MichiganRadio

Budget Cuts Could Mean The End Of Daily Train Service To Chicago GRAND RAPIDS, MI (Michigan Radio) - Daily train service to Chicago could be one of the casualties of this year's strained state budget.

The state pays Amtrak about $7 million a year to maintain daily service on two rail lines to Chicago. Current budget proposals in Lansing would scale back that funding.

And that could mean a scale back in service.

John Langdon is with the Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers. He'd like to see funding increased, so that Amtrak could bring out of state visitors more frequently.

"A morning train out of Chicago, arriving in Grand Rapids before noon, would bring Illinois dollars to Michigan to help our economy," he says.

As for how to pay for the funding increase, Langdon says he'd be in favor of higher gasoline taxes, and higher registration fees for vehicles.

Contact Dustin Dwyer at dtdwyer@umich.edu.


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