The Michigan Department of Transportation is receiving funds from the Federal Railroad Administration to study the potential for expanding Amtrak lines in the state. That includes the Pere Marquette line from Chicago to Grand Rapids.
MDOT’s Michael Frezell tells us three lines will each receive $500,000 for the study. It could lead to additional runs on the Pere Marquette, but that’s a long way off.
“If it shows that we could potentially increase services, we could improve our infrastructure for that,” Frezell said. “So that could be the potential.”
Frezell says the money is just for a preliminary study.
“Right now it’s not saying that these routes are going to get added trains right now. It’s just the first step that we have to do to plan for new potential services.”
The funding was announced Friday by U.S. Senators Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow. They say it will allow MDOT to continue implementation of its Michigan Mobility 2045 Plan, which is aimed at providing increased transportation options for travelers while boosting economic growth in communities across the state.
In addition to the Pere Marquette, studies on the potential for expansion will be done on the Amtrak lines from Port Huron to Chicago and Detroit to Chicago.
