# What Zone Is Detroit Located In?



## Guest (Nov 22, 2013)

I am looking at the zone map, and Detroit kind-of looks like its on a sliver of the "blue" eastern zone. Is it?


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## Ryan (Nov 22, 2013)

It's on the border, East or Central, whichever is cheaper.


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## AKA (Nov 22, 2013)

The twilight zone ? Sorry this was just to easy. ^_^ Notice I said I am sorry. Plus the question did get an answer.


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## the_traveler (Nov 22, 2013)

Technically, it (and Port Huron) are both in the central and eastern zone. At one time, there was an Amtrak route thru Canada thru those locations, but no longer. So since "you can't get there from here", you can just consider them central zone cities.


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## jersey42 (Nov 23, 2013)

the_traveler said:


> Technically, it (and Port Huron) are both in the central and eastern zone. At one time, there was an Amtrak route thru Canada thru those locations, but no longer. So since "you can't get there from here", you can just consider them central zone cities.


If you want to take the bus connection from Detroit to Toledo, it looks like you can stay entirely in the eastern zone. For example, DET-MIA is a valid one zone redemption.


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## the_traveler (Nov 23, 2013)

jersey42 said:


> the_traveler said:
> 
> 
> > Technically, it (and Port Huron) are both in the central and eastern zone. At one time, there was an Amtrak route thru Canada thru those locations, but no longer. So since "you can't get there from here", you can just consider them central zone cities.
> ...


OK, I retract my statement.
If you do something like that, it would be a 1 zone award. But if you decide not to take the bus, but instead go by train via CHI, it would be a 2 zone award. From Port Huron, it is always a 2 zone to the eastern zone, be use you can only connect in CHi.


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## Guest (Nov 25, 2013)

jersey42 said:


> For example, DET-MIA is a valid one zone redemption.


That example answers it best for me.

My thanks to all.


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## the_traveler (Nov 25, 2013)

Guest said:


> jersey42 said:
> 
> 
> > For example, DET-MIA is a valid one zone redemption.
> ...


But *ONLY* if you take the bus to Toledo. If you take a train to Chicago first, it's a 2 zone award!


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## Ryan (Nov 25, 2013)

Actually, it would have to be 2 different awards by the letter of the rule.



> Circle trips are not permitted using a single redemption. A circle trip is a travel itinerary comprised of a series of segments that exit, and later re-enter, the same zone.


The only published routing involves the bus.


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## jis (Nov 25, 2013)

the_traveler said:


> Technically, it (and Port Huron) are both in the central and eastern zone. At one time, there was an Amtrak route thru Canada thru those locations, but no longer. So since "you can't get there from here", you can just consider them central zone cities.


Was there really an Amtrak route via Detroit through Canada after AGR came into existence?


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## fairviewroad (Nov 25, 2013)

jis said:


> the_traveler said:
> 
> 
> > Technically, it (and Port Huron) are both in the central and eastern zone. At one time, there was an Amtrak route thru Canada thru those locations, but no longer. So since "you can't get there from here", you can just consider them central zone cities.
> ...


I suspect not, in terms of Detroit. And from Port Huron to Toronto, "The International" was a VIA operated train (similar to the current-day Maple Leaf from NFS to Toronto)

so you would not have been able to redeem AGR points on it (assuming the rules were the same back in 2004).


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## the_traveler (Nov 25, 2013)

Maybe yes, maybe no. But why else would Port Huron even be marked as a "border city"? :huh: (I do understand Detroit via Toledo, but not Port Huron.)


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## fairviewroad (Nov 25, 2013)

the_traveler said:


> Maybe yes, maybe no. But why else would Port Huron even be marked as a "border city"? :huh: (I do understand Detroit via Toledo, but not Port Huron.)


Where is it marked as a "border city"?


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## Ryan (Nov 25, 2013)

On the AGR map.


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## fairviewroad (Nov 25, 2013)

RyanS said:


> On the AGR map.


The one that's currently on the AGR website? I don't draw from it that Port Huron is marked as a zone border city. It's simply a city

at the end of an Amtrak route in the same way that other cities located at the end of an Amtrak route are shown.


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## SarahZ (Nov 25, 2013)

I had to make the map HUGE on my screen to see it, but it looks like Port Huron is firmly in the blue (east) zone. Detroit is clearly straddling the central and eastern zones. It was pretty hard to see that until I zoomed in 10000000%.


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## Ryan (Nov 25, 2013)

Upon further review, it appears that PH may be only in the East zone, which would be really dumb.

The blue of the East zone clearly goes up that far, so it's either on the border or East only.


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## SarahZ (Nov 25, 2013)

RyanS said:


> Upon further review, it appears that PH may be only in the East zone, which would be really dumb.
> 
> The blue of the East zone clearly goes up that far, so it's either on the border or East only.


That is really weird. If someone wants to travel from Port Huron to CHI, that's technically a two-zone trip. Heh. No. That's just silly.

I might call AGR and see if they can clarify, because pixels.


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## fairviewroad (Nov 25, 2013)

Wow, I hadn't zoomed in on the map until you guys did, and yes it sure does look like Port Huron is in the blue (east) zone.

However, if you do a dummy booking with AGR points, it pulls up Port Huron to Chicago as a one-zone (1500 point) redemption*. So Amtrak's

website clearly thinks that Port Huron is at the very least in the Central Zone despite what the poorly designed map indicates. Since there's no

way of booking a Port Huron-to-Eastern Zone AGR trip online, I can't immediately verify whether it is or is not a border city without calling.

And since the chances of me actually needing to know this for sure are pretty much zero, I'll let others to figure this one out. 

*[upon further reflection, it's technically possible that Port Huron IS in the eastern zone but that it still only costs 1500 points to get to Chicago,

since the Blue Water is a Special Route. AGR specifies that Special Routes require only 1500 points but does not address the issue of what

happens if a Special Route transverses two zones. So you could theoretically have Port Huron in the Eastern Zone, which would require

a two zone redemption if one wanted to travel beyond Chicago to, say, New Orleans, but still only require a single Special Route redemption

to points along the Blue Water route.]


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## Ryan (Nov 25, 2013)

That definitely makes it a border city (without any real point, as you note).


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## SubwayNut (Nov 26, 2013)

The map also now ends in Detroit, and does not show the actual terminus of Pontaic. The Carl Sandburg/Illinois Zephyr branch down to Quincy is also missing!

Brunswick is also (Is it in the Northeast Zone?)


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