By By ANDY HAMILTON / Niles Daily Star
NILES – Amtrak trains will be traveling much faster next fall between Niles and New Buffalo.
The Wolverines and Blue Water trains share a route in western Michigan owned by Amtrak where Amtrak, Michigan Department Of Transportation and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) have successfully deployed advanced technology that enables shorter travel times with higher train speeds. The upgrades will not shut down routes.
"The first part of the technology to be put into use was basically north of Niles, and we're working this year to use the technology south of Niles," said Marc Magliari, Amtrak media relations manager.
In 2005, the FRA approved an historic increase in passenger train speed to 95-mph, using the Incremental Train Control System (ITCS) made by a unit of GE. This year, Amtrak, MDOT, FRA and GE are planning a 20-mile expansion of the ITCS-enabled line from Niles to New Buffalo, resulting in a 66-mile stretch of rail with new-generation Positive Train Control.
Magliari said installation of the ITCS technology will not be complete by the time Amtrak releases its new timetable April 2, but most likely will be functioning in time for the fall.
Installing the ITCS system will not alter or stop any Amtrak routes, he added.
"If there are people out working out on towers…we have to operate at a restrictive speed, but we continue to operate," he said.
Six passengers were waiting Tuesday afternoon at the Niles Amtrak Depot for a train to Chicago. Sarah Ostyn of Dowagiac, who was headed to Chicago to visit friends, said she has taken the Amtrak many times instead of driving "because the traffic into Chicago I could not drive through that."
Amtrak is reporting significant growth on all three train routes in the Great Lakes state in the first few months of the railroad's fiscal year. In figures for the four months ending Jan. 30, more than 140,000 passengers rode Amtrak Wolverine Service trains on the Pontiac/Detroit-Chicago corridor, an increase of nearly six percent from the same period a year earlier. Ticket revenue is up by more than 7 percent and is in excess of $4.8 million for the four months that begin the current Amtrak fiscal year.
At the same time, 33,306 passengers rode Amtrak Pere Marquette trains on the Grand Rapids-Chicago route, an increase of more than 9 percent from the same period a year earlier. Ticket revenue is up by nearly more than seven percent and is in excess of $86 million for the period.
More than 40,000 passengers rode Amtrak Blue Water trains on the Port Huron/East Lansing-Chicago route, an increase of nearly five percent from the same period a year earlier. Blue Water ticket revenue is up by more than seven percent and is in excess of $1.1 million for the period.
Amtrak operates the Blue Water and Pere Marquette trains under a contract with MDOT. At this time, Amtrak does not receive any direct state support for the Wolverines.
"We have aggressive ridership and revenue goals for this fiscal year and those ahead," said Alexander J. Kummant, Amtrak president and CEO. "We expect much of the growth to come from trains we run in partnership with states such as Michigan.
"Business travelers and others who want to avoid jammed highways and hassles with other modes are choosing Amtrak for fast downtown-to-downtown trip times and booking through Amtrak.com and our Quik-TrakSM self-service ticketing machines," Kummant added.
"We're thrilled about increased Amtrak ridership because that means more mobility and travel options for Michigan travelers," said State Transportation Director Kirk T. Steudle. "This is a positive step in the right direction. Taking the train helps reduce highway congestion and helps make our state more energy efficient."
Overall, Amtrak ridership across the 46-state network of trains is also up for the October 2006 to January 2007 period. The total of 8,155,748 passengers is an increase of more than four percent from the year-ago figure and includes double-digit increases on several routes.