(The following article by John Burdick was posted on the Holland Sentinel website on October 4.)
HOLLAND, Mich. — Amtrak officials say Holland could lose its train stop if CSX abandons its railroad line that runs between Grand Rapids and Porter, Ind.
However, local officials said there’s no reason to be concerned about the future of the Pere Marquette line because CSX hasn’t made any indication it will sell the tracks and it’s too early to speculate.
Local officials also were happy to learn the Michigan Legislature approved Amtrak’s budget late Wednesday night.
“The funding for Amtrak remains the same as last year at $7.1 million,” said Greg Bird, state budget office spokesman. The funding is for both the Pere Marquette, which runs between Grand Rapids and Chicago, and the Blue Water Line, which runs between Port Huron and Chicago.
CSX recently lost a major contract with Canadian Pacific to use the Grand Rapids-Porter line, fueling speculation that it may abandon the tracks used by the Pere Marquette. Canadian Pacific is one of the major users of that line.
“No decision has been made about that line,” said CSX spokeswoman Meg Scheu.
CSX owns and operates 23,000 miles of track. Scheu said CSX regularly studies what lines to keep and what rail lines to sell or lease.
Amtrak officials say they don’t have the resources to maintain that line if CSX abandons it.
“We’re putting it on the radar screen, it’s possible,” said Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari.
If the line is abandoned, Amtrak could still run between Grand Rapids and Chicago via Kalamazoo, but the Holland, Bangor and St. Joseph-Benton Harbor stops would have to be eliminated, Magliari said.
Amtrak is proposing a five-year plan asking Congress to rebuild the passenger rail system nationwide and provide funding and oversight of the system.
“There is not a federal program for railways,” Magliari said, noting there are federal programs for highways and airline travel. “This is an effort by us to tell Congress and citizens that there are rails on which we operate that are at risk.”
Meanwhile, the Pere Marquette is enjoying record ridership.
The Pere Marquette, which in August celebrated its 20th year of service in Michigan, has had 81,489 passengers in the last 11 months, an increase of 18 percent.