(The following story by Eric J. Greene appeared on The Enquirer website on April 23.)
BATTLE CREEK, Mich. — Want to have lunch in Chicago without the hassle of traffic and parking?
Come Sunday, that’ll be easier to do with a new Amtrak rail service that will enable people to leave Battle Creek about 9 a.m. and return about 7 p.m. the same day, leaving nearly four hours to traipse around Chicagoland.
As a way of kicking off the new service, state Rep. Mike Nofs, R-Battle Creek, will lead a celebration Saturday at the Battle Creek Amtrak station, 104 Capital Ave. S.W., at 12:45 p.m. in recognition of the new “Blue Water” passenger rail service from Port Huron to Chicago.
Nofs and other state lawmakers whose towns are affected by the rail service changes will take an inaugural ride Saturday to celebrate the new service that debuts on Sunday.
“For many years, frustrated travelers have asked for a more convenient schedule and I’m pleased that Amtrak and (the Michigan Department of Transportation) are working together to make improvements for Michigan travelers and tourists who will visit our state,” Nofs said in a press release, echoing comments made by Gov. Jennifer Granholm in February.
For the Saturday event, Amtrak will have its “Beech Grove” presidential car on the tracks. The car features a rear porch equipped with a public address system.
Named for its home region of Port Huron, the “Blue Water” will stop in Port Huron, Lapeer, Flint, Durand, East Lansing, Battle Creek, Kalamazoo, Dowagiac and Niles.
According to the Amtrak Web site, the “Blue Water” will replace Amtrak’s current “International,” which operates over the same route and continued on to Toronto.
However, the “International’s” scheduled late-evening arrivals in Toronto and Chicago meant the train missed all daily long-distance connections at Amtrak’s Chicago hub. Ridership on the “International” fell 11 percent in the last Amtrak fiscal year.
The westbound “Blue Water” (Train 365) will depart Port Huron daily at 5:15 a.m., make intermediate stops and arrive in Chicago at 11:10 a.m. The eastbound “Blue Water” (Train 364) will depart Chicago at 3 p.m., make intermediate stops and arrive in Port Huron at 10:50 p.m. Food service on the “Blue Water” will feature a variety of sandwiches, drinks and other snacks in the cafe car.
The new schedule allows passengers to make day trips from Michigan to Chicago and return that evening. It also enables passengers to connect to Amtrak’s network of trains with afternoon departures from the Chicago hub to hundreds of destinations throughout the country, according to an Amtrak press release.
This schedule mirrors the operating pattern of the Grand Rapids-Chicago “Pere Marquette” train, which has made ridership gains recently.