Michigan Executive
{{Short description|Former Amtrak commuter train}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2023}}
{{italics title}}
{{Infobox rail service
| box_width = auto
| name = Michigan Executive
| logo =
| logo_width =
| image = Michigan Executive at Jackson, October 1978.jpg
| image_width = 300px
| caption = The Michigan Executive at Jackson in October 1978
| type = Commuter rail
| status = Discontinued
| locale = Southeast Michigan
| first = January 20, 1975
| last = January 13, 1984
| operator =
| formeroperator=Amtrak
| ridership = 26,000 (1983)
| start = Jackson, MI
| stops = 5 (3 after 1982)
| end = Detroit, MI
| distance = {{convert|74|mi|km}}
| journeytime = 1 hour 35 minutes
| frequency = 2 trains daily (weekday)
| trainnumber = 373, 374
| class =
| access =
| seating =
| sleeping =
| autorack =
| catering =
| observation =
| entertainment=
| baggage =
| otherfacilities=
| stock =
| gauge = {{RailGauge|USSG}}
| owners = Conrail
| el =
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| map = {{Amtrak Michigan Executive}}
| map_state =
}}
The Michigan Executive was a commuter train operated by Amtrak between Detroit, Michigan, and Jackson, Michigan. Amtrak took over the service from Penn Central in 1975 and discontinued it in 1984.
History
{{Annotated image
| image = PCRR VALPO LOCAL 19721029.png
| image-width = 450
| image-left = -225
| image-top = -10
| width = 220
| height = 330
| float = left
| annotations =
| caption = October 1972 Penn Central timetable showing the Detroit-Ann Arbor commuter service
}}
As Amtrak's mandate did not cover commuter operations, Penn Central continued to operate a weekday commuter service between Detroit and Ann Arbor, Michigan after Amtrak had assumed control of its intercity operations. By the mid-1970s Penn Central asked to discontinue the service, citing dwindling ridership and the aging Rail Diesel Cars it used. Amtrak and the U.S. state of Michigan agreed to step in, and the Michigan Executive made its first run on January 20, 1975,{{Cite web |date=2014-10-13 |title=Michigan's Railroad History 1825 - 2014 |url=https://www.michigan.gov/-/media/Project/Websites/MDOT/Travel/Mobility/Rail/Michigan-Railroad-History.pdf?rev=0e687838f8a540ae823113f2648e9015 |access-date=2024-05-30 |website=Michigan Department of Transportation}} running between Detroit and Jackson (to the west of Ann Arbor).{{rp|196}}
In the summer of 1975, the westbound Friday Michigan Executive operated all the way to Chicago, returning the following Sunday.{{rp|195}} Under Amtrak, ridership increased 50% and peaked at 96,573 in 1979.{{cite web|last1=Sanders|first1=Craig|title=Michigan Executive|url=https://csanders429.wordpress.com/trains-and-routes/michigan-executive/|website=Amtrak in the Heartland|date=May 11, 2009|access-date=August 18, 2016}} Chartered buses carried passengers from Michigan Central Station to downtown Detroit.{{cite web | url=http://annarborchronicle.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/TheAnnArborDepot111579.pdf | title=The Ann Arbor Depot: A First Phase Investigation of Location Alternatives for Rail Passenger Facilities | date=November 15, 1979 | author=Pollack Design Associates | pages=15}} Declining ridership due to the decline of downtown Detroit, a recession, and ticket price hikes led Amtrak to discontinue the westbound Michigan Executive on June 14, 1982, and eastbound service between Jackson and Detroit was truncated only running from Ann Arbor to Detroit. Returning commuters took the Chicago-Detroit Twilight Limited which was modified adding stops to accommodate former westbound Executive passengers. By 1983, annual ridership had fallen to 26,000.
Amtrak completely discontinued the remainder of the Michigan Executive on January 13, 1984, after Michigan withdrew its support citing low ridership.{{rp|197}} State transportation officials estimated that the discontinuance would save $200,000/year, and daily ridership had dwindled below 60.{{cite news | title=Several Options For Commuters | date=December 20, 1983 | access-date=June 6, 2011 | newspaper=Argus-Press | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=C0MiAAAAIBAJ&pg=2279,4432897}}
See also
- SEMTA Commuter Rail, former Detroit—Pontiac line
- Calumet, another discontinued Amtrak commuter rail line
References
External links
{{commons category inline}}
- [http://www.timetables.org/full.php?group=19750515a&item=0045 1975 timetable]
{{Former Amtrak routes}}
Category:Passenger rail transportation in Michigan