Wolverine (train)
| Wolverine | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Amtrak #353 westbound from Pontiac to Chicago passes Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo, Michigan. |
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| Overview | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type | Inter-city rail | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| System | Amtrak | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Termini | Chicago, Illinois Pontiac, Michigan |
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| Stations | 17 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Daily ridership | 1,314 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ridership | 503,290 (FY11)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Train number(s) | 350 - 355 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operation | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | 1971 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Owner | NS, CN, Amtrak, CR (track) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operator(s) | Amtrak | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technical | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Line length | 304 miles (489 km) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Wolverine is a passenger train service operated by Amtrak as part of its Michigan Services. The 304 miles (489 km)[2] line provides three daily round-trips along the Pontiac–Detroit–Chicago route. It carries a heritage train name descended from the New York Central (Michigan Central).
During fiscal year 2011, the Wolverine carried 503,290 passengers, a 4.9% increase from FY 2010's total of 479,782 passengers.[1] The service had a total revenue of $18.8 million in FY 2011, a 11% increase from FY 2010's $16.9 million total revenue.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Route details
The Wolverine operates over Norfolk Southern Railway, Amtrak, and Canadian National Railway trackage:
- NS Chicago Line, Chicago to Porter
- Amtrak Chicago–Detroit Line, Porter to Kalamazoo
- NS Michigan Line, Kalamazoo to Dearborn
- CN South Bend Sub from CP Gord to CP Baron (about .8 miles) in Battle Creek, MI
- 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] High-speed rail
The Detroit–Chicago corridor has been designated by the Federal Railroad Administration as a high-speed rail corridor.[3] 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.[3] Amtrak began speed increases along this stretch in January 2002. Amtrak trains currently travel at top speeds of 95 miles per hour along this section of track. Ultimately, speed increases to 110 mile-per-hour service are planned.[3] During October 2010, the State of Michigan received $150 million from the federal government to increase track speeds to 110 mile-per-hour service between Kalamazoo and Dearborn.[4]
Amtrak shares rail lines with freight carriers east of Chicago. This can lead to significant delays near Gary, Indiana as Amtrak trains wait for the tracks to clear. None of the high-speed rail proposals put forward to date address this specific issue.
The Wolverine may suffer a few minor delays from Kalamazoo to Detroit, because of track and signals.[5]
[edit] Station stops
[edit] Consist
The Wolverine generally operates with two General Electric Genesis P42DC locomotives, one on each end of the train, and four passenger cars, three coaches and cafe/business class car. The rolling stock is generally composed of Horizon equipment, although Amfleet cars are occasionally substituted in.[2]
[edit] Future service
Due to the increased ridership on these trains, Amtrak executive Morell Savoy, the Central Division Superintendent, spearheaded a test run of Chicago-Kalamazoo Wolverines from September 2, 2010, to September 7, 2010. This was done to determine all that would be involved in operations should Amtrak decide to initiate such service in the future.[6]
An estimated 90 minute delay went into indefinite effect on June 1, 2011, for for Wolverine trains between Kalamazoo and Dearborn due to speed restrictions on the line that host railroad Norfolk Southern imposed.[7] On August 15, it was announced that work on 24 miles (39 km) of track between Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor would begin later in the month to increase speeds from the 30 mph (48 km/h) slow orders that had been in place.[8]
As of October 2011 the track work is complete on the section previously restricted with slow orders. Normal 60 MPH running has resumed. The trains now regularly meet times published in the Amtrak timetable.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c "Amtrak reports record Michigan ridership". The Grand Rapids Press. 14 October 2011. http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2011/10/amtrak_reports_record_michigan.html. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
- ^ a b "WOLVERINE". TrainWeb. http://www.trainweb.org/usarail/wolverine.htm. Retrieved 5 July 2010.
- ^ a b c "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2006". State of Michigan. http://www.amtrak.com/pdf/factsheets/MICHIGAN06.pdf. Retrieved 2007-05-13.
- ^ "Michigan awarded $150M for high-speed rail route". The Detroit News. 25 October 2010. http://www.detnews.com/article/20101025/METRO05/10250393/Michigan-awarded-$150M-for-high-speed-rail-route.. Retrieved 28 October 2010.
- ^ Johnston, Bob (September 2011). "Michigan Speeds Plummet". Trains: 8.
- ^ "Amtrak Tests Kalamazoo-Chicago Round Trips", Trains, December 2010, 21.
- ^ "Speed restrictions cause 90-minute delays for Amtrak line between Kalamazoo and Dearborn". Michigan Live. June 13, 2011. Archived from the original on August 7, 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/60lG7Z8OL. Retrieved 5 August 2011.
- ^ "Work to begin on restoring 'Wolverine' speeds". Trains Magazine. August 15, 2011. http://trn.trains.com/en/Railroad%20News/News%20Wire/2011/08/Work%20to%20begin%20on%20restoring%20Wolverine%20speeds.aspx. Retrieved August 16, 2011.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Wolverine |
- Amtrak - Michigan Services
- Michigan Services effective April 2007
- Amtrak Michigan Services Website
- Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers
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