Amtrak Wolverine from Pontiac/Detroit to Chicago - Apparently a Trip Report

[@MbtaVideoClips]

I like how we've had credits for almost a year now and the name for it is still "I'm trying credits now"

[@notcarrotnose258]

I was gonna comment the same thing lmao

[@MilesinTransit]

Forever and always

[@officialmcdeath]

@@MilesinTransit credits are there on permanent sufferance, they may be demoted at any time for poor performance \m/

[@conorreynolds9739]

It’s so frustrating to live in Michigan, and know how much better our Amtrak service is than most other states (thanks to our state government, of course), while at the same time experiencing the delays, the bizarrely bad new train cars (I’m 6’6”, the shoulder bump outs on those seats make it so I have to slouch), lack of attention to detail, and the unreliability. I love the Wolverine, which makes it that much more frustrating that whoever is making the decisions apparently isn’t really aware of what train travel should look like.

[@michelinman8592]

Once again, (belated) welcome to my home state of Michigan! And the running theme of "POOR BID" goes so well with our lack of viable public transit. SMART got a millage passed in... 2022 or 2023, to expand service to the suburbs. I live in one of the suburbs that got a brand new route, and I've seen a total of... 2 riders.

[@LucaPasini2]

I'm glad to hear that long and useless train announcements are gaining ground in America too: the world really needs such a groundbreaking innovation. The next step would be to make all of them bi-lingual, as it happens in Europe, with the local language first and then English.

[@michaelimbesi2314]

It does happen here for a lot of announcements, but since local language in the US *is* English, it’s typically English first followed by Spanish, which is the next most commonly spoken language in the US, or else by French if you happen to be near Quebec (or maybe in south Louisiana)

[@3506Dodge]

In England, announcements are only in English.

[@eechauch5522]

The final stage of this I’ve personally experienced was in Japan on the Osaka metro (I think it was Osaka). They had very long announcements in Japanese, English, Korean and Chinese and the train stopped every few minutes since it was a metro. They basically never stopped talking, as soon as the train left the station it would start the announcement for the next.

[@scotdodgy]

The Taipei Metro now has announcements in Mandarin, followed by English, Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese, and Hakka at the 21 most used stations by tourists (including Taipei Main Station, Taipei 101/World Trade Centre, and Longshan Temple).

[@Banom7a]

in some part of the US, it's Spanish and English

[@williamhuang8309]

Today's Miles in Transit soundbites: Poor Bid 0:13 0:58 3:30 4:01 6:22 19:31 Apparently a Trip Report (actually that's more of a song than a soundbite) 0:13 Now it's time for a bathroom review (hmm) 4:17 8:53 12:50 16:53 Miles mocks announcements 7:55 Menu Shot 15:22 The announcements certainly sound excessive and trimming it back to station announcements only would help a lot- a destination announcement (like 5 words long) when the train is stopped at a station and a "now approaching" announcement when the train is approaching a station. Announcing stopping points is something that's done across the world but some announcements will just go "stopping all stations" to save having to announce 30 different stops. But the "for your safety" lecture definitely needs to go.

[@weenisw]

I’m here primarily for the Miles mocks announcements

[@bermuda333]

I love how every time Miles visits a new state there's pretty much a guarantee we're getting a new least used station vid

[@MilesinTransit]

Yes, not in this trip but I'm doing Michigan soon!

[@denisebunker6674]

Amtrak just announced the New Borealis service St. Paul, Minnesota, Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Chicago. "Roll past gentle hills and picturesque farmland between the bustling hubs of Chicago and the Twin Cities. Scale Sugar Loaf Bluff in Winona and watch the Mighty Mississippi roll by. Dive into family fun in the Dells and sample culture, curds and a tall cold one in Milwaukee." You should do a trip report on this. Starts May 21st. Is 7 hours, 24 minutes. You could stop at Wisconsin Dells for a night or two.

