(The following story by Jeremy Gonsior appeared on the Holland Sentinel website on February 13.)
HOLLAND, Mich. — Gas prices remain high and the weather remains bad in West Michigan.
So what are travelers doing to cope with those issues?
Some are turning to Amtrak’s Pere Marquette train line between Grand Rapids and Chicago, according to Mark Magliari, a spokesman for the railroad.
The number of passengers from October 2007 to January 2008 increased by 5.3 percent compared to the same period from 2006 to 2007, according to the latest statistics.
“For a lot of people, we are a great option,” Magliari said.
Steve Bulthuis, chairman of Westrain Collaborative, a group of public and private organizations dedicated to preserving passenger rail in West Michigan, said January tends to be a low ridership month for Amtrak.
However, the increase in ridership this January should indicate a good year for the train line in general, he said.
“We are very encouraged by these numbers,” Bulthuis said.
Annual ridership numbers for the route have increased by 62 percent between the fiscal years of 1997 and 2007.
Ridership
Passenger numbers for Pere Marquette line from Grand Rapids to Chicago:
October 2007-January 2008: 35,084
October 2006-January 2007: 33,306
October 2005-January 2006: 30,479