(The following story by Liz Shepard appeared on the Times Herald website on June 16, 2009.)
PORT HURON, Mich. — The daily train trip from Port Huron to Chicago could be threatened as officials work to balance the state’s budget.
Last week, the Michigan State Senate Appropriations Committee voted to cut the Amtrak rail passenger operating grant by $2 million.
The proposed cut could result in the loss of either the rail services along the Port Huron to Chicago route or the Grand Rapids to Chicago route, or both, said Rick Harnish, executive director of the Midwest High Speed Rail Association in a statement.
Others see the slash in funding cutting how many days of the week the train will run.
Marc Magliari, Amtrak spokesman, said it is too early in the legislative process to say how it would affect the train trips.
“It would be premature for us to talk about it,” he said.
Last year, ridership increased by 7%, according to Amtrak data.
Magliari said Michigan to Chicago ridership has increased between October through May this year by 0.5% compared with the same time period last year, with nearly 87,000 riders.
While many locals believe a cut to the passenger railway industry would be harmful, others said it’s just part of dealing with the state’s economy.
In previous years, the train rides considered cuts have been met with protest from residents.
“You have to balance (the budget) against the deficit that we have,” said State Rep. Phil Pavlov, R-St. Clair Township. “Unfortunately some good programs could be affected. … I think we’re beyond the point where we can hold everyone harmless. It’s going to be a painful process as we readjust to fit the economy we have now.”
St. Rep. John Espinoza, D-Croswell, said services such as railways can’t be subsidized by the government forever.
“Obviously everything is on the table given the budget situation we’re in,” he said. “Certainly Amtrak is important to our area and important to a lot of people, but service is being cut everywhere. … We just have to look at it and hopefully we can find a way to save it, but the situation is serious.”
Others think cutting train trips brings too many ill effects.
For Jody Catanzaro, a change in Amtrak’s schedule to Chicago could affect how many people are at her dinner table at holidays.
The Port Huron Township woman’s 21-year-old daughter attends class at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago.
The trains have allowed her a safe and affordable way to get to school and home for visits, Catanzaro said.
It also allows the family to visit her in Chicago.
“It would be a huge disservice for the residents of Port Huron as well as Lapeer, Flint and all the stops they make along the way,” Catanzaro said.
James Wallington, a member of the Michigan Association of Rail Passengers, said a meeting was in Port Huron on Saturday to discuss the possible effects.
“We’re 100% against them, because they undermine all the efforts we made in years trying to restore and improve passenger rail,” the Perry resident said. “We’re afraid they’d end up eliminating one of the two trains or cut the schedule back so much that they wouldn’t be attractive to people in Port Huron or Lapeer.”
Wallington said any cut to funding would result in more cars on freeways and more emissions released in the environment.
Former State Rep. Lauren Hager of Port Huron Township said the train trips west are a necessity for many people, from seniors who want to avoid driving to those with disabilities.
It also puts Port Huron on the map and offers college students an economical way to get home, he said.