[@MilesinTransit]

I will at some point! Not opening day, though.

[@repulser93]

...ITS OFFICIALLY HAPPENING THIS MONTH?!?

[@denisebunker6674]

@@repulser93yes.

[@shreychaudhary4477]

Will there be a new "least-used station"? Or does this stop at the same places as the empire builder?

[@MilesinTransit]

@@shreychaudhary4477 No, it stops in all the same places as the Builder. Although actually, a side effect I didn't think about is that it'll make it a lot easier to do least used in Wisconsin!

[@ck4426]

I can’t wait for more “least used station” videos! You’re right about the Henry Ford Museum. It’s like Disney World for history. I just love your trip reports keep ‘em coming!!!!

[@notcarrotnose258]

It’s great seeing Miles’ quick 10 second opinions on the cities and places I grew up around (southeast Michigan)

[@SupremeLeaderKimJong-un]

Come for the Wolverine review, stay for the quality David Attenborough nature documentary work of a spider chase at 5:31. Royal Oak was named in 1819, during a surveying expeditions by Michigan Territorial Governor Lewis Cass. A large oak tree there reminded Cass of the story of the Royal Oak, where King Charles II of England, Scotland and Ireland hid to escape capture by the Roundheads after the Battle of Worcester. Troy, Michigan is actually named after the Troy in Upstate NY, as many settlers to the area originally came from New York. But Troy, NY was of course in turn named after the ancient city that's now in Turkey/Türkiye. I like that the displays actually tell you when the bathroom is in use or not! Honestly I don't find the automated announcements to be annoying. They're just friendly notes for the new passengers at each station to be aware of, whether it's telling you where to put luggage or information about stairwells or platforms. They're clear and they're there for accessibility, and for stations further apart, it's less annoying! Repeating the same thing at each time isn’t a huge issue because it allows people who are just getting on to get all the information too! Before this train, the Wolverine was the name of a night train that used to travel between NYC and Chicago via Detroit and southern Ontario, crossing the US-Canada border twice! Michigan is known as the Wolverine State, and there are different stories as to why this nickname exists. Some say it’s because Ohioans called Michiganders “wolverines” for their greediness during the 1835 Toledo War, while others think it’s because French settlers in Michigan were called wolverines by the indigenous, as the French appetites were judged to be wolverine-like or glutinous! While wolverines have historically been found in the state, there hasn’t been a wild sighting since 2004. Wolverines are known for their tenacity and fierceness beyond their size. They have battled grizzly bears, bull moose, wolves and won. Considering they weigh about 30-50 pounds, that’s pretty impressive. Wolverines are predators and scavengers that eat whatever they can. They would love to eat a moose or deer leg frozen in the snow. Their scientific name Gulo gulo comes from the latin word for glutton!

[@MilesinTransit]

It's friendly to tell people to "please have identification ready" when that's not something that ever happens? And last I checked, you don't need to list fifty thousand rules and regulations to meet accessibility requirements - sure, they're nice for new riders, but for the VAST majority of the train (people who have ridden Amtrak before, and people who have already heard a previous round of announcements), it's redundant information. That's cool to hear that the Wolverine used to go way further, though - that double border crossing sounds neat!

[@TheFrogfather1]

One of the nicest things about our railtour of the US last year was the absence of these annoying announcements. To get the full UK experience you need to have a recording saying 'If you see something that doesn't look right call xxxx - see it, say it, sorted' every 20 seconds or so. May have been a POOR BID but another great video!

[@JeffTaylor-tr7my]

Wow face pixelation has become quite the epidemic. Please wont you donate to the search for a cure for face pixelation? Let no child endure the horror of face pixelation. Let's end face pixelation in our lifetime. Won't you help?

[@gregggyf]

Good Evening, If the co-hosts of this video prefer not to have their faces shown I STRONGLY BELIEVE, that that is ok. The co-hosts were beneficial for the creation of this video and if their participation involves pixelation then (to use a famous phrase)....... so be it. Thank you.

