You're probably familiar with the real estate proverb: "It's about location, location, location". In public transportation, it's all about "connections, connections, connections".
We're happy to learn that Amtrak and Indian Trails (Michigan's preeminent rural provider of transportation connections) announced on February 17 that Indian Trails will connect with Wolverine service trains.
For several years, we've been hearing that Central Michigan University (CMU) in Mt. Pleasant has been eager for better ways to get to and from campus for their students - especially the international ones who very seldom have access to personal automobiles.
So what would a CMU student do if they wanted to leave the vast flatlands of Isabella County and head for the bright lights?
A quick check of the Amtrak on-line ticketing service revealed that neither "Mt. Pleasant" nor "Mount Pleasant" are listed in Michigan. (Mount Pleasant, Iowa, is listed). Perhaps Amtrak's Media Center is a bit faster than their database folks. Possibly a phone call to 1-800-USA-RAIL would produce tickets.
Anyway, one of the challenges in the past when we've tried to get Amtrak and Indian Trails to link up has been the timing of the connections. This time around, two of the possible four connections are quite convenient. I've plotted out four trips below: from Mt. Pleasant to Chicago and back, and to Ann Arbor and back. None is amazingly swift, but the return trips to Mt. Pleasant both involve long periods cooling your heels.
The Amtrak schedule (which you can download in PDF format from Amtrak's site) does not reveal that these schedules include a change of buses in Lansing. On the way south, there's a 30-minute layover on the schedule, but we all know that reality often lags behind schedules, so 30 minutes is about the shortest safe time for a layover. OK.
On the way back north, the layover is 1:50 - nearly two hours. This is in early afternoon at the combined Greyhound/CATA terminal in downtown Lansing, a perfect time to stroll over to a nearby restaurant for lunch (and there are several). That may be OK for people who know Lansing and can walk 2-3 blocks, but there will probably be a lot of people unfamiliar with the town or unable to walk that far. Not good.
At about seven or eight hours to Chicago, it's two or three hours longer than driving, but probably worth the trip for many.
But Ann Arbor? Six hours getting to Ann Arbor is three times as long as it takes to drive. And the return from Ann Arbor, Detroit, and the rest of Southeast Michigan is mind-numbing: nearly ten hours from A2, over three of which must be spent waiting in Battle Creek for the eastbound Indian Trails bus, and another two are spent in Lansing waiting for the northbound bus. This connection is definitely not a winner.
Here are the schedules. I've highlighted the layover times in green if they're less than an hour, and in pink if they are longer.
We're happy to learn that Amtrak and Indian Trails (Michigan's preeminent rural provider of transportation connections) announced on February 17 that Indian Trails will connect with Wolverine service trains.
For several years, we've been hearing that Central Michigan University (CMU) in Mt. Pleasant has been eager for better ways to get to and from campus for their students - especially the international ones who very seldom have access to personal automobiles.
So what would a CMU student do if they wanted to leave the vast flatlands of Isabella County and head for the bright lights?
A quick check of the Amtrak on-line ticketing service revealed that neither "Mt. Pleasant" nor "Mount Pleasant" are listed in Michigan. (Mount Pleasant, Iowa, is listed). Perhaps Amtrak's Media Center is a bit faster than their database folks. Possibly a phone call to 1-800-USA-RAIL would produce tickets.
Anyway, one of the challenges in the past when we've tried to get Amtrak and Indian Trails to link up has been the timing of the connections. This time around, two of the possible four connections are quite convenient. I've plotted out four trips below: from Mt. Pleasant to Chicago and back, and to Ann Arbor and back. None is amazingly swift, but the return trips to Mt. Pleasant both involve long periods cooling your heels.
The Amtrak schedule (which you can download in PDF format from Amtrak's site) does not reveal that these schedules include a change of buses in Lansing. On the way south, there's a 30-minute layover on the schedule, but we all know that reality often lags behind schedules, so 30 minutes is about the shortest safe time for a layover. OK.
On the way back north, the layover is 1:50 - nearly two hours. This is in early afternoon at the combined Greyhound/CATA terminal in downtown Lansing, a perfect time to stroll over to a nearby restaurant for lunch (and there are several). That may be OK for people who know Lansing and can walk 2-3 blocks, but there will probably be a lot of people unfamiliar with the town or unable to walk that far. Not good.
At about seven or eight hours to Chicago, it's two or three hours longer than driving, but probably worth the trip for many.
But Ann Arbor? Six hours getting to Ann Arbor is three times as long as it takes to drive. And the return from Ann Arbor, Detroit, and the rest of Southeast Michigan is mind-numbing: nearly ten hours from A2, over three of which must be spent waiting in Battle Creek for the eastbound Indian Trails bus, and another two are spent in Lansing waiting for the northbound bus. This connection is definitely not a winner.
Here are the schedules. I've highlighted the layover times in green if they're less than an hour, and in pink if they are longer.
| Getting Out | Amtrak Number | Time of Day | Travel or Wait Time | Total Time |
| To Ann Arbor | ||||
| Mt. Pleasant | 8855 | 4:30 PM | ||
| Lansing Ar | 8855 | 5:50 PM | 1:20 | 01:20 |
| Lansing Dp | 8833 | 6:20 PM | 0:30 | 01:50 |
| Kalamazoo Ar | 8833 | 8:40 PM | 2:20 | 04:10 |
| Kalamazoo Dp | 354 | 9:10 PM | 0:30 | 04:40 |
| Ann Arbor | 354 | 11:20 PM | 2:10 | 06:50 |
| To Chicago | ||||
| Mt. Pleasant | 8855 | 4:30 PM | ||
| Lansing Ar | 8855 | 5:50 PM | 1:20 | 01:20 |
| Lansing Dp | 8833 | 6:20 PM | 0:30 | 01:50 |
| Kalamazoo Ar | 8833 | 8:40 PM | 2:20 | 04:10 |
| Kalamazoo Dp | 355 | 9:25 PM | 0:45 | 04:55 |
| Chicago | 355 | 10:56 PM | 0:49 | 07:26 |
| Getting Back | Amtrak # | Time of Day | Travel or Wait Time | Total Time |
| From Ann Arbor | ||||
| Ann Arbor | 351 | 7:24 AM | ||
| Battle Creek Ar | 351 | 9:01 AM | 1:37 | 01:37 |
| Battle Creek Dp | 8614 | 12:01 PM | 3:00 | 04:37 |
| Lansing Ar | 8614 | 1:05 PM | 1:04 | 05:41 |
| Lansing Dp | 8650 | 2:55 PM | 1:50 | 07:31 |
| Mt. Pleasant | 8650 | 4:20 PM | 1:25 | 08:56 |
| From Chicago | ||||
| Chicago | 350 | 7:20 AM | ||
| Battle Creek Ar | 350 | 11:24 AM | 4:04 | 04:04 |
| Battle Creek Dp | 8614 | 12:01 PM | 0:37 | 04:41 |
| Lansing Ar | 8614 | 1:05 PM | 1:04 | 05:45 |
| Lansing Dp | 8650 | 2:55 PM | 1:50 | 07:35 |
| Mt. Pleasant | 8650 | 4:20 PM | 1:25 | 09:00 |
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