Amtrak's Grand Rapids-to-Chicago line saw massive ridership gains between 1997 and 2012, according to a new report from the Brookings Institution.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI — Amtrak's Grand Rapids-to-Chicago route has seen massive ridership gains since 1997, far outpacing its cohort Michigan train routes, according to a new report from the Brookings Institution.
The report, released Friday, March 1, by the Washington, D.C.-based think tank's Metropolitan Policy Program, found the Pere Marquette line saw a 68 percent ridership increase between 1997 and 2012. The number of riders increased 74 percent in that timeframe, from 32,618 to 56,832, the report found.
"The Pere Marquette is really emblematic of the larger point we're trying to get through in this report," study coauthor Joseph Kane said, or "the breakdown between the so-called short distance routes and the so-called long distance routes."
Amtrak's short-distance routes, or those traveling less than 400 miles, have driven 90 percent of ridership since 1997, and generated a $47 million operating balance. Long-distance routes, on the other hand, account for less than 20 percent of ridership and created a $614 million hole on Amtrak's balance sheet since 1997, Brookings found.
"The Brookings report shows Amtrak ridership has been growing faster than any other domestic mode of transportation, faster than GDP, and faster than population growth," Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari said in an email.
Michigan's three Amtrak routes, all considered short-distance, saw ridership gains between 1997 and 2012, but to varying degrees of success.
The gains, which have broken Michigan's Amtrak ridership records in recent years, have been attributed in part to the relatively lower cost of train travel, and increased preference over driving and parking in Chicago.
The Port Huron-to-Chicago Blue Water Line saw a 53 percent increase, from 123,504 riders in 1997 to 189,193 in 2012. The Pontiac-to-Chicago Wolverine Line, from 418,491 riders in 1997 to 484,138 in 2012, saw a 16 percent ridership gain, the report showed.
Varied performance levels among the Michigan routes underscores the importance of state subsidization of Amtrak routes, Kane said, and the pronounced viability of shorter routes like the Pere Marquette Line.
The 176-mile Pere Marquette, for instance, was given a $2.6 million cash infusion by state officials in 2011, and garnered $3.4 million in other revenues. The line cost $6.8 million to operate that year, meaning it ran a deficit of $800,000.
"It basically broke even, compared to a lot of the long-distance routes," Kane said, "which I think is to be both commended and is really what needs to happen in the future. These routes need to be more viable."
Some $5.4 million was allocated by Michigan to the 319-mile Blue Water Line, the Brookings report shows, and it took in $6.3 million in other funds. At $14 million to operate, its deficit in 2011 was $2.3 million.
By contrast, the 304-mile Wolverine Line, which did not receive state operating support in 2011, took in $20.2 million in revenue, and had operating expenses of $37.2 million, according to Brookings. Its deficit was $17 million.
Despite only subsidizing two of its three lines, Michigan ranked No. 4 in state support for Amtrak routes between 2007 and 2011.
The state contributed $35.5 million during that time, behind California, Illinois and Pennsylvania, and ahead of states in the transit-heavy Northeast.
Michigan has contributed to rail travel in other ways, and late last year finalized a $140 million purchase of 135 miles of Norfolk Southern tracks between Dearborn and Kalamazoo.
The tracks, which are part of the Wolverine Line, are to be converted for high-speed rail between Detroit and Chicago.
Still, critics have called Amtrak an unsustainable monolith that relies too heavily on federal subsidies for survival. Others have noted trains are known to break down, and that congestion in sprawling metro areas like Chicago needs to be alleviated for more efficient travel.
Kane said the study authors took full stock of Amtrak's critics before proceeding.
"This has been an issue existing for quite some time, really, since Amtrak's founding, and it's really been an ongoing sort of evolution, if you will, to figure out where the demand is for this service," Kane said.
"This partnership between Amtrak and the states really is helping with that," he said.
Most states do not have dedicated Amtrak funding, the report noted. Oftentimes, other budget areas are prioritized.
Even states that want to spend more on Amtrak are unable because available dollars typically are earmarked for ground transportation or other specific uses.
The report calls for authorization for states to use transit funds for rail investments, and for more states to spend money on Amtrak services.
It is "more of a call for continuing what we're already seeing with Michigan and Amtrak and other states, this vital state partnership," Kane said, "and to really invest where the demand is taking place."
The Brookings report is timely not only because of sequestration, but because of the tentative spring construction start date for Grand Rapids' new Amtrak station.
Peter Varga, CEO of the Interurban Transit Partnership, said the nearly $6-million station was designed for projected passenger numbers in 2025 and the possibility of more than once-daily train departures.
Ultimately, based on ridership trends, "the plan was designed to accommodate more passengers," said Varga, who was unsurprised by the massive ridership gain spelled out in the Brookings report.
Still, work on the new station — which will be named for former West Michigan congressman Vern Ehlers — is being held up by purchase negotiations with CSX Rail Inc. and MDOT. CSX owns the tracks on which the station will sit.
Varga said he traveled to Chicago on a recent weekend with his wife and granddaughter. The sheer number of people crowding the current station on the corner of Wealthy Street and Market Avenue struck him, he said.
"I did send an email to all parties when I was at the train station with my granddaughter, that it was nice to know that we'll eventually have that station constructed," Varga said.
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