Pere Marquette (train)
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| Pere Marquette | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 A Pere Marquette backs into the station in Grand Rapids, Michigan. |
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| Type | Inter-city rail | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| System | Amtrak | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Termini | Chicago, Illinois Grand Rapids, Michigan |
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| Operation | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | 1984 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Owner | CSXT, NS (track) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operator(s) | Amtrak | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technical | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Line length | 176 miles (283 km) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track gauge | 4 ft 81⁄2 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.[1] 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,[2] and in turn for Pere Marquette, Michigan, an early name for Ludington.[3] The town was named for Father Jacques Marquette, a French explorer of the Great Lakes region.[3]
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[edit] Route details
The Pere Marquette operates over Norfolk Southern Railway and CSX Transportation trackage:
- NS Chicago Line, Chicago to Porter
- CSX Grand Rapids Subdivision and Grand Rapids Terminal Subdivision, Porter to Grand Rapids
[edit] History
The 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.[4][5]
[edit] 2007 crash
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determines that the probable cause of the November 30, 2007, collision of Amtrak train 371 (Pere Marquette) with the rear of Norfolk Southern Railway Company train 23M near Chicago, Illinois, 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 has released their finding on the crash on March 31, 2009.[6]
[edit] 25th Anniversary
The Pere Marquette route celebrated its 25th anniversary on August 5, 2009. A sightseer lounge car was added to the consist of the sold out train for the passengers to enjoy. Hundreds of people showed up at each station along the route to celebrate this vital transportation link for Western Michigan. Local, State and Federal dignitaries read proclamations and made speeches in honor of the milestone and the service.
[edit] On-Time Performance
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%. Amtrak does not own any segment of this line. It is completely owned by the host freight railroads (CSX and Norfolk Southern). Freight trains have priority over Amtrak where the freight train owns the rails, accounting for the vast majority of delays.[7]
[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] Prior history under the Pere Marquette Railway
The Pere Marquette was a named train of the Pere Marquette Railway serving Detroit-Grand Rapids 6 times a day. When the Pere Marquette Railway was absobed into the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad in 1947, the name was maintained, but the service was extended to Chicago. Amtrak later revived the name for its Grand Rapids – Chicago service in 1984.
[edit] Notes
- ^ "Amtrak - Routes - Midwest". Michigan Services. http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/am2Route/Horizontal_Route_Page&;;;;;;;;c=am2Route&cid=1081256321995&ssid=133. Retrieved 2006-10-30.
- ^ "Pere Marquette". Grand Valley Metropolitan Council. http://www.gvmc.org/newsupdates/pere_marquette.shtml. Retrieved 2007-12-01.
- ^ a b "Who or What Are All Those 'Pere Marquettes'?". Pere Marquette Historical Society. http://www.pmhistsoc.org/diffpms.shtml. Retrieved 2007-12-01.
- ^ Sanders (2006), 210.
- ^ Creager, Ellen (October 26, 2009). "Detroit-Chicago Amtrak train will stop in New Buffalo". Detroit Free Press. http://www.freep.com/article/20091026/BLOG20/91026062/1005/NEWS03/Detroit-Chicago-Amtrak-train-will-stop-in-New-Buffalo. Retrieved 2009-10-28.
- ^ "Collision of Amtrak Passenger Train 371 and Norfolk Southern Railway Company Freight Train 23M, Chicago, Illinois, November 30, 2007". National Transportation Safety Board. March 31, 2009. http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/2009/RAR0901.pdf. Retrieved November 25, 2009.
- ^ Kolker, Ken, "State asks Amtrak to explain delays; Michigan trains late nearly 75% of the time", Grand Rapids Press, December 23, 2008
[edit] References
- Dixon, Jr., Thomas W. (2004). Chesapeake & Ohio's Pere Marquettes: America's First Postwar Streamliners 1946-1971. Lynchburg, Virginia: TLC Publishing. ISBN 1-883089-88-3.
- Sanders, Craig (2006). Amtrak in the Heartland. Indiana University Press. ISBN 0-253-34705-X.
[edit] External links
- Amtrak - Michigan Services
- Amtrak Michigan Services Website
- Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers
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