The International

[williamn]

Used to run, I believe, between Chicago and Toronto, until fairly recently.

Has there ever been any talk of bringing it back? It would be a useful link between these two cities which are really relatively close.

 

[MikefromCrete]

No talk of returning the International via Port Huron. Occasionally there's some talk of a Chicago-Toronto train via Detroit, but there's a lot of trouble with that since VIA's Windsor trains terminate at a station nowhere near the international tunnel. It would be hard to get trains from the tunnel to the VIA route to Toronto. Also there's that pesky international border crossing and neither Michigan nor any Canada entity interested in sponsoring such a train.

 

[reppin_the_847]

No talk of return the International via Port Huron. Occasionally there's some talk of a Chicago-Toronto train via Detroit, but there's a lot of trouble with that since VIA's Windsor trains terminate at a station no where near the international tunnel. It would be hard to get trains from the tunnel to the VIA route to Toronto. Also there's that pesky international border crossing and neither Michigan nor any Canada entity interested in sponsoring such a train.

Sadly I think the aftermath of 9/11 made Amtrak want to nix the line. You would think there's gotta be a way to still make it happen since New York City has trains to Toronto & Montreal.

 

[MikefromCrete]

The post 9/11 border crossing red tape had a lot to do with the International's demise. Also, I believe Michigan wanted the train to focus on going to Chicago in the A.M. and returning in the P.M., while the International did the opposite. Also, VIA didn't seem that interested in keeping the train. Still, a Chicago-Toronto train is a good idea and hopefully there is some way to resurrect the service.

 

[Metra Electric Rider]

I would think with the Corridor improvements planned by the Trudeau Government and the ongoing service improvements in Michigan some sort of connection becomes more and more attractive all the time. Chicago-Toronto is an expensive flight (Porter isn't bad and is pleasant for flying, from what I hear), but the train also serves all the intermediate cities as well, so even a shuttle (yeah, a bus, I know) connection to start would be welcome. A through train would be much quicker today than it was when it was originally running.

 

[jis]

Hmmm .... The International ... you mean it's something other than a very famous song?

 

[Eric S]

Hmmm .... The International ... you mean it's something other than a very famous song?

Use all red trainsets and add an "e" to the end of the name...

 

[Metra Electric Rider]

Hmmm .... The International ... you mean it's something other than a very famous song?

Use all red trainsets and add an "e" to the end of the name...

That sounds like a Chinese innovation, all red lacquer (Norwegian trains used to be mostly red, dunno about Soviet).

Maybe we could call it "The Continental" and get Arthur Murray to pay for it?

 

[jis]

Hmmm .... The International ... you mean it's something other than a very famous song?

Use all red trainsets and add an "e" to the end of the name...

The Republicans would love all Red trains I suppose. Putin might be ecstatic too.

 

[CraigDK]

No talk of returning the International via Port Huron. Occasionally there's some talk of a Chicago-Toronto train via Detroit, but there's a lot of trouble with that since VIA's Windsor trains terminate at a station nowhere near the international tunnel. It would be hard to get trains from the tunnel to the VIA route to Toronto. Also there's that pesky international border crossing and neither Michigan nor any Canada entity interested in sponsoring such a train.

Has there ever been any discussion or consideration of routing it through Detroit and then Port Huron on CN's Mt Clemens Sub?

The post 9/11 border crossing red tape had a lot to do with the International's demise. Also, I believe Michigan wanted the train to focus on going to Chicago in the A.M. and returning in the P.M., while the International did the opposite. Also, VIA didn't seem that interested in keeping the train. Still, a Chicago-Toronto train is a good idea and hopefully there is some way to resurrect the service.

Why the focus on the A.M arrival? I am not looking at the moment at the Michigan Service Schedule but I thought 2 of the 3 Pontiac-Detroit-Chicago trains that are currently running already due so. It would also necessitate an overnight or extraordinarily early departure and late arrival from Toronto, and a fairly early Detroit departure. I would suspect that wouldn't exactly encourage a lot of riders.

 

[Eric S]

I believe the idea was that Michigan wanted to provide passengers from Port Huron, Flint, East Lansing, etc. a morning train to Chicago and an afternoon departure from Chicago.

 

[CraigDK]

I believe the idea was that Michigan wanted to provide passengers from Port Huron, Flint, East Lansing, etc. a morning train to Chicago and an afternoon departure from Chicago.

That would make sense with that routing. At least for those communities.

 

[neroden]

The International will have to wait a while for its share of the Canadian passenger rail improvements. The Windsor and Port Huron lines are quite late on the to-do list. VIA is focusing on Toronto-Ottawa-Montreal first (for obvious reasons), while GO is heading for Niagara Falls and also London, but not really looking past London at this point. AMT is doing wonders but they are of course up in Montreal.

Trudeau *does* have his priorities right and is going to be great for Canadian passenger rail, but sadly service west of London is on the back burner.