Revised Wolverine schedule starting 1/22/18

[MidwestRich]

https://www.amtrak.com/content/dam/projects/dotcom/english/public/documents/timetables/Michigan-Services-Schedule-012218.pdf

The ARRA investments are starting to show up in the schedule, finally.

10+ minutes shaved on each run in each direction, mostly between Kalamazoo and Dearborn. Note that departure times have changed from all stations.

With 354 departing Chicago 10 minutes earlier, connections from other some routes may be more challenging, especially Hiawatha.

Still problems on NS in Indiana after $75 million spent on Indiana Gateway. I'll be generous and state that NS is still learning how to capitalize on the capacity investments. An alternative perspective would posit that NS continues to stiff-arm Amtrak.

Another round of travel time reductions is expected later this year, with an added goal of reducing crew costs.

 

[Thirdrail7]

Is it true that NS still has an incredible amount of traffic in the area?

 

[Anthony V]

This may have been what was delaying the proposed reroute of the LSL through Michigan.

 

[Trogdor]

This may have been what was delaying the proposed reroute of the LSL through Michigan.

The Lakeshore isn't being rerouted through Michigan, 110 mph or not. There really aren't that many folks inside Amtrak pushing for such a change, and those that are/were, are not in any position to make it happen. Even with increased speeds, the route would be quite a bit longer than the current routing. Also, the host from Toledo to Dearborn (I think it's Conrail Shared Assets...but can't remember for certain) wanted nothing to do with the train.

 

[WoodyinNYC]

This may have been what was delaying the proposed reroute of the LSL through Michigan.

The Lake Shore isn't being rerouted through Michigan, 110 mph or not. ... Even with increased speeds, the route would be quite a bit longer than the current routing. Also, the host from Toledo to Dearborn ... wanted nothing to do with the train.

One fine day, as per the dreams of the Ohio Hub, around 8 corridor trains per day will run Cleveland-Toledo-Dearborn (or -Detroit or -Something LOL).

The segment CLE-TOL will get upgraded first, as part of CLE-TOL-CHI 110-mph dedicated passenger line, then TOL-Dearborn will be the add-on.

None of this will be cheap, but it will be cheaper per train and per passenger when lots of trains will be using the tracks.

 

[WoodyinNYC]

https://www.amtrak.com/content/dam/projects/dotcom/english/public/documents/timetables/Michigan-Services-Schedule-012218.pdf

The ARRA investments are starting to show up in the schedule, finally.

10+ minutes shaved on each run in each direction, mostly between Kalamazoo and Dearborn. Note that departure times have changed from all stations.

Another round of travel time reductions is expected later this year, with an added goal of reducing crew costs.

This is really good news. Happy to see it. Thanks for posting.

My favorite change is the late arrival in Detroit, was 12:17 a.m., will be 11:54 p.m. Alighting pre-midnight instead of 17 minutes post-midnight should help psychologically. Not picking on Detroit, but everybody would prefer to arrive in any city before the witching hour.

 

[crescent-zephyr]

And into Dearborn 11:24! That means I can be in my room at the Comfort inn (literally next door) by 11:30 and resting up for my visit to the Henry Ford the next day!

 

[Eric S]

And into Dearborn 11:24! That means I can be in my room at the Comfort inn (literally next door) by 11:30 and resting up for my visit to the Henry Ford the next day!

I've stayed at that Comfort Inn a couple times when I've done a little Amtrak joy-riding, so to speak. One of these days I'll have to actually visit the Henry Ford instead of just spending the night and heading back on a train the next morning.

 

[crescent-zephyr]

And into Dearborn 11:24! That means I can be in my room at the Comfort inn (literally next door) by 11:30 and resting up for my visit to the Henry Ford the next day!

I've stayed at that Comfort Inn a couple times when I've done a little Amtrak joy-riding, so to speak. One of these days I'll have to actually visit the Henry Ford instead of just spending the night and heading back on a train the next morning.

The fact that you have been so close and never visited makes my heart hurt a little bit. Ha.

Fyi the comfort inn has always been happy to hold my bag, greenfield village closes at 5 so perfect timing to get back and collect my bag for the evenning departure.

If you are just going for 1 day, go to Greenfield Village over the indoor museum. You really can't see both in 1 day and both are pretty overwhelming. The village has the steam train ride, working historic roundhouse, restored depot, model t rides, working farms, the Edison Menlo park laboratory, and a whole lot more.

Of course the museum itself has a railroad wing with the C&O allegheny, Henry Fords private car, a beatiful 4-4-0, etc.

 

[neroden]

Is it true that NS still has an incredible amount of traffic in the area?

Essentially an infinite amount. The entire NS network in the east funnels into two lines in Chicago, and due to the junction layout, they're not subsititutes for each other (ouch).