[@trainandmore]

$10 bucks says their faces will be revealed whenever this trip ends. REDACTED started in Jacksonville Florida, went to Canada with Miles, then Detroit, now Chicago. So whenever they part ways, at least one of them will be revealed.

[@paulaus]

I'm still not quite sure if it's a bit that has gone on way too long having not followed the channel until recently.

[@MilesinTransit]

Their faces are doomed to stay pixelated forever; there's no cure to it yet

[@MilesinTransit]

Why would I redact people who have already appeared as main characters?

[@ztl2505]

You experienced both styles of southeast Michigan architecture- the most beautiful art deco towers you’ve ever seen and soulless concrete husks from the ‘70s population exodus

[@bluemax2072]

The new Dearborn Antrak station has a direct connection to Greenfield Village over the tracks.Greenfield village never opened up the station connection,this is why you have to go around to the other side of Greenfield village.

[@supergppl]

Michigan cities being overbuilt shells of their former selves is indeed depressing. The worst part is the lack of ambition to make them better. Yes we desperately need commuter rail but it feels like nobody in power in Michigan knows enough to care. It’s incredibly frustrating. We’ve resigned to just sucking.

[@TheBadCivilServant]

Back in 2002, I boarded the first train of the day out of DeToilet for Chicago. I started my trip the previous evening on a Greyhound bus from Toronto. My final destination was Vancouver (changing in Chicago and Seattle). I took a taxi from the Detroit Greyhound station to the Amtrak. It was around 5am and the White Castle across the street was open. I ordered a Sack O’ Six with fries and a Coke, waited for the train and fell asleep when I got on board. I didn’t wake up until we were pulling into Chicago. A black minister walked past my seat and said to me, “Boy, you was fartin’ and snorin’ all the way from Dee-troit!

[@ZmenitBussler]

Having ridden the Wolverine line dozens of times: the trains are always different, so sometimes business class on one is worse than coach on another. We always cheered when we got the new coach ones. “A lot of these Michigan cities used to be a bigger deal than they are now” is literally the MO of the rust belt.

[@ZmenitBussler]

Also, I don’t know when you filmed this but this line has been indefinitely removed except for weekend 😔

[@ruffingej]

14:28 Greenfield Village actually used to have its own (seasonal) Amtrak stop, but the location of the new Dearborn transit center was supposed to make it unnecessary. Kinda silly that they don’t keep that entrance open.

[@valkyr7208]

I ride the Wolverine a lot from Ann Arbor to Chicago, the venture cars are quite a bit of a downgrade in terms of almost everything except wayfinding. It’s really annoying to sleep on them because of the repeated announcements every station, and the seat quality sucks. I’d prefer the amfleet or horizon seats any day, they’re way better. The only plus I can really say is because they have the coach-business married pairs right now as running in coach only, you can basically get a business class seat in the venture for a coach class price. Clearly they were not doing that when you filmed this but the last two times I rode the wolverine this year I got that accommodation. Also the WiFi is better when there’s not a ton of people using it, problem is the main router still is in the cafe car, but I often go sit in the cafe car anyway, Michigan cafe cars offer cup ramen which is good. Side note, the chargers have been very unreliable as of late, I’ve been seeing more P42s than chargers riding the wolverine. I suspect it’s due to Siemens doing something dumb, combined with cold weather. I’m also not sure why the amfleets and horizons were doing the announcements, I’ve never seen them do that. EDIT: I noticed you said driving is faster, yes it is from Pontiac to chicago, but if you start from Detroit or Dearborn or Ann Arbor the train is basically just as fast if not faster when accounting for traffic.

[@harrisonworden]

fellow Ann Arborite here, haven't taken the Wolverine in a few years but definitely have fond memories taking it as a kid

[@MilesinTransit]

I was doing the driving calculation from Detroit! It does look like if you factor in traffic they're about equivalent. Also stay tuned, I ended up getting that Venture-business-in-coach situation in a future trip report!

