(The following article by James McCurtis Jr. was posted on the Lansing State Journal website on December 5.)
LANSING, Mich. — Amtrak customers could travel to Chicago and back in the same day and see ticket agents at stations again by April 1 if negotiations stay on course, railway officials said Thursday.
In a meeting with state representatives and Department of Transportation officials, Amtrak leaders said cutting Canada from the Toronto-to-Chicago line would improve customer service and keep the trains on schedule.
Starting the line in Port Huron rather than Toronto wouldn’t start until MDOT and Amtrak sign a contract for the 2003-04 fiscal year. Both parties hope to do that by February.
Amtrak wants to change the current international route, renaming it the Blue Water line, because customs checks since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks caused long delays for riders.
“I’d hoped that by this time a contract would’ve been signed,” said Rep. Lauren Hager, R-Port Huron Township, who organized the meeting. “The promotion would’ve been on the way, and the ticket agents replaced.
“But there is good news on the horizon.”
The railway has been in a dispute with the state for the past year over subsidies. State officials are demanding improved service as a part of any agreement.
Earlier this year, Amtrak threatened to shut down the two state-subsidized lines: the Grand Rapids-to-Chicago line and the Toronto-to-Chicago line, which runs through East Lansing. Amtrak said it needed $7.1 million because of higher costs instead of the $5.7 million the state offered.
In January, the financially strapped Amtrak eliminated ticket agents along its international route, which included stations at East Lansing, Flint and Port Huron, to save about $300,000 a year.
After months of discussions between MDOT, Amtrak and lawmakers, Gov. Jennifer Granholm approved a budget of up to $7.1 million to continue subsidizing the lines for this fiscal year, which began Oct. 1.
But MDOT and Amtrak have been butting heads in negotiations, a process both parties say has gone more smooth lately.
“We are down to a few issues that can be easily resolved,” said Ronald DeCook , director of governmental affairs for MDOT. “It’s really more about dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s and getting everything in place. I’m very optimistic about this.”
The state Transportation Commission, which sets policy for MDOT, will have to approve the contract. It meets at the end of January.
If the contract is approved, customers could leave East Lansing at 7:58 a.m. and arrive at the Union Station in Chicago by 11:10 a.m., said Bruce Hillblom, Amtrak senior principal.
Riders could leave the Windy City at 3 p.m. and arrive in East Lansing by 8 p.m. Changes aren’t needed for the Grand Rapids-to-Chicago line because it has better ridership than the Toronto-to-Chicago route.
Round-trip fares from East Lansing to Chicago, which start at about $40 for an adult, would not be affected, said, Marc Magliary , spokesman for Amtrak.
Amtrak expects to pay $100,000 for a marketing campaign to promote the changes, said Ray Lang , director of government affairs for Amtrak.
At the state’s request, the railway is talking to bus companies about connections from Michigan to Canada, but that is not part of the contract negotiations, Hillblom said.
East Lansing’s Georgia Brand, who takes the train four times a year to visit her daughter in Toronto, said she hates that Canada would be cut from the route.
“Oh, that’s terrible news,” said Brand, whose daughter, Merrilee Brand, doesn’t drive. “I’m just crushed. It’s the only lifeline to my family.”