Vernon J. Ehlers Station
Vernon J. Ehlers Station Grand Rapids, MI | |||||||||||
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| General information | |||||||||||
| Location | 440 Century Avenue, S.W. Grand Rapids, Michigan United States | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 42°57′20″N 85°40′20″W / 42.95556°N 85.67222°W | ||||||||||
| Owned by | Interurban Transit Partnership | ||||||||||
| Line(s) | Spur off CSX Grand Rapids Subdivision | ||||||||||
| Platforms | 1 side platform | ||||||||||
| Tracks | 1 | ||||||||||
| Bus operators |  Amtrak Thruway | ||||||||||
| Connections |  Greyhound Lines, Indian Trails and The Rapid (at Rapid Central Station) | ||||||||||
| Construction | |||||||||||
| Parking | Yes | ||||||||||
| Bicycle facilities | Racks | ||||||||||
| Accessible | Yes | ||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||
| Station code | Amtrak: GRR | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
| Opened | 1984 at Wealthy/Market | ||||||||||
| Rebuilt | 2014 | ||||||||||
| Passengers | |||||||||||
| FY 2023 | 44,464[1] (Amtrak) | ||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||
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The Vernon J. Ehlers Station is a train station in Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States served by Amtrak, the U.S. national railroad passenger system. The station is the terminus of the Pere Marquette line that connects Chicago's Union Station to Grand Rapids. It opened at its new location on Century Avenue under the Wealthy Street/US Highway 131 overpass, immediately south of The Rapid's Central Station.[2] It is named in honor of former Congressman Vernon J. Ehlers.
The new central location allows easy connections to twenty local Rapid buses as well as Indian Trails intercity services. No plans have been announced yet to move Megabus services from their location opposite the old Amtrak station at Wealthy/Market to complete the multimodal transit hub.
History
[edit]_in_2008.jpg)
The earlier Union Station (1900) was demolished, 1958–1959, to make way for US Highway 131 expansion into a freeway. Several companies ran passenger trains through the station: New York Central Railroad, Pennsylvania Railroad and Pere Marquette Railway later assumed by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway.[3][4][5][6] Passenger service ended on April 30, 1971.[7]
In 1984, Amtrak announced it would introduce service from Grand Rapids to Chicago.[8] The city quickly planned a new temporary depot at the corner of Wealthy Street and Market Avenue, with the hope that it would be replaced by a multimodal facility including bus service "within a few years."[8][9] Construction by Kalamazoo-based Opus One Construction was completed in less than one month.[10] Service debuted on August 5, 1984.[11] What was intended to be a temporary station was instead used for 30 years.
Funding for a new station at the corner of Wealthy and Century Avenue was approved in 2010.[12]. In October 2011, groundbreaking occurred on the new station. It is named in honor of former Michigan Congressman Vern Ehlers.[13] The new station enables fully intermodal transit while allowing for more efficient train turnarounds.[14] It was funded by a US$3.8 million grant from the Federal Railroad Administration and $850,000 from the City of Grand Rapids.[2]
Due to delays in construction from CSX and the City of Grand Rapids, the station construction started in the summer of 2013.[15][16] The new station opened on October 27, 2014.[17][18]
Like its predecessor, the station has no checked baggage service, and is open one hour before trains arrive. However, a Quik-Trak kiosk is available. An Amtrak Thruway route runs between this station and Kalamazoo to connect with the Wolverine.
Transit connections
[edit]Central Station lies a short distance north of the new Amtrak station.
References
[edit]- ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2023: State of Michigan" (PDF). Amtrak. March 2024. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
- ^ a b "New Amtrak station opens Monday". WZZM13.com. 26 October 2014. Archived from the original on 27 October 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
- ^ Great American Stations, "Grand Rapids, MI (GRR)" http://www.greatamericanstations.com/stations/grand-rapids-mi-grr/
- ^ Grand Rapids Historical Commission, "Union Depot" http://www.historygrandrapids.org/photo/1474/union-depot
- ^ 'Grand River Times,' "Grand Rapids Union Station Train Shed" http://www.historygrandrapids.org/document/677/grand-rapids-union-station-tra
- ^ 'Official Guide of the Railways,' August 1936, Index of Railroad Stations
- ^ Roelofs, Ted (July 29, 1984). “Rail Buffs Take Heart: Clickety-Clack's Back”. Grand Rapids Press. p. 97.]
- ^ a b Roelofs, Ted (March 23, 1984). “Amtrak Gives OK For G.R.-Chicago Passenger Service”. Grand Rapids Press. p. 1. Prior possibilities for providing service to Chicago included connecting Grand Rapids to Kalamazoo, with a multimodal station at the corner of Fulton and Ottawa, prior to that site being slated for a future arena; see Roelofs, Ted (Oct. 28, 1983). “Proposal for Rail Link To Chicago Passes Test”. Grand Rapids Press. p. 23; and Roelofs, Ted (Jan. 20, 1984). “Outlook Bright for Chicago to GR Amtrak Rail Service”. Grand Rapids Press. p. 27.
- ^ "City Approves Funds to Design Train Depot" (April 25, 1984). Grand Rapids Press. p. 39.
- ^ “City Awards Contract for Amtrak Passenger Depot” (July 6, 1984). Grand Rapids Press. p. 27
- ^ “Roelofs, Ted (August 6, 1984). “Service Debuts on the Right Track”. Grand Rapids Press. p. 1.
- ^ "New Amtrak station approved for Grand Rapids". WZZM13.com. 10 November 2010. Archived from the original on 9 February 2013.
- ^ "Rapid to host ground-breaking on new Amtrak station Friday". mlive.com. 12 October 2011.
- ^ "Grand Rapids looks at new Amtrak station for Pere Marquette train to Chicago". 9 November 2010.
- ^ "After delays, work begins on Grand Rapids' highly anticipated, $5.1M Amtrak station". mlive.com. 20 June 2013.
- ^ "All aboard? Latest delay bogs Grand Rapids' new Amtrak station's opening". mlive.com. 16 July 2014.
- ^ "Grand Rapids' new Amtrak station grand opening date set, retiring Sen. Carl Levin to attend". mlive.com. 22 October 2014.
- ^ "Michigan's Railroad History 1825 - 2014" (PDF). Michigan Department of Transportation. 2014-10-13. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
External links
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