| Pere Marquette | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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A Pere Marquette is pulled by a GE Genesis in the 40th-anniversary Phase I scheme through southwestern Michigan. |
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| Overview | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type | Inter-city rail | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| System | Amtrak | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Termini | Chicago, Illinois Grand Rapids, Michigan |
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| Stations | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ridership | 106,662 (FY11)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Train number(s) | 370, 371 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operation | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | 1984 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Owner | CSXT, Amtrak, NS (track) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operator(s) | Amtrak | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technical | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Line length | 176 miles (283 km) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Pere Marquette is a passenger train service operated by Amtrak as part of its Michigan Services. The 176-mile (283 km) line connects Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Chicago, Illinois. Pere Marquette is funded in part by the Michigan Department of Transportation.[2] It is served by train 370 eastbound and train 371 westbound.
The train is named for a named train of the defunct Pere Marquette Railway,[3] and in turn for Pere Marquette, Michigan, an early name for Ludington.[4] The town was named for Father Jacques Marquette, a French explorer of the Great Lakes region.[4]
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The Pere Marquette operates over Norfolk Southern Railway and CSX Transportation trackage:
The Pere Marquette was a named train of the Pere Marquette Railway, which ran between Detroit and Grand Rapids 6 times a day. When the Pere Marquette Railway was absorbed into the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad in 1947, the name was maintained, but the service was extended to Chicago.
Amtrak revived the name for its Grand Rapids – Chicago service in 1984. This version of Pere Marquette began on August 5, 1984 with financial support from the state of Michigan. Initially it served Chicago, Hammond–Whiting, New Buffalo, St. Joseph, Bangor, Holland and Grand Rapids. Service at Hammond–Whiting ended April 29, 2001 (other trains still stop there). Service at New Buffalo ended October 26, 2009, when a new station opened along a different alignment.[6][7]
On 30 November 2007, the southbound Pere Marquette collided with a Norfolk Southern freight train in Chicago, injuring 30 people.[8]
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determines that the probable cause of the collision was the failure of the Amtrak engineer to correctly interpret the signal at Englewood interlocking and Amtrak's failure to ensure that the engineer had the competency to correctly interpret signals across the different territories over which he operated. The NTSB released their finding on the crash on March 31, 2009.[9]
The Pere Marquette route celebrated its 25th anniversary on August 5, 2009. Local, state and federal officials spoke during ceremonies at stations along the route during the train's southbound trip to Chicago.[10]
In October 26, 2009, the New Buffalo Amtrak station was relocated from the CSX trackage to the Amtrak-owned alignment closer to the shore of Lake Michigan. This new station is ADA-compliant and has a more extensive shelter. As a result, Pere Marquette no longer stops in New Buffalo. Instead, the city is served by Wolverine and Blue Water trains.[11]
During fiscal year 2011, the Pere Marquette carried 106,662 passengers, an increase of 4.7% from 2010, when it carried 101,907 passengers.[1] Ticket revenue in 2011 was $3.2 million, an increase of 9.8% from 2010's total of $2.9 million.[1]
During 2008, the on-time performance of Route 370 (Chicago-Grand Rapids) was 33.6%, and the on-time performance of Route 371 (Grand Rapids-Chicago) was 13.5%. By September 2010, these figures had changed to 63.3% and 13.3%, respectively. Amtrak owns 10 miles (16 km) of this line; freight railroads CSX and Norfolk Southern own the remainder. Track and signal delays and freight train interference on these lines make up the majority of delays.[12][13][14]
| State | Town/City | Station | Connections |
|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | Chicago | Chicago Union Station | Amtrak: Blue Water, Capitol Limited, Cardinal, Carl Sandburg, California Zephyr, City of New Orleans, Empire Builder, Hiawatha Service, Hoosier State, Illini, Illinois Zephyr, Lake Shore Limited, Lincoln Service, Saluki, Southwest Chief, Texas Eagle, Wolverine, Thruway Motorcoach CTA Buses: 1, 7, 14, 19, 20, X20, X28, 56, 60, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 128, 129, 130, 151, 156, 157, 192 Megabus: M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, M6, M7 Metra: North Central Service, Milwaukee District/North Line, Milwaukee District/West Line, BNSF Railway Line, Heritage Corridor, SouthWest Service |
| Michigan | St. Joseph | St. Joseph Amtrak Station | Twin Cities Area Transportation Authority: Red Route |
| Bangor | Bangor Station | ||
| Holland | Padnos Transportation Center | MAX: all routes | |
| Grand Rapids | Grand Rapids station | Thruway Motorcoach: Indian Trails The Rapid: Route 8 |
At the Chicago end of the line, riders can connect to either O'Hare International Airport or Midway International Airport, using nearby CTA stations. For O'Hare, riders walk to the Clinton CTA station and ride the Blue line, which operates 24 hours a day. For Midway, riders walk to the Quincy/Wells CTA station and ride the Orange line.
Today, a normal Amtrak Pere Marquette consists of:[15]
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