- Michigan Executive
-
Michigan Executive Overview Service type Commuter rail Status Closed Locale Southeast Michigan First service January 20, 1975 Last service January 13, 1984 Current operator(s) Amtrak Former operator(s) Penn Central Average ridership 26,000 (1983) Route Start Jackson, MI End Detroit, MI Distance travelled 74 miles (119 km) Technical Gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Route map Legend
through trains to Chicago 
0.0 Ann Arbor 
8 mi (13 km) Ypsilanti 30 mi (48 km) Dearborn 
36 mi (58 km) Detroit The Michigan Executive was a commuter train operated by Amtrak between Detroit, Michigan, and Jackson, Michigan.
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 state of Michigan agreed to step in, and the Michigan Executive made its first run on January 20, 1975, running between Detroit and Jackson (to the west of Ann Arbor).[1]
In the summer of 1975 the westbound Friday Michigan Executive operated all the way to Chicago, returning the following Sunday.[2] Declining ridership led Amtrak to discontinue the westbound Michigan Executive and truncate the eastbound train to Ann Arbor. Returning commuters took the Chicago-Detroit Twilight Limited. Amtrak discontinued the Michigan Executive on January 13, 1984, after Michigan withdrew its support.[3] State transportation officials estimated that the discontinuance would save $200,000/year, and daily ridership had dwindled below 60.[4]
Notes
- ^ Sanders (2006), 196.
- ^ Sanders (2006), 195.
- ^ Sanders (2006), 197.
- ^ "Several Options For Commuters". Argus-Press. December 20, 1983. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=C0MiAAAAIBAJ&sjid=bq0FAAAAIBAJ&pg=2279,4432897. Retrieved 2011-06-06.
References
- Sanders, Craig (2006). Amtrak in the Heartland. Indiana University Press. ISBN 0-253-34705-X.
Categories:- Former Amtrak routes
- Passenger rail transportation in Michigan
- 1975 introductions
- 1984 disestablishments
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