[@valkyr7208]

@@MilesinTransit I look forward to it, it was definitely better than the original but still not sure if better than the Horizon/Amfleet seat. Also I noticed when rewatching the vid a few times. 1. The Ann Arbor-Detroit commuter rail has basically been axed, they haven't talked about it for about 10 years now and I'm pretty sure MDOT (Michigan DOT) was denied all the funding after the new governor came in. Originally it was supposed to use Metra Gallery Cars and leased locomotives, but I'm pretty sure those were returned due to it falling through. That is a major reason why the Dearborn station looks really well built compared to the rest though, that was part of the commuter rail plan. 2. They really can't run more than 3 trains a day per direction when a majority of the route from Dearborn to Porter, Indiana is single track. MDOT is working on double tracking it but that's not gonna be finished for a while. I also don't really think they need to have more than 4 trains per direction per day, the ridership doesn't support it outside of weekends despite the train being super popular with college kids (it serves 2 major Michigan colleges directly, 5-6 if you count being able to take bus or car to the station within 30 min). Maybe during holidays or weekends they could run more, but 3 a day per direction is fine, I just kinda wish they were a bit more evenly spread through the day. 3. They basically only keep the Detroit-Pontiac section because that's the best place for the train to be able to turn around. CN doesn't really have a better place unless they go south. I'm pretty sure at some point MDOT/Amtrak is looking for a better solution but that's how it's been for a while. Personally I think some of the trains should terminate in Ann Arbor because that's where the majority of the riders get on and off.

[@bkark0935]

@@valkyr7208 “The Ann Arbor-Detroit commuter rail has basically been axed, they haven't talked about it for about 10 years now and I'm pretty sure MDOT (Michigan DOT) was denied all the funding after the new governor came in.” It must be said that Republican Former Governor (Snyder) you’re referring to was Michigan’s nightmare answer to a political jerk similar in the vein of Wisconsin’s infamous Republican Ghoul-vernor Scott Walker! Trumpist Ghoul Snyder was able to weasel Michigan (at the time overran by gerrymandered Repugnuts) out of not paying a loony dime (even in the form of tolls) towards the Gordie Howe Bridge. He nearly scuppered the entire plan and made Canada pay for 95% of it!

[@icteridcorvid]

the wolverine is very emblematic of the Michigan Experience to me. there are really good things about it like the speed and frequency that I think place it a step ahead of routes like it, but if you turn over the log you see all the weird little problems that prevent it from pulling its weight. I'm surprised you didn't spend very much time complaining about the Detroit Amtrak Station because that's all I do whenever I'm there. also you're completely right, michigan is full of small town decay like that. I love that the wolverine lets you see it.

[@raleigh5683]

Miles' friends are wanted by the F.B.I. lol 😆

[@yossarian6743]

Great video! Last year I took the Wolverine, then took a bus through the tunnel to Windsor before continuing to Toronto (and onward) on VIA Rail. Definitely recommend it and a fun way to compare Amtrak vs. VIA rail.

[@MilesinTransit]

That's what we did in reverse!

[@yossarian6743]

@@MilesinTransit Oh awesome! Great minds! :)

[@michaelimbesi2314]

I’m sad that we didn’t get to see more of the cool steel mills on the way into Chicago.

[@anthonylamesa7619]

Amtrak is decades behind other railroads on automated announcements, so they really struggle with how to program them.

