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‘Pere Marquette’ operations face significant changes
“But the most significant rescheduling will occur until May 4, when the Chicago-Grand Rapids, Mich., Pere Marquette’s Michigan departure moves up an hour and a half from 7:40 a.m. to 6:00 a.m…”
First a grammatical error, rescheduling will occur until May 4? How about rescheduling will not occur until May 4? Also, last I checked my clock 6:00am to 7:40am is not an hour and a half but rather a hour and forty minutes.
Oh, man, we’d have to get up pretty early in the morning on the Michigan side! This is good news only if they follow through and add a round trip in the opposite direction. I’m wondering whether the same trainset could be used for all of it.
With an airfare price differential like that, it’s obvious what the preferences of the thrifty west Michiganders would be, if they don’t want to drive. And if speeds could be brought up to make the trip better than Interstate speed, we’d really be getting somewhere.
That new Amtrak station in Grand Rapids deserves more activity…like trains to Lansing and Detroit, and possibly Kalamazoo. I know…baby steps. I should live so long.
So now the “Pere Marquette” is hit with the same awful early morning departure from Grand Rapids that has been acknowledged as a major cause for stunting load factors of the “Hoosier State” out of Indianapolis. To what extent is this “new and improved schedule change” to just facilitate NS dispatching…?
How much potential business is left at the depot by failing to operate at least a bi-directional schedule of the “Pere Marquette” for the convenience of day trips?
What are the “plans” for asset utilization of this consist, or, will it just sit at the 14th Street yard all day? Despite this being the 21st century, and each rail line serving Chicago still maintaining their own different signal systems, nevertheless, is it feasible to run this consist midday, such as to Milwaukee, or, to Champaign? When does the opportunity cost for incremental revenues overcome labor and operating costs? What can we learn from the approach of California’s JPAs to asset utilization in an intercity rail format?