(The following article by David Jesse was posted on the Port Huron Times Herald website on June 9.)
PORT HURON, Mich. — If the state Legislature makes a proposed $1 million cut to Amtrak, some train service in Michigan could come to a grinding halt.
“Without full funding, these trains would cease operation Oct. 1,” Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari said.
That means two lines for which Amtrak gets state funding, including the Blue Water Line, face the chopping block.
The state’s fiscal 2006 budget, which would take effect Oct. 1, passed the House’s appropriations committee Wednesday and may be voted on today by the full House.
The state has provided funding for two Amtrak lines in Michigan – the Pere Marquette, which runs between Grand Rapids and Chicago. and the Blue Water Line, which originates in Port Huron and runs to Chicago. Amtrak is scheduled to receive $7.1 million from the state in fiscal 2005. It runs one other train, from Detroit to Chicago, which does not receive state funding.
“We hope that the Michigan Legislature restores full funding for the operation of these two trains, which have attracted double-digit ridership increases in the past eight months and are an increasingly popular way for Michiganders to travel,” Magliari said.
Amtrak rider Lora Sanderson, 69, of Kimball Township hopes the service isn’t cut.
“This is a vital service for us to have,” she said. “They always want to cut it, but it provides a way to get to places for a lot of people
who don’t have cars.”
There have been repeated attempts in the past several years to make cuts in or eliminate the funding for Amtrak.
State Rep. Shelly Taub, R-Bloomfield Hills, proposed the cut this year.
“This budget makes some funding adjustments in a number of (places) … in exchange for ensuring we have quality roads and public transit enabling working people, seniors and the disabled to go to work, shopping and the doctors,” she said.
State Rep. Phil Pavlov, R-St. Clair Township, said tough choices had to be made.
“While Amtrak is of great value, its funding was decreased by $1 million in order to invest more money in roads and transportation for seniors and the disabled,” he said.
The move comes as Amtrak is enjoying record ridership on its lines.
Ridership is up from the 84,167 carried by the International Line from April 2003 to April 2004 to 104,655 on the new Blue Water Line, which started at the end of April 2004.