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The Wolverine is a passenger train service operated by Amtrak as part of its Michigan Services. The 304-mile (489 km) line provides three daily round-trips along the Pontiac-Detroit-Chicago route. It is served by three eastbound and three westbound trains.
[edit] Route details
The Wolverine operates over Norfolk Southern Railway, Amtrak, Conrail, and Canadian National Railway trackage:
- NS Chicago Line, Chicago to Porter
- Amtrak Chicago-Detroit Line, Porter to Kalamazoo
- NS Michigan Line, Kalamazoo to Dearborn
- Amtrak Chicago-Detroit Line, Dearborn to West Detroit
- CR North Yard Branch, West Detroit to Vinewood
- CN Shore Line Subdivision and Holly Subdivision, Vinewood to Pontiac
[edit] Potential Delays
Amtrak's Michigan trains share the rails with freight trains on some stretches, particularly the Norfolk Southern lines east of Chicago. This can lead to congestion and delays, despite Amtrak being given priority over freight.
[edit] High-speed rail
The Detroit-Chicago corridor has been designated by the Federal Railroad Administration as a high-speed rail corridor.[1] A 97-mile stretch along the route of Wolverine from Porter, Indiana to Kalamazoo, Michigan is the longest segment of track owned by Amtrak outside of the Northeast Corridor.[1] Amtrak began speed increases along this stretch in January 2002. Amtrak trains currently travel at top speeds of 95 mile-per-hour along this section of track. Ultimately, speed increases to 110 mile-per-hour service are planned.[1]
[edit] Airport connections
At the Chicago end of the line, riders may easily connect to either O'Hare International Airport or Midway International Airport, using nearby CTA stations. For O'Hare, riders should walk to the Clinton CTA station and ride the Blue line, which operates 24 hours a day. For Midway, riders should walk to the Quincy/Wells CTA station and ride the Orange line.
[edit] References
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