Vernon J. Ehlers Station

Vernon J. Ehlers Station
Location 440 Century Avenue, S.W.
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
United States
Coordinates 42°57′20″N 85°40′20″W / 42.95556°N 85.67222°W / 42.95556; -85.67222Coordinates: 42°57′20″N 85°40′20″W / 42.95556°N 85.67222°W / 42.95556; -85.67222
Owned by Interurban Transit Partnership
Platforms 1 side platform
Tracks 1
Bus operators Thruway Motorcoach
Connections Rapid Central Station for local, BRT and intercity bus service
Construction
Parking Yes
Bicycle facilities Bike racks
Disabled access Yes
Other information
Station code GRR
History
Opened 1984 at Wealthy/Market
Rebuilt 2014
Traffic
Passengers (FY2015) 44,249[1][2] Increase 7.6%
Services
Preceding station   Amtrak   Following station
toward Chicago
Pere MarquetteTerminus

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-131 overpass, immediately south of The Rapid's Central Station.[3]

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 previous Amtrak station opened in 1984 at the corner of Wealthy Street and Market Avenue in downtown Grand Rapids.[4]

In October 2011, groundbreaking occurred on the new station. It is named in honor of former Michigan Congressman Vern Ehlers.[5] The new station enables fully intermodal transit while allowing for more efficient train turnarounds.[6] It was funded by a US$3.8 million grant from the Federal Railroad Administration and $850,000 from the City of Grand Rapids.[3] Due to delays in construction from CSX and the City of Grand Rapids, the station construction started in the summer of 2013.[7][8] The new station opened Monday, October 27, 2014, the first train left on time.[9]

The building features a richly textured exterior composed of brick, concrete masonry units, horizontal metal siding and generously-sized glass walls that allow natural light to reach the interior. The waiting room has seating for approximately 50 passengers. The roof extends over the main doors to form a sheltered entrance. The station’s most prominent feature is a slim clock tower with a crown of perforated stainless steel; at night, LED lights glow from within.[10]

Transit connections

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

References

  1. ↑ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, FY2015, State of Michigan" (PDF). Amtrak.com. Amtrak. November 2015. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
  2. ↑ "Corridor Station Activity". MDOT Rail Statistics. Michigan Department of Transportation. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
  3. 1 2 "New Amtrak station opens Monday". WZZM13.com. 26 October 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
  4. ↑ "New Amtrak station approved for Grand Rapids". WZZM13.com. 10 November 2010. Retrieved August 2015. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  5. ↑ "Rapid to host ground-breaking on new Amtrak station Friday". mlive.com. 12 October 2011.
  6. ↑ http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2010/11/grand_rapids_looks_at_new_amtr.html
  7. ↑ "After delays, work begins on Grand Rapids' highly anticipated, $5.1M Amtrak station". mlive.com. 20 June 2013.
  8. ↑ "All aboard? Latest delay bogs Grand Rapids' new Amtrak station's opening". mlive.com. 16 July 2014.
  9. ↑ "Grand Rapids' new Amtrak station grand opening date set, retiring Sen. Carl Levin to attend". mlive.com. 22 October 2014.
  10. ↑ "Grand Rapids Station". Amtrak's Great American Stations. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
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