Blue Water is a passenger train service operated by Amtrak as part of its Michigan Services. The 319-mile (513 km) line connects Port Huron, Michigan and Chicago, Illinois. It was inaugurated by Amtrak in 1974 to run between the two cities. Between 1982 and 2004, this route was replaced by International Limited, and was operated jointly by Canadian VIA Rail and Amtrak between Chicago and Toronto. On April 25, 2004, International Limited was discontinued by Amtrak due to decreasing ridership. Amtrak restored service between Chicago and Port Huron with Blue Water. VIA Rail still operates trains on the former International Limited route as far south as Sarnia, which is across the border from Port Huron. Blue Water is funded in part by the Michigan Department of Transportation.^[1] Acela Express in West Windsor, NJ Amtrak Cascades service with tilting Talgo trainsets in Seattle, Washington Amtrak train in downtown Orlando, Florida For other uses, see Amtrak (disambiguation). ... Port Huron is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. ... Flag Seal Nickname: The Windy City Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location Location in Chicagoland and northern Illinois Coordinates , Government Country State Counties United States Illinois Cook, DuPage Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 606. ... The Canadian National Railway (CN; AAR reporting marks CN, CNA, CNIS), known as Canadian National Railways (CNR) between 1918 and 1960, and Canadian National/Canadien National (CN) from 1960 to present, is a Canadian Class I railway operated by Canadian National Railway Company headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. ... A typical North American steam train In rail transport, a train consists of rail vehicles that move along guides to transport freight or passengers from one place to another. ... Acela Express in West Windsor, NJ Amtrak Cascades service with tilting Talgo trainsets in Seattle, Washington Amtrak train in downtown Orlando, Florida For other uses, see Amtrak (disambiguation). ... Michigan Services is an umbrella term used by Amtrak to encompass three separate routes which originate from Chicago, Illinois and run into southern and central Michigan. ... Port Huron is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. ... Flag Seal Nickname: The Windy City Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location Location in Chicagoland and northern Illinois Coordinates , Government Country State Counties United States Illinois Cook, DuPage Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 606. ... VIA Rail Canada (also referred to as VIA Rail and VIA; pronounced vee-ah) is an independent Crown corporation offering intercity passenger rail services in Canada. ... Acela Express in West Windsor, NJ Amtrak Cascades service with tilting Talgo trainsets in Seattle, Washington Amtrak train in downtown Orlando, Florida For other uses, see Amtrak (disambiguation). ... April 25 is the 115th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (116th in leap years). ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Sarnia is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada (population 70,876 in 2001). ... The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is a government agency in the U.S. state of Michigan. ...

Route details

The Blue Water operates over Norfolk Southern Railway, Amtrak, and Grand Trunk Western Railroad trackage: Norfolk Southern Headquarters Norfolk, Virginia. ... 1887 map of GTW predecessor railroads Grand Trunk Western Railroad Incorporated (AAR reporting mark GTW) is the American arm of Canadian National (CN; AAR reporting mark CNA) operating in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. ...

• NS Chicago Line, Chicago to Porter
• Amtrak Chicago-Detroit Line, Porter to Kalamazoo
• NS Michigan Line, Kalamazoo to Battle Creek
• GTW Flint Subdivision, Battle Creek to Port Huron

Porter is a town located in Porter County, Indiana. ... Kalamazoo is a city located in Kalamazoo County in southwest Michigan. ... This article is about the city of Battle Creek, Michigan. ...

Station stops

Blue Water runs as train 364 eastbound and 365 westbound, making the following station stops:

Illinois

• Chicago Union Station

Michigan

• Niles (Amtrak station)
• Dowagiac (Amtrak station)
• Kalamazoo Transportation Center
• Battle Creek (Amtrak station)
• East Lansing (Amtrak station)
• Durand Union Station
• Flint (Amtrak station)
• Lapeer (Amtrak station)
• Port Huron (Amtrak station)

Official language(s) English Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Area  Ranked 25th  - Total 57,918 sq mi (149,998 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 390 miles (629 km)  - % water 4. ... The Great Hall of Chicago Union Station, Daniel Burnham, architect Union Station is a Chicago, Illinois train station which was built 1913–1925, during the time when Chicago reigned as the undisputed railroad center of the United States. ... Official language(s) None (English, de-facto) Capital Lansing Largest city Detroit Area  Ranked 11th  - Total 97,990 sq mi (253,793 km²)  - Width 239 miles (385 km)  - Length 491 miles (790 km)  - % water 41. ... Niles is a city in Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. ... The Kalamazoo Transportation Center is an intermodal complex located in downtown Kalamazoo, Michigan. ... The East Lansing Amtrak Station, in East Lansing, Michigan is served by the Blue Water passenger train. ... Built in 1903 by Spier and Rohms, the Durand Union Station was very busy as the Grand Trunk and Ann Arbor railroads crossed there. ...

High-speed rail

The Detroit-Chicago corridor has been designated by the Federal Railroad Administration as a high-speed rail corridor.^[2] A 97-mile stretch along the route of Blue Water from Porter, Indiana to Kalamazoo, Michigan is the longest segment of track owned by Amtrak outside of the Northeast Corridor.^[2] Amtrak began speed increases along this stretch in January 2002. Ultimately, speed increases to 110 mile-per-hour service are planned.^[2][3] The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) was created in 1966 as a division of the U.S. Department of Transportation to promote safe, environmentally sound, successful rail transportation. ... Porter is a town in Porter County, Indiana, United States. ... Nickname: The Mall City Location of Kalamazoo within Kalamazoo County, Michigan Coordinates: Counties Kalamazoo County  - Mayor Hannah McKinney Area    - City 65. ... Most of the NEC is owned by Amtrak (those sections shown in red). ...

References

2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... October 30 is the 303rd day of the year (304th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 62 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... October 30 is the 303rd day of the year (304th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 62 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... November 1 is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 60 days remaining. ...

External links

• Amtrak - Michigan Services
• Amtrak Michigan Services Website
• Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers