Train ridership is up! In Michigan, rid
ership and revenue soared on the state’s three Amtrak routes during the first quarter of fiscal-year 2011, according to MDOT:
"The strong performance indicates that more passengers are becoming aware of the convenience and good value of rail travel. In addition, Amtrak is managing their fleet differently and has added rail cars to the Wolverine and Blue Water routes, which means more seats for passengers."
Overall, the percentage increases were among the best in the nation on Amtrak corridor services. In October-December, 130,683 passengers rode Amtrak Wolverine service trains on the Pontiac/Detroit-Chicago corridor, an increase of 22.7 percent from the same period a year earlier. Ticket revenue grew by more than 26 percent to $4.9 million.
Ridership on the Blue Water train on the Port Huron/East Lansing-Chicago route jumped 29.5 percent and the Pere Marquette train on the Grand Rapids-Chicago route rose 7.8 percent.