[@history_leisure]

Michigan does have plans for an Intrastate service, I've thought of extending the Perre Marquette to Chicago via replacing the Pontiac segment and Lansing in addition to regional rail. I'd also upgrade the interchange in New Buffalo so all Michigan Service trains serve it. No one's thought of it, but at least a thruway to Muskegon, Freemont, and Ludington (latter can't get rail because the rail was turned to trail and that's easier said than done)

[@history_leisure]

Cedar Fair has a good point not allowing the STS on the causeway because of capacity issues, but that shouldn't stop them from allowing Muskegon's transit to have a bus to Whitehall-Montague with the park en route. Seriously Grand Haven to Montague feels like it should be the area of a single agency with 20-25 routes with a mix of shuttle, standard, and maybe a few coach busses as thruway or commuter busses to Ludington or something

[@patrickconroy78]

That was a great video Miles keep it up!

[@MilesinTransit]

Thanks!

[@sqoomsh]

Guys! When Redacted swore, it sounded exactly like their name… now I see the true reason you can’t say curse words on TV…

[@bermuda333]

it was truly an impressive vocal feat

[@asteroidrules]

"Used to be a lot more than they are now" is really a perfect description of Michigan cities.

[@hawkeyetherailfan]

The engine sitting by itself is a protection unit in case the engine on another train on the route has issues. Most of the time when Amtrak has issues they grab an engine from the freight railroad that owns the trackage, even though the Pontiac-Detroit is owned by CN most of the CHI-DET route is owned by the state so they keep an Amtrak unit on call.

[@Caffeine_fueled_adventures]

I’m riding on a train watching a video about riding on a train.

[@LostinMayberry]

The Foster bridge you mentioned is from 1876 and looks like a metal erector set. Every time I cross it I hold my breath and wonder how it can still be in use!

[@uncleenore]

"...APPARENTLY A TRIP REPORT..." Every single time, if not out loud, filling my brain...

[@Booger414]

How can one guy know so many pixilated people? What planet did you grow up on?

[@subparnaturedocumentary]

their secretly amtrack execs

[@nbahn]

I don't know if anyone's already mentioned this (2:00) but Henry Ford didn't want to pay taxes to Detroit; so he convinced the residents living around his new factory to vote to secede from Detroit. I don't know the story about Hamtramck, though.

[@MilesinTransit]

Oh wow, that's fascinating! No wonder Dearborn is kind of its own weird cutout!

[@rowleyma]

Thanks for the video!

[@himbourbanist]

I have a feeling that Amtrak is going to get custom seats for the Long Distance routes for the Venture coaches, kind of like how they acquired the Amfleet IIs after the Is.

[@jonathankleinow2073]

14:30 That's the Rouge River. My dad grew up Catholic in River Rouge, the town where the Rouge River empties into the Detroit River, and they used to eat muskrat on Fridays. Apparently they count as "aquatic" for the purposes of Lent. #themoreyouknow

[@subparnaturedocumentary]

wow that is a fascinatingly insane tidbit thanks!

[@NEPATransitnTravel]

Same with gator for Louisiana Catholics for “reasons” lmao.

[@bkark0935]

Must have been a French Catholic missionary scheme to convert the Native locals, the Spaniards did the same for converting the “Indios” found in South America by saying “capybaras are aquatic;” thus, you can eat them during Lent!

[@user-qy3qg8wo4i]

I used to trap muskrat and got 15 dollars 💸 a pelt 50 years ago

[@thetrainguy1]

You'll be surprised. The system will make a long announcement and people would either still miss their stop or leave luggage behind. 🤦🏾‍♂️

[@kathrynelrod5570]

Sounds like the announcement is useless then!

[@Skip6235]

I’m from Detroit and lived in Chicago for 5 years so I’m very familiar with this route. All of the announcements and everything are really emblematic of how much worse an expirence train travel in North America is compared to Europe. It’s even worse departing from Chicago Union Station, where they make you line up single file in the great hall and then are escorted through the concourse to the tracks. Just let me board the train, come around and check my ticket, and then just make a “next station” announcement. We’ve been doing this for over a hundred years, and places all over the world have this all figured out. Why is it so bad here!?

[@MilesinTransit]

The Detroit boarding process sucks too! Having to wait on the stairs was insane.

