Amtrak Gets OK For 110 MPH Travel In Mich., Ind.
KALAMAZOO (WWJ/AP) - Amtrak says it's gotten federal approval for its trains in western Michigan and northern Indiana to increase maximum speeds to 110 mph.
Amtrak announced Tuesday that the approval it and the Michigan Department of Transportation received comes after the installation and testing of a train control safety system on Amtrak-owned track that runs between Kalamazoo, Mich., and Porter, Ind.
The Wolverine Service between Pontiac and Chicago via Detroit and Ann Arbor and the Blue Water service between Port Huron and Chicago via East Lansing use the tracks. The Pere Marquette service uses a different route in Michigan to Grand Rapids.
The change will cut time from the trips.
More details are expected Feb. 15. Amtrak plans to extend 110 mph service in other parts of Michigan in the coming years.
Late last year, MDOT reported the state's three Amtrak services had increases in ridership and revenue, which set new ridership records for the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30 and collected $27.7 million in ticket revenue. Read more, here.
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