Pere Marquette (passenger train)

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Pere Marquette
Info
Type Inter-city rail
System Amtrak
Terminals Chicago, Illinois
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Operation
Opened 1984
Owner CSXT, NS (track)
Operator(s) Amtrak
Technical
Line length 176 miles (283 km)
Gauge 4 ft 8½ in (1,435 mm)
Line map
KBFa
0 Chicago
eGRENZE
Illinois/Indiana border
eGRENZE
Indiana/Michigan border
HST
62 mi (100 km) New Buffalo
BHF
89 mi (143 km) St. Joseph-Benton Harbor
HST
116 mi (187 km) Bangor
BHF
151 mi (243 km) Holland
KBFe
176 mi (283 km) Grand Rapids

Pere Marquette is a passenger train service operated by Amtrak as part of its Michigan Services. The 176-mile (283 km) line connects Grand Rapids, Michigan and Chicago, Illinois. Pere Marquette is funded in part by the Michigan Department of Transportation.[1] It is served by train 370 eastbound and train 371 westbound.

The train is named for the defunct Pere Marquette Railway[2], and in turn for Pere Marquette, Michigan (an early name for Ludington)[3], which was named for Father Jacques Marquette, a French explorer of the Great Lakes region.[3]

Contents

[edit] Route details

The Pere Marquette operates over Norfolk Southern Railway and CSX Transportation trackage:

[edit] 2007 crash

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is currently investigating the possibility of signal confusion being the cause of the November 30, 2007, accident involving Amtrak's Pere Marquette train which rearended a parked Norfolk Southern freight train on the south side of Chicago, seriously or critically injuring five Amtrak employees and slightly injuring 100 to 150 of the 187 passengers on board.[4]

[edit] Airport connections

At the Chicago end of the line, riders may easily connect to either O'Hare International Airport or Midway International Airport, using nearby CTA stations. For O'Hare, riders should walk to the Clinton CTA station and ride the Blue line, which operates 24 hours a day. For Midway, riders should walk to the Quincy/Wells CTA station and ride the Orange line.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Amtrak - Routes - Midwest. Michigan Services. Retrieved on 2006-10-30.
  2. ^ Pere Marquette. Grand Valley Metropolitan Council. Retrieved on 2007-12-01.
  3. ^ a b Who or What Are All Those 'Pere Marquettes'?. Pere Marquette Historical Society. Retrieved on 2007-12-01.
  4. ^ Possible signal confusion probed in Amtrak crash (HTML/Embedded video). Chicago Tribune website. Retrieved on 2007-12-08.

[edit] External links

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