Vernon J. Ehlers Station

The Vernon J. Ehlers Station is a train station in Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States served by Amtrak, the U.S. national railroad passenger system. The station is the terminus of the Pere Marquette line that connects Chicago's Union Station to Grand Rapids. It opened at its new location on Century Avenue under the Wealthy Street/US Highway 131 overpass, immediately south of The Rapid's Central Station.[2] It is named in honor of then-Congressman Vernon J. Ehlers.

Vernon J. Ehlers Station
Location440 Century Avenue, S.W.
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
United States
Coordinates42°57′20″N 85°40′20″W
Owned byInterurban Transit Partnership
Platforms1 side platform
Tracks1
Bus operators Thruway Motorcoach
Connections Rapid Central Station for local, BRT and intercity bus service
Construction
ParkingYes
Bicycle facilitiesBike racks
Disabled accessYes
Other information
Station codeGRR
History
Opened1984 at Wealthy/Market
Rebuilt2014
Passengers
201840,508[1]  2.87%
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Holland
toward Chicago
 Pere Marquette Terminus

The new central location allows easy connections to twenty local Rapid buses as well as Greyhound and Indian Trails intercity services. No plans have been announced yet to move Megabus services from their location opposite the old Amtrak station at Wealthy/Market to complete the multimodal transit hub.

History
The former Grand Rapids station, used from 1984 to 2014

The earlier Union Station (1900) was demolished, 1958–1959, to make way for U.S. Route 131 expansion into an expressway. Several companies ran passenger trains through the station: New York Central Railroad, Pennsylvania Railroad and Pere Marquette Railway later assumed by the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad.[3][4][5][6]

The previous Amtrak station opened in 1984 at the corner of Wealthy Street and Market Avenue in downtown Grand Rapids.[7]

In October 2011, groundbreaking occurred on the new station. It is named in honor of former Michigan Congressman Vern Ehlers.[8] The new station enables fully intermodal transit while allowing for more efficient train turnarounds.[9] It was funded by a US$3.8 million grant from the Federal Railroad Administration and $850,000 from the City of Grand Rapids.[2]

Due to delays in construction from CSX and the City of Grand Rapids, the station construction started in the summer of 2013.[10][11] The new station opened on October 27, 2014.[12]

Like its predecessor, the station has no checked baggage service, and is open one hour before trains arrive. However, a Quik-Trak kiosk is available. A Thruway Motorcoach route runs between this station and Kalamazoo to connect with the Wolverine.


Transit connections

Central Station lies a short distance north of the new Amtrak station.

References
  1. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, FY2018, State of Michigan" (PDF). Amtrak.com. Amtrak. June 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  2. "New Amtrak station opens Monday". WZZM13.com. 26 October 2014. Archived from the original on 27 October 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
  3. Great American Stations, "Grand Rapids, MI (GRR)" http://www.greatamericanstations.com/stations/grand-rapids-mi-grr/
  4. Grand Rapids Historical Commission, "Union Depot" http://www.historygrandrapids.org/photo/1474/union-depot
  5. 'Grand River Times,' "Grand Rapids Union Station Train Shed" http://www.historygrandrapids.org/document/677/grand-rapids-union-station-tra
  6. 'Official Guide of the Railways,' August 1936, Index of Railroad Stations
  7. "New Amtrak station approved for Grand Rapids". WZZM13.com. 10 November 2010. Archived from the original on 9 February 2013.
  8. "Rapid to host ground-breaking on new Amtrak station Friday". mlive.com. 12 October 2011.
  9. http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2010/11/grand_rapids_looks_at_new_amtr.html
  10. "After delays, work begins on Grand Rapids' highly anticipated, $5.1M Amtrak station". mlive.com. 20 June 2013.
  11. "All aboard? Latest delay bogs Grand Rapids' new Amtrak station's opening". mlive.com. 16 July 2014.
  12. "Grand Rapids' new Amtrak station grand opening date set, retiring Sen. Carl Levin to attend". mlive.com. 22 October 2014.
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