Pere Marquette schedule changes

[tim49424]

I'd been a regular rider on the PM from 2007-2013 as I lived in Wisconsin and have an elderly mom who lives in Holland. Dave (aka Smilin' Dave) got to know me pretty well as I'd be out here 4,5,6 times a year. I moved here a year ago May 1 and have ridden the PM once since. He was on crew on my entire round trip! He genuinely loves his job and his passengers. It's been, by far, my favorite train to ride because of Dave and the rest of the OBS. Chris from another crew has been a sweetheart and did something very personal for me and my mom that I'll never forget.

My mom, my sister and I have tickets on the PM the weekend of June 12-14 to go to Chicago and it'll be really odd to see unfamiliar faces (unless we get Darryl) on that particular train.

If indeed the new schedule with the second train does mirror Thanksgiving (news I'd gotten from Dave upon my last visit here, the day after Thanksgiving 2013), I'll be anxious to see if the do terminate the second in Holland or not. I know the last two years they did. I also know the second train was timed as such that I can do plenty of railfanning of the train when not riding it (I live three miles from the Padnos Station - close enough to hear it go by currently twice daily, my mom lives at the retirement village 2 blocks from there and I can see the station from her porch window). It will be interesting indeed. As I said before, I'm rooting for the second train to terminate in GR, as it'd be nice to be able to take it from Holland to GR and back without a night's stay......plus it'd make sense to utilize the bus system in GR coordinated with the train. That's what an intermodal station is designed for.

A benefit for me with a second train (especially if it would terminate in GR) would be AGR point runs! That would be great!

 

[wwchi]

oh well, on 371 now and Darryl was not aware of Business Class coming so we'll see what it winds up being like when it does (middle of next week)...if not worth it I'll just change all my reservations to coach!

 

[wwchi]

This is the response I got to an instant message to the Facebook Pere Marquette person:

It is basically the same - leather seats, curtain, beverage and paper. These new seats are going into the Superliners. The seat pitch and size remains the same as other seating on the train. It is different on the Wolverine.

Ticket price includes non-alcoholic beverage and newspaper, and access to the Amtrak Metropolitan Lounge in Chicago. Unlike the seating in single level cars, Business class on the Pere Marquette will be two-seats and two-seats, on each side of the aisle, rather than two-seats and one on each side. Leather seating surfaces, leg rests and foot rests are provided in an area curtained off from the rest of the car, just as on the single-level cars. Food service will be downstairs in the same car, rather than immediately adjacent in the same car.

 

[tim49424]

I just upgraded my above mentioned trip to business class to have access to the Metro Lounge on our return trip back to Michigan. I'm glad my elderly mom doesn't have to wait for the PM in that awful boarding lounge. I'm anxious to see what BC on the PM is going to be like. I've been in BC on the Wolverine so I'm assuming it will be similar.

 

[wwchi]

I guess somewhat similar, somewhat different by the response I got from the Facebook message. Agree it will be much nicer for you and your mom!

 

[tim49424]

New schedule goes into effect tomorrow. As a result, Empire Builder to 370 connection has been restored.

 

[neutralist]

if it is indeed the superliner, save yourself $$$, BYOB and ride on the lower level seat. If it is the single level amfleet like the Illini/Saluki then BC is worth the cost.

 

[wwchi]

Thanks neutralist - I am going to check it out. I agree, if it's not worth it I will just switch my reservations to the lower level seats. I do also take the Wolverine/Blue Water trains and those have the single level BC seats/car which are worth it.

 

[tim49424]

I saw 370 while it stopped in Holland tonight and it looks no different than it did before the schedule change.

 

[walker46]

I saw 370 while it stopped in Holland tonight and it looks no different than it did before the schedule change.

I was on 370 last night so I peeked behind the curtain in business class. They've installed leather seats. Only two passengers in business class though while the rest of the train was pretty much full as it usually is on a Sunday night.

 

[hessjm]

Business Class on today's Pere Marquette 2X2 "leather" seats on the upper level.

 

[WoodyinNYC]

… one of my concerns is that adjusting the schedule for maximizing equipment usage rather than for maximizing it for customer convenience might drive away customers. Amtrak certainly has a monopoly on train travel from Grand Rapids but the train is hardly the only way to get to Chicago. We should always keep in mind that everyone isn’t a train buff and they might not find taking the train as much fun if they have to get up at four or five in the morning in order to catch a train leaving at six. I don’t know what would be an ideal time for most passengers but I’m guessing any time before seven will start to cause a substantial drop-off in patronage. And on this phantom morning train from Chicago I’d think 8 AM CSD would be the ideal departure time with a big drop-off in passengers for anything later than nine.
...
My other big concern is that as long as the Pere Marquette has to travel over Norfolk tracks, is there any way they can be expected to not be constantly late on this tight schedule using one train set?