I read something odd recently on the CREATE site, which looked wrong to me, about NS offering Amtrak additional easements on the Chicago line only after the 75th St CIP was completed. If the person was writing a garbled version of accurate information, the most likely story is that completing 75th St. would allow NS to use the ex-Nickel Plate line to get to 47th Street yard without interference from Belt Railway traffic, which isn't currently practical. It looks to me like they'd need another junction somewhere in Indiana to reroute traffic, though...

 

[SarahZ]

They've moved the evening, westbound departure up quite a bit. Instead of arriving in Chicago shortly before midnight, the train now arrives around 10:30.

While I'd love to have an earlier evening arrival in between the afternoon and late-night arrivals, I'll take this. It doesn't feel like such a waste of paying for Friday night in a hotel.

 

[neroden]

This may have been what was delaying the proposed reroute of the LSL through Michigan.

The Lakeshore isn't being rerouted through Michigan, 110 mph or not. There really aren't that many folks inside Amtrak pushing for such a change, and those that are/were, are not in any position to make it happen. Even with increased speeds, the route would be quite a bit longer than the current routing. Also, the host from Toledo to Dearborn (I think it's Conrail Shared Assets...but can't remember for certain) wanted nothing to do with the train.

The Detroit-Toledo line needs to be purchased by the states and/or cities. It's IMNSHO the most important gap in the entire Amtrak system. There are actually *four* tracks running along that route, two CN and two Conrail, in a *completely wacky and obsolete layout*. http://knorek.com/RR/SAA/SAAIndex.htm It could use a good rationalization and probably a flyover, for freight service alone.

 

[brianpmcdonnell17]

This may have been what was delaying the proposed reroute of the LSL through Michigan.

The Lakeshore isn't being rerouted through Michigan, 110 mph or not. There really aren't that many folks inside Amtrak pushing for such a change, and those that are/were, are not in any position to make it happen. Even with increased speeds, the route would be quite a bit longer than the current routing. Also, the host from Toledo to Dearborn (I think it's Conrail Shared Assets...but can't remember for certain) wanted nothing to do with the train.

The Detroit-Toledo line needs to be purchased by the states and/or cities. It's IMNSHO the most important gap in the entire Amtrak system. There are actually *four* tracks running along that route, two CN and two Conrail, in a *completely wacky and obsolete layout*. http://knorek.com/RR/SAA/SAAIndex.htm It could use a good rationalization and probably a flyover, for freight service alone.

Michigan service is kind of odd in that it has good frequencies and speed but there are multiple gaps and many potential city pairs missing. In addition to the Detroit to Toledo gap, there is also Detroit-Windsor, Port Huron-Sarnia, and service from Grand Rapids to cities on the other two Michigan lines.

 

[Palmetto]

I'm not sure that a service that has good frequencies and also multiple gaps can appear in the same sentence. Isn't it that good frequencies means no gaps and multiple gaps mean poor frequencies?

 

[brianpmcdonnell17]

I'm not sure that a service that has good frequencies and also multiple gaps can appear in the same sentence. Isn't it that good frequencies means no gaps and multiple gaps mean poor frequencies?

I meant that there are a relatively high number of trains on the routes that do exist (high frequencies) but there are many places where routes could be connected but are not at this point (a gap).

 

[WoodyinNYC]

This may have been what was delaying the proposed reroute of the LSL through Michigan.

The Lake Shore isn't being rerouted through Michigan, 110 mph or not. ... the host from Toledo to Dearborn (I think it's Conrail Shared Assets...but can't remember for certain) wanted nothing to do with the train.

The Detroit-Toledo line ... actually *four* tracks running along that route, two CN and two Conrail, in a *completely wacky and obsolete layout*. http://knorek.com/RR/SAA/SAAIndex.htm

Sorry, the link doesn't get me to a very useful place.

 

[keelhauled]

This may have been what was delaying the proposed reroute of the LSL through Michigan.

The Lake Shore isn't being rerouted through Michigan, 110 mph or not. ... the host from Toledo to Dearborn (I think it's Conrail Shared Assets...but can't remember for certain) wanted nothing to do with the train.

The Detroit-Toledo line ... actually *four* tracks running along that route, two CN and two Conrail, in a *completely wacky and obsolete layout*. http://knorek.com/RR/SAA/SAAIndex.htm

Sorry, the link doesn't get me to a very useful place.

For some reason it added extra characters at the end. Remove the "%C2%A0" in the URL.

 

[WoodyinNYC]

The Detroit-Toledo line ... actually *four* tracks running along that route, two CN and two Conrail, in a *completely wacky and obsolete layout*. http://knorek.com/RR/SAA/SAAIndex.htm

Sorry, the link doesn't get me to a very useful place

For some reason it added extra characters at the end. Remove the "%C2%A0" in the URL.

Fixed! Thanks for fixing me up!

 

[ChuckL]

https://www.amtrak.com/content/dam/projects/dotcom/english/public/documents/timetables/Michigan-Services-Schedule-012218.pdf

The ARRA investments are starting to show up in the schedule, finally.

