(The South Bend Tribune posted the following article by Lou Mumford on its website on March 26.)
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Passenger-train service on all three routes that crisscross southwestern Michigan would continue as it is, at least for the next six months should Amtrak accept a new offer from the Michigan Department of Transportation, officials said Monday.
But Amtrak is holding off on acceptance of the offer, preferring to wait until Thursday when some state lawmakers are expected to discuss the possibility of lifting a cap on state funding for Amtrak.
If the situation remains in a stalemate, two of the three passenger-train routes in Michigan could cease operations next Monday, when Amtrak’s current six-month contract with the state expires.
The routes in jeopardy are the International and Pere Marquette lines.
The Chicago-Toronto International Route runs through Michigan City, Niles, Dowagiac and Kalamazoo while the Chicago-Grand Rapids Pere Marquette line services riders in New Buffalo, St. Joseph-Benton Harbor and Bangor, Mich.
The third line, traveling between Chicago and Pontiac, would remain because it’s not subsidized. It features stops in Niles, Dowagiac and Kalamazoo.
Earlier this month, officials from Amtrak, MDOT and the Michigan Legislature met without reaching agreement on a new contract that would keep the two subsidized routes intact. But the session did result in introduction of a bill to remove the state’s annual $5.7 million cap on Amtrak funding.
Amtrak spokeswoman Karina Van Veen said a hearing has been set for Thursday in Lansing regarding the cap.
She indicated Amtrak plans to take no action on MDOT’s six-month, $2.85 million contract offer at least until the outcome of the hearing.
“Unfortunately, it costs $7.1 million (a year) to operate those trains,” she said.
MDOT spokeswoman Stephanie Litaker said renewing the current six-month contract for another six months would give the Legislature time to determine what it wants to do.
“We want to keep things moving, to keep the faith,” Litaker said.
The session on Thursday might apparently be a budget hearing before the Senate Appropriations Committee. It’s possible, although not definite, the funding for Amtrak and the $5.7 million Amtrak spending cap could be discussed at the hearing.
Funding is tight for both Amtrak and the state of Michigan, threatening the future of the subsidized lines. The cap, too, is a factor, given the $7.1 million Amtrak says it needs to operate the two routes.
The second six-month contract offered by the state would provide Amtrak with the same $2.85 million — half the $5.7 million cap — it received under the current pact.
State Transportation Director Gloria Jeff said extending service another six months, besides giving the Legislature more time to study the issue, would pay dividends for riders.
“Customers are the focus right now,” she said. “The six-month contract will allow potential passengers to make summer travel plans with confidence.
“Tourism is a big portion of Michigan’s economy, and we will continue to do our part to see that industry thrive.”
Although Van Veen pointed out the Legislature has appropriated $8.3 million for passenger-rail service in the current budget year, Litaker said those funds aren’t solely for Amtrak but for a variety of projects such as improvements to depots.
A check of ridership on the two subsidized routes had mixed results. Although ridership on the Pere Marquette is up from a year ago, numbers have fallen for the International.
From Oct. 1 through Feb. 28, 26,934 people rode the Pere Marquette, or about 4,500 more than rode it during the first five months of fiscal year 2001-2002.
But ridership on the International Route dropped by about 6,200, to 30,794, between the same two time periods.