Pere Marquette (Amtrak train)

The Pere Marquette is a passenger train operated by Amtrak as part of its Michigan Services on the route between Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Chicago, Illinois. It is funded in part by the Michigan Department of Transportation and is train 370 eastbound and train 371 westbound. The westbound train leaves Grand Rapids during the morning rush, with the eastbound train leaving Chicago after the afternoon rush, enabling same-day business travel between the two cities.
The train is named for a named train of the defunct Pere Marquette Railway, and in turn for Pere Marquette, Michigan, an early name for Ludington. The town was named for Father Jacques Marquette, a French explorer of the Great Lakes region.
History.
Pre-Amtrak.
The "Pere Marquette" was a named train of the Pere Marquette Railway, which ran between Detroit and Grand Rapids six times a day. When the "Pere Marquette" Railway was absorbed into the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway in 1947, the name was maintained and extended to Chicago.
The Amtrak years.
Amtrak revived the name for its Grand Rapids–Chicago service on August 5, 1984, with financial support from the state of Michigan. Initially it served Chicago, Hammond–Whiting, New Buffalo, St. Joseph, Bangor, Holland and Grand Rapids. Service at Hammond–Whiting ended April 29, 2001 (although other Amtrak trains still stop there). Service at New Buffalo ended October 26, 2009, when a new station opened on a different alignment.
In March 2020, the "Pere Marquette" was suspended indefinitely as part of a round of service reduction in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The train returned on June 29 with the eastbound run to Grand Rapids, with full service in both directions resuming on June 30. In the interim, Grand Rapids' only connection to the national system was an Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach that connected with the "Wolverine" at Kalamazoo.
2007 crash.
On November 30, 2007, the southbound "Pere Marquette" collided with a Norfolk Southern freight train in Chicago, injuring 71 people. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that the probable cause of the collision was the failure of the Amtrak engineer to interpret the signal at Englewood interlocking correctly and Amtrak's failure to ensure that the engineer had the competence to interpret signals correctly across the different territories over which he operated. The NTSB released its findings on the crash on March 31, 2009.
Route.
The "Pere Marquette" operates over Norfolk Southern Railway and CSX Transportation trackage:
Ridership.
During fiscal year 2016, the "Pere Marquette" carried 89,508 passengers, a decrease of 6.6% from 2015, when it carried 95,807 passengers. Ticket revenue in 2016 was $2,906,782, a decrease of 4.4% from 2015's $3,040,677.
On-time performance.
During 2008, the on-time performance of train 370 (Chicago-Grand Rapids) was 33.6%, of train 371 (Grand Rapids-Chicago) 13.5%. By September 2010, these figures had changed to 63.3% and 13.3% respectively. Amtrak owns of this line, freight railroads CSX and Norfolk Southern the remainder. Track and signal delays and freight train interference make up the majority of delays.
Station stops.
In October 26, 2009, the New Buffalo Amtrak station was relocated from the CSX trackage to the Amtrak-owned alignment closer to the shore of Lake Michigan. This new station is ADA-accessible and has a more extensive shelter. As a result, the "Pere Marquette" no longer stops in New Buffalo, which is served by "Wolverine" and "Blue Water" trains. The Pere Marquette made a special round trip train to/from Harbor Shores Golf Course for the 2018 Senior PGA Championship. This special train made an additional stop at the Hammond/Whiting station and terminated at Benton Harbor-Golf Course station, a few blocks away from Harbor Shores.
Equipment.
A normal "Pere Marquette" consists of: