Amtrak Requests Federal Support to Restore Detroit-Toronto Rail Service

[Bham1982]

The reason behind it is it is seamless to the traveler.

What traveler? On what basis do you surmise that Amtrak travelers in Michigan are itching to travel further on Via Rail in Ontario?

It's an odd argument, because Amtrak doesn't carry many passengers on the Detroit-Chicago route, and the biggest intermediary passenger load, by far, is Ann Arbor. Why would you assume Michigan students are itching to ride Via Rail, and why are they presently unable to do so, and even if it were the case, why would U.S. taxpayers pay for Via Rail's main route?

[JonWylie]

What traveler? On what basis do you surmise that Amtrak travelers in Michigan are itching to travel further on Via Rail in Ontario?

It's an odd argument, because Amtrak doesn't carry many passengers on the Detroit-Chicago route, and the biggest intermediary passenger load, by far, is Ann Arbor. Why would you assume Michigan students are itching to ride Via Rail, and why are they presently unable to do so, and even if it were the case, why would U.S. taxpayers pay for Via Rail's main route?

Students from the Toronto area heading to Detroit or Ann Arbor for school would be a fairly large group

[dtowncitylover]

Students from the Toronto area heading to Detroit or Ann Arbor for school would be a fairly large group

And we know for a fact Canada's middle class has more disposable income than the American middle class making tourism from at least Ontarians ripe for harvest. Flying seems too much for a short distance [[trust me, I've done DTW-YYZ and will never again do that) and driving is passe. So how about a seamless train ride into Detroit. Sure they could go to Windsor, and many probably already do, but then they need a car or rideshare or they try to take the tunnel bus, and voila another mess.

[Wesley Mouch]

What traveler? On what basis do you surmise that Amtrak travelers in Michigan are itching to travel further on Via Rail in Ontario?

It's an odd argument, because Amtrak doesn't carry many passengers on the Detroit-Chicago route, and the biggest intermediary passenger load, by far, is Ann Arbor. Why would you assume Michigan students are itching to ride Via Rail, and why are they presently unable to do so, and even if it were the case, why would U.S. taxpayers pay for Via Rail's main route?

Good planning doesn't only involve following the market... but sometimes it includes LEADING the market.

Nobody may be 'itching', but if it makes sense, they may get the itch. An Ann Arbor 19 year-old might just find Toronto more intriguing than Chicago, for example. Or perhaps there's a ORD->YYZ demand that might better be served by downtown-to-downtown service.

I'm impressed that Amtrak is thinking like this. How unbureaucratic.

Sometimes lead, don't follow.

Maybe Amtrak can make itself relevant yet.