10+ minutes shaved on each run in each direction, mostly between Kalamazoo and Dearborn. Note that departure times have changed from all stations.

With 354 departing Chicago 10 minutes earlier, connections from other some routes may be more challenging, especially Hiawatha.

Still problems on NS in Indiana after $75 million spent on Indiana Gateway. I'll be generous and state that NS is still learning how to capitalize on the capacity investments. An alternative perspective would posit that NS continues to stiff-arm Amtrak.

Another round of travel time reductions is expected later this year, with an added goal of reducing crew costs.

I just checked the status of 351 which should have just arrived in Kalamazoo at 9:14. It is delayed by 40 minutes and estimated to arrive at 9:54 at this point. Not a great start for the faster schedule!! It left Dearborn on time this morning. Lost 28 minutes between Jackson, where it was already 10 minutes late, and Albion.

Sent from my iPhone using Amtrak Forum

 

[EmCee Al]

Speaking of Albion, do all Amtrak trains still have to go thru that city at a very slow speed in order to comply with a City Ordinance? If so, hopefully someday maybe negotiations can raise that city imposed speed limit to something faster and more reasonable that works for everyone.

 

[ChuckL]

Speaking of Albion, do all Amtrak trains still have to go thru that city at a very slow speed in order to comply with a City Ordinance? If so, hopefully someday maybe negotiations can raise that city imposed speed limit to something faster and more reasonable that works for everyone.

When I was traveling through Albion last November, it was still at a snail’s pace.

Sent from my iPhone using Amtrak Forum

 

[MidwestRich]

Municipalities have no legal authority over railroad operations, regardless of any ordinance. Only the federal government can regulate railroad operations. If trains are passing through Albion slowly, it's for safety reasons, such track or road crossing conditions. Albion was a flag stop in the past, which might have affected passenger train speeds somewhat.

 

[Thirdrail7]

Municipalities have no legal authority over railroad operations, regardless of any ordinance. Only the federal government can regulate railroad operations. If trains are passing through Albion slowly, it's for safety reasons, such track or road crossing conditions. Albion was a flag stop in the past, which might have affected passenger train speeds somewhat.

Your statement does not hold up in practice. We've been through this before in the Who sets speed restrictions through towns? thread. Funny, this thread started with the same town. At any rate, I posted a few examples of how a state imposed their speed through a town and how another town took it upon themselves to ticket trains that blocked grade crossings as they sat at a stop signals.

We can even look at recent history as an example and witness New Jersey passing a law (over federal regulations regarding certification of engineers) that basically states an engineer with a DUI or DWI may no longer operate a train.

So, there are plenty of local and state laws that often impose stringer actions on railroads than federal regulations.

 

[MidwestRich]

Municipalities have no legal authority over railroad operations, regardless of any ordinance. Only the federal government can regulate railroad operations. If trains are passing through Albion slowly, it's for safety reasons, such track or road crossing conditions. Albion was a flag stop in the past, which might have affected passenger train speeds somewhat.

Your statement does not hold up in practice. We've been through this before in the Who sets speed restrictions through towns? thread. Funny, this thread started with the same town. At any rate, I posted a few examples of how a state imposed their speed through a town and how another town took it upon themselves to ticket trains that blocked grade crossings as they sat at a stop signals.

We can even look at recent history as an example and witness New Jersey passing a law (over federal regulations regarding certification of engineers) that basically states an engineer with a DUI or DWI may no longer operate a train.

So, there are plenty of local and state laws that often impose stringer actions on railroads than federal regulations.

There may be examples of local efforts to impose speed restrictions through state statute or local ordinance, but they are unenforceable once they are appealed to federal courts. A ticket is moot if it can't be enforced. Railroads have federal preemption regarding their operations, with the sole exceptions of blocking or safety problems at public crossings. The feds allow states authority to regulate safety and movement at public crossings. Outside of the imposition of an unenforceable law, there are plenty of examples where railroads have agreed to voluntarily reduce speed in a community in exchange for the closure of crossings or other tradeoffs concerning noise, safety or convenience.

Aside from track and crossing conditions affecting track speed, there is a curve just east of Albion which limits train speed in the area. Also, the track between Kalamazoo and Dearborn is owned by the state of Michigan. Although unlikely, it's entirely possible that an influential legislator has requested Michigan DOT to limit train speeds through Albion.

 

[EchoSierra]

Municipalities have no legal authority over railroad operations, regardless of any ordinance. Only the federal government can regulate railroad operations. If trains are passing through Albion slowly, it's for safety reasons, such track or road crossing conditions. Albion was a flag stop in the past, which might have affected passenger train speeds somewhat.

We can even look at recent history as an example and witness New Jersey passing a law (over federal regulations regarding certification of engineers) that basically states an engineer with a DUI or DWI may no longer operate a train.

Your example is moot. The NJ state law only applies to NJ Transit as that's the only place where it can be enforced, because it's an employer vs employee regulation, not a state vs railroad regulation.