ST. JOSEPH, Mich. (AP) — Planners in southwestern Michigan are trying to keep a passenger train operating between Chicago and Grand Rapids.
The Herald-Palladium of St. Joseph reports that the Twin Cities Area Transportation Study has passed resolutions in support of the Pere Marquette Amtrak train. A recommendation also was made to increase service by connecting tracks to New Buffalo.
The train now passes through St. Joseph, Bangor and Holland.
Most of the line is owned by CSX Railroad and accommodates freight as well as Amtrak service. Ridership has been dropping.
Ryan Fellows of the Southwest Michigan Planning Commission says the Twin Cities Area Transportation Study is committed to seeing that the Pere Marquette remains a successful line by promoting improvements to increase efficiency and ridership.
___
Information from: The Herald-Palladium, http://www.heraldpalladium.com
1 comment
Continuing to expect taxpayers to foot the bill for your transportation fantasies is just continuing lunacy. Tons of rolling stock to move pounds of human freight hasn’t been viable since the automobile became popular. They don’t take you where you need to go, you will always need other transportation when you get there…and it’s not as fast as driving yourself.
High speed isn’t a viable answer for America either, the first train to average over 100mph in this country on a run did so in the late 1800’s. You can not charge people enough money for a ticket to support the maintenance on the trains and rails to make a profit. If you do so no one rides. This is a government boondoggle not a viable transportation source.