I'm NOT a morning person, so I feel with those who have to get up at 4:00 a.m. to get the earlier train to Chicago.

But for many, the earlier arrival in Chicago will be WORTH IT! Scheduled into Union Station at 9:11 a.m., you can hope to make that 10 o'clock morning meeting. Under the old timetable, you got into the city mid-morning, or late morning to the true early risers, and wasted half a day. Up until now, if you really had to make that 10 a.m. meeting in Chicago, taking the train meant staying overnight in a Chicago hotel. If you don't have to make a morning meeting, I'm with you, it's gonna be painful.

The business-meeting riders should consider the Pere Marquette very lucky to get an early morning slot into Union Station.

Yeah, of course, with a couple of Billion and a few years, there's a simple way to speed up the schedule Grand Rapids-Chicago. It's called South of the Lake. That SOTL project, or package of projects, would build a new passenger-only track thru Chicagoland to near Porter, IN, where the 110-mph stretch to Kalamazoo now begins. That's been called the most congested stretch of rail in the country, and last year's NS meltdown suggests that's true. (And so to worry near term about the timekeeping on the new Pere Marquette schedule from adding still another train to these tracks.)

Slashing an estimated 50 minutes off the run time Chicago-Detroit will probably become Amtrak's top priority outside the NEC. Moving the Michigan trains (and the Lake Shore and Capitol Ltd) to the new dedicated track would allow a big increase in frequencies on the Wolverines and perhaps on other routes.

Studies on the SOTL route have been quietly progressing, and iiuc we should get a decision on a preferred alternative this year. Then work on the final Environmental Impact Statements can begin.

The SOTL is likely the most important possible improvement to the passenger rail network in the country. But it won't be cheap, roughly $1.5 to $2 billion for the work in Indiana and Illinois. (With another few hundred million needed between Porter and Detroit to squeeze out the last few minutes of speed increases.

The planners intend to treat SOTL as a series of incremental projects -- double tracking here, a new bridge there, more double tracking over there too, etc -- with each one saving a few minutes until the 50 minutes of time saving can be reached. Obviously, raising $1.5 or $2 Billion will be a huge problem. Perhaps by breaking SOTL up into bite-sized chunks, the funding can be found.

If you chance to talk to a Congresscritter again, bring up the importance of SOTL. Taking 50 minutes out of the timetables would transform the Pere Marquette as well as the Wolverines and Blue Water Michigan corridors. (There'd be huge side benefits beyond Michigan, with more passengers continuing on connecting corridors and LD trains out of Chicago. When it takes 50 minutes less to get from, say, Ann Arbor to Bloomington-Normal, ridership will grow. On Amtrak's two eastbound long distance trains, almost an hour saved will allow better departure or arrival times, as well as faster trips to Toledo and Cleveland.)

Political delays on the massive SOTL project could really cost passenger rail in the Midwest. But it could get bi-partisan support, at least from Michigan, so we can hope.

 

[Paul CHI]

The other thing I wish they could fix is the full hour it takes to travel the 30 miles from Holland to Grand Rapids, especially now with the very late arrival.

 

[wwchi]

I have now ridden in the new business class a few times from St. Joe to Chicago, have not yet done the reverse as I usually take the Wolverine into New Buffalo on Thursdays. It's very nice and so far has not ever been 100% full...I'd say about 45% full. We are heading into summer however so I expect it could sell out on Fridays and Mondays. I think I will continue to take it through the summer as I'm hoping it stays full with business type people as it has been so far (mostly people working on the ride) and is not as loud and crazy as the rest of the train gets once school gets out. That being said, I have seen misbehaving children in business class on the Wolverine and that's not really fun. I do think though once fall comes around and the train is never 100% full (at least not on the morning train) I may just go back to paying for a coach seat since I can usually spread out over 2 seats and work anyway.

Has anyone taken it from Union Station to Michigan? Have they been pre-boarding Business Class like they do with Seniors? I know they are supposed to but heard they may not have been??????

 

[wwchi]

… one of my concerns is that adjusting the schedule for maximizing equipment usage rather than for maximizing it for customer convenience might drive away customers. Amtrak certainly has a monopoly on train travel from Grand Rapids but the train is hardly the only way to get to Chicago. We should always keep in mind that everyone isn’t a train buff and they might not find taking the train as much fun if they have to get up at four or five in the morning in order to catch a train leaving at six. I don’t know what would be an ideal time for most passengers but I’m guessing any time before seven will start to cause a substantial drop-off in patronage. And on this phantom morning train from Chicago I’d think 8 AM CSD would be the ideal departure time with a big drop-off in passengers for anything later than nine.
...
My other big concern is that as long as the Pere Marquette has to travel over Norfolk tracks, is there any way they can be expected to not be constantly late on this tight schedule using one train set?

