Amtrak will continue to operate trains on a modified schedule for the Wolverine Service and Blue Water routes through the end of September as it completes infrastructure improvements in West Michigan.
The track and signal work will result in improved reliability, a smoother ride and the future extension of 110 mph Amtrak service between Battle Creek and Kalamazoo.
The modified schedules first announced in the spring primarily affect the westbound schedule of Train 365, the Blue Water, from Port Huron to Chicago, via East Lansing. Wolverine Service customers between West Michigan and Chicago will continue to benefit from an additional eastbound trip on Sundays and an additional westbound trip on Mondays during the period ending Sept. 30.
These temporary schedules also allow Norfolk Southern Railway (NS) a greater opportunity to continue their work to reduce freight train congestion that has been interfering with Amtrak trains in Northern Indiana. Both Amtrak and the Michigan Department of Transportation have asked NS to take action to improve the daily dispatching of ten state-sponsored Amtrak trains -- and four more Amtrak national network services -- on NS tracks between Chicago and Porter, Ind.
Normal Wolverine Service and Blue Water schedules in Michigan are effective on Oct. 1. The Amtrak Pere Marquette train schedules to and from Grand Rapids are unchanged.
