(The following column by Ellen Creager appeared on the Detroit Free Press website on November 9.)
DETROIT — Yes, it’s slow. But Amtrak’s Wolverine train service from Pontiac and Detroit to Chicago is an alternative for patient people who would rather look out the window than drive.
The trip between Detroit and Chicago is scheduled to take 5 1/2 hours — but usually is delayed due to freight trains on the rail lines.
Trains on the westbound Wolverine route from Detroit to Chicago arrived on schedule only 25% of the time in the past 12 months. One Wolverine train, the #352 from Chicago to Detroit, arrived promptly only 8% of the time.
You also may notice the train is more crowded than it used to be. The Wolverine carried a record 439,000 passengers between October 2007 and August of this year, up 6% over a year earlier. Michigan’s two smaller lines — the Pere Marquette from Grand Rapids to Chicago and the Blue Water from Port Huron to Chicago both saw 7% more passengers.
Nationally, Amtrak ridership was up 11%, with 26 million passengers.
The Wolverine starts in Pontiac and stops in Birmingham, Royal Oak, Detroit, Dearborn, Ann Arbor, Jackson and points west en route to Chicago. From Chicago, you can hop other Amtrak trains.
Cost ranges from about $29-$70 each way, depending on which day you travel and availability.
You also can upgrade to first class for $12 each way, which I recommend because it includes wider seats, more space, more legroom and one free beverage.
For all Amtrak reservations, see www.amtrak.com or call 800-872-7245. You also can check on-time performance on the Web site’s new route page.
Train fans also should check out the new Amtrak USA Rail Pass. Previously only available to foreign visitors, as of October it became available to U.S. residents.
It’s $389 for a 15-day pass that lets you travel eight rail segments. A 30-day pass that lets you travel 12 segments is $579. It’s $749 for a 45-day pass that lets you travel 18 segments. (A segment is counted each time you board a train.)
Amtrak also offers the California Rail Pass, which offers seven days of travel in a 21-day period for $159. (http://tickets.amtrak.com/itd/amtrak/selectpass.)