(The Associated Press circulated the following article on August 5.)
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Amtrak’s Pere Marquette line has marked the 20th anniversary of its inaugural run between Grand Rapids and Chicago.
Amtrak officials and government representatives gathered Thursday to re-enact the 1984 christening of the train. U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, a Michigan Democrat, was among the speakers at the Grand Rapids event.
“Over the years, nearly 1.5 million passengers have boarded the train, traveling over 2.5 million miles and offering travelers an alternative to the long, often congested drive to and from Chicago,” said Jim Snell, senior transportation planner with the Grand Rapids-based Grand Valley Metro Council and chairman of WESTRAIN.
WESTRAIN is a community coalition that works with Amtrak and the Michigan Department of Transportation to support and market the rail line.
Named for Michigan’s own Pere Marquette Railroad, the train operates along tracks owned by CSX Transportation.
Amtrak offers the Pere Marquette with one northbound and one southbound daily train running between the two cities. It also makes stops in New Buffalo, St. Joseph-Benton Harbor, Bangor and Holland, Mich.