I'm NOT a morning person, so I feel with those who have to get up at 4:00 a.m. to get the earlier train to Chicago.

But for many, the earlier arrival in Chicago will be WORTH IT! Scheduled into Union Station at 9:11 a.m., you can hope to make that 10 o'clock morning meeting. Under the old timetable, you got into the city mid-morning, or late morning to the true early risers, and wasted half a day. Up until now, if you really had to make that 10 a.m. meeting in Chicago, taking the train meant staying overnight in a Chicago hotel. If you don't have to make a morning meeting, I'm with you, it's gonna be painful.

The business-meeting riders should consider the Pere Marquette very lucky to get an early morning slot into Union Station.

Yeah, of course, with a couple of Billion and a few years, there's a simple way to speed up the schedule Grand Rapids-Chicago. It's called South of the Lake. That SOTL project, or package of projects, would build a new passenger-only track thru Chicagoland to near Porter, IN, where the 110-mph stretch to Kalamazoo now begins. That's been called the most congested stretch of rail in the country, and last year's NS meltdown suggests that's true. (And so to worry near term about the timekeeping on the new Pere Marquette schedule from adding still another train to these tracks.)

Slashing an estimated 50 minutes off the run time Chicago-Detroit will probably become Amtrak's top priority outside the NEC. Moving the Michigan trains (and the Lake Shore and Capitol Ltd) to the new dedicated track would allow a big increase in frequencies on the Wolverines and perhaps on other routes.

Studies on the SOTL route have been quietly progressing, and iiuc we should get a decision on a preferred alternative this year. Then work on the final Environmental Impact Statements can begin.

The SOTL is likely the most important possible improvement to the passenger rail network in the country. But it won't be cheap, roughly $1.5 to $2 billion for the work in Indiana and Illinois. (With another few hundred million needed between Porter and Detroit to squeeze out the last few minutes of speed increases.

The planners intend to treat SOTL as a series of incremental projects -- double tracking here, a new bridge there, more double tracking over there too, etc -- with each one saving a few minutes until the 50 minutes of time saving can be reached. Obviously, raising $1.5 or $2 Billion will be a huge problem. Perhaps by breaking SOTL up into bite-sized chunks, the funding can be found.

If you chance to talk to a Congresscritter again, bring up the importance of SOTL. Taking 50 minutes out of the timetables would transform the Pere Marquette as well as the Wolverines and Blue Water Michigan corridors. (There'd be huge side benefits beyond Michigan, with more passengers continuing on connecting corridors and LD trains out of Chicago. When it takes 50 minutes less to get from, say, Ann Arbor to Bloomington-Normal, ridership will grow. On Amtrak's two eastbound long distance trains, almost an hour saved will allow better departure or arrival times, as well as faster trips to Toledo and Cleveland.)

Political delays on the massive SOTL project could really cost passenger rail in the Midwest. But it could get bi-partisan support, at least from Michigan, so we can hope.

Thanks so much for such an informative post!!!

 

[tim49424]

I have now ridden in the new business class a few times from St. Joe to Chicago, have not yet done the reverse as I usually take the Wolverine into New Buffalo on Thursdays. It's very nice and so far has not ever been 100% full...I'd say about 45% full. We are heading into summer however so I expect it could sell out on Fridays and Mondays. I think I will continue to take it through the summer as I'm hoping it stays full with business type people as it has been so far (mostly people working on the ride) and is not as loud and crazy as the rest of the train gets once school gets out. That being said, I have seen misbehaving children in business class on the Wolverine and that's not really fun. I do think though once fall comes around and the train is never 100% full (at least not on the morning train) I may just go back to paying for a coach seat since I can usually spread out over 2 seats and work anyway.

Has anyone taken it from Union Station to Michigan? Have they been pre-boarding Business Class like they do with Seniors? I know they are supposed to but heard they may not have been??????

My guess is board from the Metropolitan Lounge. I will know for sure and am counting on it a week from Sunday when we head back to Holland from Chicago on 370.

 

[wwchi]

I have now ridden in the new business class a few times from St. Joe to Chicago, have not yet done the reverse as I usually take the Wolverine into New Buffalo on Thursdays. It's very nice and so far has not ever been 100% full...I'd say about 45% full. We are heading into summer however so I expect it could sell out on Fridays and Mondays. I think I will continue to take it through the summer as I'm hoping it stays full with business type people as it has been so far (mostly people working on the ride) and is not as loud and crazy as the rest of the train gets once school gets out. That being said, I have seen misbehaving children in business class on the Wolverine and that's not really fun. I do think though once fall comes around and the train is never 100% full (at least not on the morning train) I may just go back to paying for a coach seat since I can usually spread out over 2 seats and work anyway.

