train to Kalamazoo is “Pure Michigan,” to quote from each state’s tourism agency.

From September 2-6, five eastbound Amtrak trains will depart Chicago once in the morning, twice in the afternoon and twice in the evening, making stops in New Buffalo, Niles and Kalamazoo. From September 3-7, five westbound Amtrak trains will depart Kalamazoo three times in the morning, once in the afternoon and once in the evening. Some of these trains will also serve Hammond-Whiting and Michigan City, Ind., along with Dowagiac, Mich. See the attached schedules for details.

One way adult tickets between Chicago and Kalamazoo start at $21. Up to two children ages 2-15 per adult can ride for half-fare.

The Amtrak Wolverine Service trains have been selling out — even after adding additional coach and business class seats on the Chicago-Kalamazoo-Detroit/Pontiac corridor on weekends this year. For the period October 2009 through July 2010, more than 390,000 passengers rode the route, up nearly six percent from the previous year, with July 2010 ridership up nearly 23 percent from July 2009. This route in Western Michigan is shared with the Amtrak Blue Water to and from East Lansing and Port Huron, which is up 15 percent for the year, 50 percent in July.

This experiment is another example of Amtrak responding to market demands and adding service. Earlier this summer, Amtrak operated extra trains during Milwaukee’s Summerfest.