Save Our Trains Michigan
Conductor
If the state Legislature makes a proposed $1 million cut to Amtrak, some train service in Michigan could come to a grinding halt.
"Without full funding, these trains would cease operation Oct. 1," Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari said.
That means two lines for which Amtrak gets state funding, including the Blue Water Line, face the chopping block.
The state's fiscal 2006 budget, which would take effect Oct. 1, passed the House's appropriations committee Wednesday and may be voted on today by the full House.
The state has provided funding for two Amtrak lines in Michigan - the Pere Marquette, which runs between Grand Rapids and Chicago. and the Blue Water Line, which originates in Port Huron and runs to Chicago. Amtrak is scheduled to receive $7.1 million from the state in fiscal 2005. It runs one other train, from Detroit to Chicago, which does not receive state funding.
"We hope that the Michigan Legislature restores full funding for the operation of these two trains, which have attracted double-digit ridership increases in the past eight months and are an increasingly popular way for Michiganders to travel," Magliari said.
Port Huron Newspaper
"Without full funding, these trains would cease operation Oct. 1," Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari said.
That means two lines for which Amtrak gets state funding, including the Blue Water Line, face the chopping block.
The state's fiscal 2006 budget, which would take effect Oct. 1, passed the House's appropriations committee Wednesday and may be voted on today by the full House.
The state has provided funding for two Amtrak lines in Michigan - the Pere Marquette, which runs between Grand Rapids and Chicago. and the Blue Water Line, which originates in Port Huron and runs to Chicago. Amtrak is scheduled to receive $7.1 million from the state in fiscal 2005. It runs one other train, from Detroit to Chicago, which does not receive state funding.
"We hope that the Michigan Legislature restores full funding for the operation of these two trains, which have attracted double-digit ridership increases in the past eight months and are an increasingly popular way for Michiganders to travel," Magliari said.
Port Huron Newspaper
