WASHINGTON — Amtrak’s 2020 budget request includes a proposal to restore service between Detroit and Toronto, although it makes no estimate of the funding necessary to start the service.
Curbed Detroit noted the line item, part of a table of “Funding Needs Above the Authorized Level,” which the report says “represents many of Amtrak’s priorities, but at this time it is meant to be illustrative.” It is one of two additions to service in the 2020 budget proposal, the other being extension and additional frequency for the Fort Worth, Texas-Oklahoma City Heartland Flyer to Newton, Kan.
“Amtrak is exploring places it can modernize and expand its services and network,” Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari told Curbed Detroit in an email. “A Chicago/Western Michigan–Detroit–Toronto corridor is one of the services where we see promise.”
Amtrak last served Toronto from Michigan with the Chicago-Port Huron-Toronto International Limited, later simply the International. That joint operation with VIA Rail Canada ended in April 2004. The last Detroit-Toronto train ran in the 1960s.
I would use it. Much better than the a bus or taxi ride in between and wait for ages at the border together with everybody else
But would´t it make sense to simply extend a Via train to Detroit?
Charles Mortenson: It isn’t a connection to “former Conrail.” It’s still Conrail and dispatched by Conrail out of New Jersey.
Unstated is the route. From Detroit New Center, schlep backwards to West Detroit Junction then through the tunnel. Then what? The former Michigan Central going east is gone for 40 years or so. So schlep up the Essex Terminal at 5 mph to the VIA tracks at Walkerville? What’s the point.
Detroiters can (and do) get to Toronto via VIA at Windsor-Walkerville, a couple of miles from downtown Detroit. People from Lansing, Chicago, Kalamazoo, Battle Creek Flint etc used to have the joint Amtrak/ VIA International through Port Huron/ Sarnia but for no good reason that went away after 9/11.
The other problem with the International is that it left Chicago early in the morning, not allowing for any connection from Western trains. It was great for travel within Michigan, though, and Michigan-Ontario. The Chicago-Detroit corridor has 3 trains per day each way. One could take the 350, arrive in Detroit about 2 PM, go through clearance and leave on the train to Toronto at 3, which would get you there late evening.
Extension of the Flyer to Newton, KS? Wasn’t the point of that to connect to the Southwest Chief, the long distance train Anderson and the fly boys loves to hate?
Good luck in convincing CP allowing use of the Detroit river tunnel for this purpose (even if tonnage on that line has been steadily falling in the past years).
Recently, my wife and I went from Toronto to Chicago by taking the Maple Leaf to Schenectady, then changing to the Lake Shore to go to Chicago. It appeared to be a royal pain to try to cross at Detroit. A direct route from Toronto to Detroit would have been such a time saver. On the other hand, we did have the. LOVELY experience of the Lake Shore box meals. Ppbbt.
If they setup customs pre-clearance with CBP/CC. It would work. Not having this is what killed the international. CBP operations were taking too long at Port Huron.
If the Flyer is extended to Newton, it needs through cars to Chicago, or at least KC.. Otherwise, I don’t think they will get many to change trains at Newton in the middle of the night. Better yet, route the Chief through Pueblo and run through cars between Ft Worth and Denver, Ft Worth and Chicago, Chicago and Denver, and Denver and LA. Very few additional train-miles, but several new markets.
I would also suggest extending the Flyer to Houston. If the Southbound Flyer and Eagle Pass between Ft Worth and Dallas, passengers could travel St Louis to Houston via Dallas and KC-San Antonio via Ft Worth. The same thing could be done northbound.
Of course, since the Flyer is a state supported train, this probably isn’t possible.
New York Central had tracks across Canada back in the 1960s.NYC would take cars back & forth between Detroit & Windsor
Who would take this train? You can fly from Chicago to Toronto in a fraction of the time and the intermediate people can still take the Wolverines and VIA. Only a very few would cross the border from US to Canada so you run an Amtrak van from New Center to Walkerville for those few intrepid souls with time to kill.
What about an overnite Toronto-Chicago train. Pre clearance at point of origin, etc. An overnite train could be a feeder into westbound trains and easy bound could take passengers from the western trains
Nah that would make too much sense.
It didn’t work then? Why would it work now? Abandon a route that was fine? What will work now that didn’t work then? More people rode trains back then than now, right? So…… that means less people take trains less now, right? So this would be waisting money, right? Good job, Let’s do it scamtrak
Charles M. – Yes, Bay City Junction is right. West Detroit as I posted is about a stone’s throw from Bay City Junction.
The 3 Wolverine Corridor RT trains all go past Detroit to the northern suburb of Pontiac. Michigan DOT might have concerns about missing that leg to head toward Canada. Also since the Wolverine Corridor is being upgraded to 110 mph, it is the route that make sense for extension to TO.
CN recently has upgraded their Mt.Clemens sub with CTC and PTC between Port Huron and Detroit. USCBP now has a presence at CN’s Tunnel Yard in Port Huron. If a pre-clearance reservation system was setup for cross border trains, things would go quickly. Customs agents use to have drive down from bridge offices when the International ran. Heard talk Via Rail might get new depot near the river tunnel. Which would mean they would have to use either Essex Terminal or CP to access, from Chatham sub. Possible routes for Chicago-Detroit-Toronto trains could be 1. Michigan line to Detroit then Mt.clemens sub to Port Huron/Sarina then to Toronto.
2. Michigan line to Battle Creek, then Flint sub to Durand, then south on Holly sub to Detroit, then over to Windsor and then Toronto.
3. Pere Marquette Line to Grand Rapids, then over to East Lansing/Trowbridge, then Flint and Holly subs to Detroit then to Windsor and Toronto.
Signaling and track capacity/connections would be need to make 2 and 3 work, along with some new stations. But have potential as they would be accessing stations with high population
The crossover in question is called CP Vinewood, which allows trains to cross over from the CN to the former Conrail line, which connects to Bay City Junction.
Mr. Landey, just west of the Detroit station there is a turnout to Bay City Junction, where the trains turn east into the tunnel.