Tag Archives: Blue Water

Station locator

Lapeer (LPE)

73 Howard Street

Lapeer, MI 48446


Lapeer Amtrak Station (Photo by Larry Sobczak)

The Lapeer station is not easy to find; however, once there, parking is not a problem. Although unstaffed, the Greater Lapeer Area Transit Agency (GLATA), the owner of the station, has personnel on hand to open the station at train times. It is safe to leave your car here for extended periods.

GLATA also provides Dial-a-Ride service to the City of Lapeer and most surrounding Townships. Call (810) 664-4566 to reserve a ride BEFORE your trip.

GLATA has cleaned up and restored the station very nicely, which is also used for community meetings. There is a restaurant and a convenience store one block north of the station.


Interior of the Lapeer Amtrak Station (Photo by J.R. Valderas)

Amtrak station page:
http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?c=am2Station&pagename=am%2Fam2Station%2FStation_Page&cid=1229726268585

Station locator

New Buffalo (NBU)

1 Comment

 225 North Whittaker St.
New Buffalo, MI 49117

Located in the heart of downtown New Buffalo at 225 N. Whitaker St., the new station opened Oct. 26, 2009 to serve Wolverine Trains 354 and 355, which serves 15 cities from Chicago to Pontiac, Mich.; and Blue Water Trains 364 and 365, which operate to 11 cities from Chicago to Port Huron, Mich. As of Oct. 26, Amtrak’s Pere Marquette no longer stops in New Buffalo. The new station stop provides complimentary parking for up to 25 Amtrak passengers at a parking lot located just west of the station on Oselka Dr., parallel to the railroad tracks.

Public transportation is provided by Berrien Bus. Hours of service are limited, so check first.

Amtrak station page:
http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?c=am2Station&pagename=am%2Fam2Station%2FStation_Page&cid=1246042119912

Station locator

Niles (NLS)

598 Dey Street
Niles, MI 49120


Beautiful Niles Station is used by Amtrak for some service operations in Michigan. (Photo by Nathan Nietering)

The staffed Niles depot serves the twice-daily Blue Water and five of the six daily Wolverine trains. This historic station was built in 1892 in the Romanesque style and was considered the pride of the Michigan Central Railroad when it opened. It remains as one of Michigan’s most beautiful train stations today, and has been featured in several films throughout the years. An extensive restoration in the late 1980s moved the ticket windows from their original location to the east end of the waiting room, but uncovered and restored many of the original architectural features. The chandeliers, rounded windows and stained glass combine to make one feel like they are sitting in a Victorian jewel box. New platforms were added in 2003 and together with gardens and landscaping maintained by the local Four Flags Garden Club make this a very pleasant place to wait for a train.

Access to the station is easy from highway M-51 (North 5thStreet). Over fifty parking spaces are provided for passengers, and it is safe to leave vehicles here for extended periods. Information about local restaurants can be obtained from the ticket agent, who can also furnish taxicab numbers if no cabs are on hand when trains arrive. Amtrak provides a rack full of schedules and other information near the ticket office. Aside from the waiting room area, the remainder of the station is occupied by Amtrak offices for their track and signal departments. Amtrak owns 97 miles of high-speed track between Kalamazoo and Porter, Indiana, and bases most of their operations for this stretch out of the Niles Station and maintenance buildings located just across the tracks.

Downtown Niles is located several blocks south of the station down M-51, but is full of interesting stores, dining venues and historic buildings. It is known as the City of Four Flags because the British, French, Americans and even the Spanish each at some point laid claim to the land on which the city sits (the latter only occupying it for a single day). Niles is the entry point for passengers traveling to South Bend, Indiana, which is only ten miles to the south just across the state line. Some taxi services from Niles do cross the state line to the land of Notre Dame football. Niles Dial-A-Ride Transportation (DART) provides local transportation service, but days and hours vary. Check their website at < http://www.ci.niles.mi.us/deptsandservices/NilesDialARide/DialARide.htm> or call ahead for the most up-to-date information 269.684.5150. Some Dial-A-Ride services do connect with Transpo, the South Bend city bus network. Call Dial-A-Ride for more information.


The waiting room inside the Niles station. (Photo by Lou Van Winkle)

Amtrak station page:
http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?c=am2Station&pagename=am%2Fam2Station%2FStation_Page&cid=1229726270780

Station locator

Port Huron (PTH)

1 Comment

 2223 16th Street
Port Huron, MI 48060

Port Huron Station
The Port Huron Station was built in 1979. (Photos by Nathan Nietering)
Porn Huron interior
A look at the inside of the Port Huron station. (Photo by Nathan Nietering)

The staffed Port Huron station is located on the west side of 16th Street, along the south side of the Canadian National Railroad tracks.  The free parking includes about 25 spaces in front of the station building and another 12 behind.  The station building was built in 1979 in a modular design which Amtrak considered using as a prototype for small staffed stations.  Although the design has worked just fine, the design was never replicated.  The waiting room has about 20 seats, which is almost always adequate, and the building and grounds are kept in excellent condition by the station staff.  At this time, the station is only open and staffed from 10:30PM-6:30AM, with the ticket office closing after the departure of the morning westbound Blue Water, so if you want to purchase or pick up your tickets, you’ll have to be nocturnal.  The station building is locked through the remainder of the day.  The station has restrooms and a pay phone, but no vending machines, and no restaurants are located within walking distance.  It is safe to leave vehicles here for extended periods.

The station’s location is just west of the American portal of the St. Clair River Tunnel, and it is common to see railroad enthusiasts on hand to watch CN trains come roaring out of the tunnel.  Be sure to check out the historical marker along the station driveway and additional markers on the platform, commemorating the St. Clair River Tunnel as the oldest sub-aqueous railroad tunnel in North America.  Canadian National still maintains a strong presence in Port Huron, and the St. Clair Tunnel is part of their mainline between Toronto and Chicago.

Local bus service is provided by the Blue Water Transportation Authority, Service on 16th Street (a short walk from the station) is provided by Route # 3 and Route # 9 buses. Call (810) 987-7373 for schedules and fares.

Port Huron is a very pleasant city which even today is oriented to the water. It is home to several large marinas, and is a regular stop for pleasure boaters on a scale that people from outside of Michigan would find hard to believe.  It is also a popular spot to watch and learn about the large lake and ocean-going freighters which ply the Great Lakes and pass along Port Huron on the St. Clair River.

Amtrak Station page:
http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?c=am2Station&pagename=am%2Fam2Station%2FStation_Page&cid=1229726269241

Announcements, Press Releases

Full funding proposed for Michigan’s Amtrak services in 2006-07 budget

Full funding for Michigan’s Amtrak service (Pere Marquette and Bluewater trains) were included in the Governor’s budget for 2006-07 fiscal year and were introduced to the State House of Representative and the State Senate in February.

The Micigan Legislature cut funding for Amtrak’s Michigan service by $1 million in the 2005-06 budget.

HB 5737, introduced Feb. 21 by Rep. Rich Brown (D-Bessemer) and SB 1097, introduced Feb. 28 by Sen. Jim Barcia (D-Bay City) and Sen. Bob Emerson (D-Flint) both place the Governor’s Executive Budget on the floor. Her budget includes the full $7.1 million for Amtrak funding for 2006-07.

There appears to be no bill that reinstates the $1 million shortfall for passenger rail in the 2005-06 budget yet. The implications for an uninterupted passenger rail service schedule until the end of the budget year (Sept. 30) are unknown as of this date.

##