Blue Water (train)

The Blue Water is a higher-speed passenger train service operated by Amtrak as part of its Michigan Services. The 319-mile (513 km) line connects Chicago, Illinois and Port Huron, Michigan, via East Lansing and Flint, Michigan.

Blue Water
An Amtrak Blue Water train pulling into the East Lansing station.
Overview
Service typeInter-city rail, higher-speed rail
LocaleMichigan
PredecessorInternational
First serviceApril 25, 2004
Current operator(s)Amtrak
Ridership181,832 (FY19)[1]
Route
StartChicago, Illinois
Stops11
EndPort Huron, Michigan
Distance travelled319 miles (513 km)
Average journey time6 hours 38 minutes
Service frequencyDaily
Train number(s)364 (eastbound)
365 (westbound)
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Track owner(s)CN/GTW, Amtrak, MDOT NS
Route map
319 mi
513 km
 Port Huron
274 mi
441 km
 Lapeer
256 mi
412 km
 Flint
238 mi
383 km
 Durand
208 mi
335 km
 East Lansing
160 mi
257 km
 Battle Creek
138 mi
222 km
 Kalamazoo
102 mi
164 km
 Dowagiac
89 mi
143 km
 Niles
62 mi
100 km
 New Buffalo
MI
 
 
IL
0 mi
0 km
 Chicago
Empire Builder and
Hiawatha Service
Blue Water Limited
Blue Water
Overview
Service typeInter-city rail
LocaleMichigan
First serviceSeptember 15, 1974
Last serviceOctober 31, 1982
SuccessorInternational Limited
Former operator(s)Amtrak
Route
StartChicago, Illinois
EndPort Huron, Michigan
Distance travelled319 miles (513 km)
Service frequencyDaily
Train number(s)364, 365

History
The Blue Water Limited with a Turboliner trainset at Durand in 1979
Main article: Michigan Services

The Lansing area, home of the Michigan state capitol and Michigan State University, was left out of Amtrak's original system. Beginning in 1973, Amtrak and the state discussed restoring service over the Grand Trunk Western Railway within the state, although the new route would join Amtrak's other Michigan trains on the Penn Central west of Battle Creek, Michigan, eschewing the Grand Trunk's traditional route to Chicago. New stations were built in Port Huron and East Lansing, and the state spent $1 million on track rehabilitation. Service began September 15, 1974, between Chicago and Port Huron, with the intention of eventually restoring the Port Huron–Toronto leg.[2]:204-204

Amtrak renamed the train the Blue Water Limited on October 26, 1975, and re-equipped it with French-built Turboliner trainsets on May 20, 1976. The new Turboliners were capable of, but never reached, 125 mph (201 km/h) and ran with fixed five-car consists with an overall capacity of 292 passengers. The Turboliners were withdrawn on October 25, 1981, replaced by conventional locomotives pulling Amfleet coaches.[2]:204; 208

International

The long-discussed extension to Toronto finally occurred on October 31, 1982. The extended service received the name International Limited, the name of an old Canadian National/Grand Trunk Chicago–Detroit–Montreal train. Amtrak and Via Rail, the independent Canadian Crown corporation rail company, jointly operated the International Limited (later just International) until April 25, 2004, when cross-border service was discontinued. Massive border delays post-September 11 led to falling ridership; Amtrak and Michigan agreed to truncate service at Port Huron and bring back the old Blue Water.[2]:207 On the Canadian side service ends at Sarnia as part of the VIA Rail's Corridor route.

Current

With a more favorable intrastate schedule and fewer delays, the Blue Water's ridership showed immediate improvements, carrying 94,378 passengers in fiscal year 2004 (compared to 80,890 in FY 2003).[2]:208 Blue Water ridership in FY 2011 totaled 187,065, an increase of 18.0 percent from FY 2010's total of 157,709, and the highest total ever recorded by the train.[3] During FY 2011, the train had a total revenue of $5.8 million, a 22.3 percent increase from FY 2010's total of $4.7 million.[3]

Route details

The Blue Water operates over Norfolk Southern Railway, Amtrak, and Grand Trunk Western Railroad trackage:

Amtrak Blue Water (interactive map)

Station stops
State Town/City Station Connections
IllinoisChicagoChicago Union StationAmtrak: Capitol Limited, Cardinal, Carl Sandburg, California Zephyr, City of New Orleans, Empire Builder, Hiawatha Service, Hoosier State, Illini, Illinois Zephyr, Lake Shore Limited, Lincoln Service, Pere Marquette, Saluki, Southwest Chief, Texas Eagle, Wolverine, Thruway Motorcoach
CTA Buses: 1, 7, 14, 19, 20, X20, X28, 56, 60, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 128, 129, 130, 151, 156, 157, 192
Megabus: M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, M6, M7
Metra: North Central Service, Milwaukee District/North Line, Milwaukee District/West Line, BNSF Railway Line, Heritage Corridor, SouthWest Service
MichiganNew BuffaloNew BuffaloBerrien Bus
NilesNilesNiles Dial-A-Ride (DART)
DowagiacDowagiacDowagiac Dial-A-Ride (DART)
KalamazooKalamazoo Transportation CenterGreyhound
Indian Trails
Metro Transit: 1,2,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15
Battle CreekBattle Creek Transportation CenterAmtrak: Wolverine, Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach
Greyhound
Battle Creek Transit
East LansingEast LansingAmtrak: Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach
Greyhound
Indian Trails
Megabus: M1
CATA: Route 20
DurandDurand Union StationShiawassee Area Transportation Agency
FlintFlintAmtrak: Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach
Greyhound
Indian Trails
MTA
LapeerLapeerGreater Lapeer Transportation Authority (GLTA)
Port HuronPort HuronBlue Water Area Transit: Route 3, 9

High-speed rail

The Detroit–Chicago corridor has been designated by the Federal Railroad Administration as a high-speed rail corridor.[5] A 97-mile (156 km) stretch along the route of Blue Water from Porter, Indiana to Kalamazoo, Michigan is the longest segment of track owned by Amtrak outside of the Northeast Corridor.[5] Amtrak began speed increases along this stretch in January 2002. Ultimately, speed increased to 110 mph (180 km/h).[5][6]

Cultural references

The Blue Water Line was featured in a song by that name written by Dora Graf and Martin Seligson and popularized by The Brothers Four.[7]

Consist

Today, a normal Amtrak Blue Water consists of:[8]

References
  1. "Amtrak FY19 Ridership" (PDF). Amtrak. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  2. Sanders, Craig (2006). Amtrak in the Heartland. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-34705-3.
  3. "Amtrak reports record Michigan ridership". The Grand Rapids Press. October 14, 2011. Retrieved October 16, 2011.
  4. Kalamazoo Gazette file photo (October 11, 2011). "Details emerging on MDOT purchase of train track from Kalamazoo to Dearborn". MLive. Booth Newspapers. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
  5. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2005" (PDF). Amtrak. Retrieved October 30, 2006.
  6. "Michigan: Amtrak taking service to new speeds". WNDU-TV. Archived from the original on November 12, 2004. Retrieved November 1, 2006.
  7. "The Brothers Four Greatest Hits". Google Music. Retrieved October 25, 2008.
  8. "Blue Water". TrainWeb. Retrieved October 22, 2010.

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