It's about time. With Amtrak seeing record ridership on its Michigan trains and U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood's recent announcement of nearly $47 million in funding for mass transit objectives in Michigan, the state is making moves to cut its dependence on the passenger car as the only reliable means of transit.
Ridership on Amtrak's Wolverine rail line between Pontiac and Chicago grew 4.9% during the fiscal year ended Sept. 30, 2011, over the same period last year, according to the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT).
"What we're finding is that people are doing a lot more regional travel, and that may be due to higher gasoline prices," says Janet Foran, a spokesperson for MDOT. "As Amtrak works harder to deliver people on time and with comfort and affordability, it's a great option."
The Ann Arbor depot, by far the busiest of the Michigan stations on the Wolverine line, serviced 137,872 arrivals and departures, up 5.7% over last year, according to MDOT.
Social media activity has bolstered the case for train use, Foran says. "When we did a news release just a few weeks ago we saw more than 18,000 impressions on Facebook... 'On the train', 'It's relaxing', 'Close to my stop'. Just a quick message like that gets people's attention."
Michigan's planned high-speed rail service on the Wolverine line has also advanced with MDOT's recent $140 million agreement to purchase the 135-mile track segment between Dearborn and Kalamazoo. The purchase should be finalized by the start of the construction season in spring 2012; improvement and stabilization work will begin at that point, says Foran.
Source: Janet Foran, spokesperson for MDOT; MDOT
Writer: Tanya Muzumdar
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