[@marcusbean6003]

13:30 To the left "but I wanna go right" *stares sternly* L e f t

[@gene7887]

16:45 that was maybe the most obvious mention of Connecticut just to get NED in the video 😄

[@johnmcqueen4883]

Commuter service Pontiac to Detroit was on the Grand Trunk RR, my dad commuted from Troy to Detroit from the late 40s to the mid 60s. Until 1959 they were with steam engines, I rode on the last steam trip. Having left the area I don’t know if there was any service for a while late 60s until Amtrak started in the 70s.

[@marcberm]

But you didn't say "this is apparently a trip report" during the intro leading into the jingle!!! It's the little things, man! 😀

[@MilesinTransit]

I've been kinda inconsistent about doing that from the start, if we're being honest...!

[@officialmcdeath]

The ultimate cold open \m/

[@JonFromRhodeIsland]

As a redacted man myself, it’s heartwarming to see that you included your redacted friends in your travels. We will not be erased!

[@roxxma]

The Jackson Michigan station sign, HAHAHAHAHAHA!

[@MattGoshert]

To answer your question at 3:00 Miles I'm like 99% sure that's the parking lot I saw Warped Tour in 24 years ago.

[@uniontpke772]

The seconds of silence counter is hilarious.

[@seatripreports]

I’m 6’2 and I’ve had the displeasure of torturing myself in those seats from Seattle to Portland, even “Business Class” made my knees hurt like hell.

[@92xsaabaru-]

Cream cheese technique: I commented before, but you may have filmed this a long time ago. You have to massage the pouch to warm it up a bit and then it squeezes out smoothly. Also, when I semi frequently travelled between Chicago and Michigan, passing through Gary, IN always reminded me of the quote from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: "We are pilgrims in an unholy land."

[@uaw602]

I used to work at that closed plant you saw in Pontiac. Have you tried the blue water train yet?

[@MilesinTransit]

Not yet!

[@Cupertinorail]

Oh dear the Horizon fleet bathrooms looks just like an airplane and the toilet groans.

[@Cookiejarlid]

Wow four bathroom reviews in one video, that's good value.

[@teecefamilykent]

Brilliant video, American railway stations seem so small compared to British ones...

[@joermnyc]

In Europe any delay over 60 minutes gives riders an automatic partial refund. Of course if Amtrak had to do that they’d go out of business almost immediately!😅

[@MilesinTransit]

You actually can call Amtrak for a partial refund if your train gets sufficiently delayed - it's a huge pain, but you can do it. [REDACTED] got our tickets refunded for that Pontiac section!

[@m19s200sd]

This actually got me feeling depressed about the new cars and seats. I used to be excited. But I'm tall and big so Alan's issues with new seat headrests scare me, people seem to find the seat uncomfortable in general, and those announcements would drive me crazy!

[@lyledal]

Thank goodness!

[@BostonElevatorDude]

New service was revealed to St Paul from Chicago called the Borealis. I guess will have to make another trip report apparantly

[@jaidenbikerbear]

The fact that there’s a section of Detroit that’s called highland park which is “separate” from the city of Detroit but surrounded by it but there is also a highland park in Dallas that exists in the exact same manner. wtf

[@johnnguyen6159]

Amtrak Wolverine has pretty decent ridership and looks like Amtrak plans to expand from Chicago to Detroit to Toronto.

[@46Nailik]

Thanks for the insightful video! Wow, Business in the Venture cars looks even worse than I imagined - a combined Coach/Business car with no partition at all?! Looking at you, ÖBB/ČD and the business/first car of the 2nd series Railjet.

[@MilesinTransit]

The whole car is business, at least!

[@JohnGuzik]

Need to roll the cream cheese like a toothpaste tube.