Has anyone taken it from Union Station to Michigan? Have they been pre-boarding Business Class like they do with Seniors? I know they are supposed to but heard they may not have been??????

My guess is board from the Metropolitan Lounge. I will know for sure and am counting on it a week from Sunday when we head back to Holland from Chicago on 370.

On the Wolverine and Blue Water they board business class in the pre-board waiting area behind the rope - same place they put seniors and families and those who need assistance. I've always boarded from that area, never the Metropolitan Lounge, though I suppose you could wait in there and they would call for train 370 in there.

 

[SarahZ]

I've been boarded from the lounge. They usually walk us right to the gate.

 

[walker46]

On the Wolverine and Blue Water they board business class in the pre-board waiting area behind the rope - same place they put seniors and families and those who need assistance. I've always boarded from that area, never the Metropolitan Lounge, though I suppose you could wait in there and they would call for train 370 in there.

I've been boarded from the lounge. They usually walk us right to the gate.

A couple of weeks ago I was walked from the lounge to the pre-board area for 370. Not sure if my experience was standard operating procedure since there seemed to be some confusion since the train was not ready for boarding when we got over there. I wasn't Business Class, I was in the lounge because I was a sleeper passenger on an earlier train.

 

[tim49424]

Business Class on today's Pere Marquette 2X2 "leather" seats on the upper level.

image.jpg

I am on 371 right now in business class and it's more packed than I anticipated. We are right in the front of the train as I can see the engine out the front window. I am in the fourth row on the aisle seat on the right, my sister is two seats directly in front of me and my mom is across the aisle from her.
EDIT: Just before we arrived into SJM, I moved to the front seat right behind the engine. I love it except I can't hear announcements due to the noise.

 

[tim49424]

Yesterday, we returned from Chicago to Holland. We did have BC as planned and were in the Metro Lounge for our nearly two hour layover. When it was time to board, we gathered by the front desk and were led to the train. 370 got delayed by a few freights shortly after we left Union Station but once we left the NS and headed north on the CSX it was pretty smooth. I discovered I can get to really like the new GR based crew maybe as much as I liked the old CHI based crews. Darryl did work our train, however, I didn't get a chance to say hi. The three of us had a great time in Illinois and for the most part a very uneventful and fun train ride both ways.

 

[glomor]

It has been over a year since I've taken the train, and I'm planning an upcoming trip to California. I made my reservation online but had to call Amtrak and request a roomette on the upper level since they had me on the lower and I have a hard time sleeping down there. When I printed out my new tickets, of course I looked them over to make sure everything was OK. I was shocked to see a 6:00 am departure time for the Pere Marquette! I had not given it any thought when I printed my original tickets because I have taken that train many times and just assumed everything was the same. So glad I noticed--would hate to have missed that train! It's a bit of an inconvenience because I have to drive to Grand Rapids from 3 hours north. In the past, I would just get up at 3:30 am and drive down. Now, for the sake of a night's sleep I will spend the night in Grand Rapids, which of course adds to the cost of the trip. And I'm debating on what to do about the return trip also, since I'll be getting into Grand Rapids later than I used to. Not sure I'll be able to stay awake for the drive home.

I am curious about all the Business Class discussion. I don't think I opted for that--I don't even remember it--and wonder if it would be possible to upgrade when I get there. I don't want to call Amtrak again although they were very nice about accommodating my roomette request. And is it really worth the upgrade? I wish I had known about it when I made the reservation.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Have you considered taking the train to Chicago and spending the night there?You can find some good deals on hotels on line.

And there is the HI Hostel on Congress, it's really nice and costs like $40 which includes Breakfast! Goggle it up.

This way you would have most of two days to eat,sight without being rushed or having to get up early 2 mornings, before catching your Western Train!

As for Business Class, some of our Michigan members ( one lives near Grand Rapids) have posted that they have really jacked up the Upgrade cost on the Wolverine and it probably isn't worth it!

And I didn't know the Pere Marquette had Business Class? It's not shown as available in the National Schedule!

If they're running Superliners on this Route, like they do in the Winter, they are very comfortable!!!

 

[SarahZ]

Using the Hotel Tonight app, I was able to get a very decent rate in Grand Rapids. I think I paid $75/night for a hotel near the airport. You might want to check Hotwire and Hotels.com too.

Business class has been expensive lately. I think it's worth it up to a certain price point. The seats are comfortable, the lights are dim, and it's much more quiet than coach. Plus, you get to use the Metropolitan Lounge in Chicago, but you'll get to use that anyway since you have a sleeper.

 

[glomor]

I didnt realize there is a new train station in Grand Rapids! Thank God for GPS! And I'm glad I left the hotel early and the new station is close to the old one!