MDOT just announced that Amtrak set new ridership record in Michigan:
Amtrak trains in Michigan have set new ridership records for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, . . . evidence that passengers consider train travel in the Great Lakes State a convenient travel option.
For the 2009-2010 fiscal year, 479,782 passengers rode Amtrak Wolverine service trains on the Pontiac/Detroit-Chicago corridor, an increase of 8 percent from the same period a year earlier. Ticket revenue was up by more than 12 percent. The Blue Water train on the Port Huron/East Lansing-Chicago route saw an impressive 18.7 percent increase with ticket revenue was up by 15.3 percent.
"In this new economy, people are choosing rail travel closer to home with local and regional destinations," said State Transportation Director Kirk T. Steudle. "People have told us through the State Transportation Plan that they value choices, and train travel with its convenience and comfort seems to fit their needs," he added.