[@himbourbanist]

oh shit I didn't realize the Wolverine went to 110MPH, that's sick. ridership is strong too, I think Amtrak Midwest is going to continue to get better in the coming decades

[@NixillShadowFox]

6:29 - Me knowing that there's no Cafe Car service in the SMART service area:

[@dfwrider3830]

the venture car bathroom doors were designed to have a little rubber strip on the edge. if that is missing, which is very common as it is held in place with friction, then there will be a gap.

[@alexthompson3229]

The hell that is the Woodward Loop in Pontiac is supposed to be getting fixed over the next couple years with fewer lanes of bi-directional traffic, bike lanes, a green median, and street parking. We'll see how that goes.

[@MilesinTransit]

That's great to hear!

[@officialmcdeath]

The surroundings of the Pontiac station remind me of failed office developments in the Eastern part of Berlin that date from just after the Wall fell \m/

[@abilitytopage]

OMG. I AM SO EXCITED TO WATCH THIS. I AM JUST LEAVING WORK ON THE LEFT COAST

[@CaradhrasAiguo49]

14:07 I have never seen a place that was so "in-your-face" about tacking on the parking fee. Deeply ingrained car culture...

[@MilesinTransit]

No better place for it than the Ford Museum, I suppose...

[@baseballfan99]

Long distances busses do not have announcements every 2 mins which is so refreshing/

[@seamusmaye1333]

“He’ll be here.. in maybe 20 minutes.” Honestly that sounds like Pontiac, they don’t give af 😂😂, if the train is late it isn’t there problem 😂😂

[@daveporter0217]

The cinnamon streusel is always worth it! My sister wants me to grab it and muffins when i take the NE Regional later this summer.

[@Alex-bf9ec]

“POOR BID!”

[@icteridcorvid]

yessss that's my regular route!!! welcome to detroit :)

[@OntarioTrafficMan]

I think it does make sense to have some service running express between Chicago and Kalamazoo, since the towns in that segment are quite small. I suspect the vast majority of ridership is heading to the bigger centres like Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, Ann Arbor and Detroit, so having at least one train per day providing a travel time as fast as possible could provide a more attractive service overall. There are actually 4 trains per day in that segment, including the Blue Water. It runs only an hour before or after a Wolverine departure so if that adjacent Wolverine trip runs express while the Blue Water makes all stops there's not much loss in service flexibility for the small towns anyway.

[@MilesinTransit]

I dunno, it saves just 3 minutes, schedule-wise, over the Blue Water that makes every stop besides Hammond-Whiting. Also there's no companion express service going outbound, so it's not like it's possible to get a completely express round trip.

[@OntarioTrafficMan]

@@MilesinTransit It's hard to say how much time skipping stops saves. The express is also 18 minutes faster than the next-fastest Wolverine train. There are many other factors affecting train speed - notably the number/location of train meets, so it's not possible to say that the train would only be 3 minutes slower if it made all stops. From what I've seen comparing train schedules, intercity trains tend to save about 3 minutes per minor stopped skipped, so skipping the 4 minor stops between Kalamzoo and Chicago would be expected to save about 12 minutes. Whether or not a given person gets a round trip is not relevant to the equation. If a person can save 12 minutes one way, that's 12 minutes saved regardless of whether they also save 12 minutes on the return trip.

[@MilesinTransit]

@@OntarioTrafficMan I dunno if 12 minutes is gonna make a huge difference on a 5+ hour trip, especially when it means several towns just don't get service (I know there's a Blue Water an hour later, but it's still one fewer trip on what is still a very infrequent service). And if there's an express trip inbound, I'd expect there to be one outbound too - it'd be pretty silly to have express trains only in one direction on a commuter rail system, for example.

[@OntarioTrafficMan]

​@@MilesinTransit I travel frequently between Toronto and Ottawa, which takes 4h10 to 4h45 depending on the trip (9-10 trains per day) and on days where I don't have a particular need to travel at a particular time, I just pick the fastest trip. So the fact that different trains have different stopping patterns definitely does make a diference for people with less preference for a specific time. If all trains made all stops, there wouldn't be much advantage over the bus (many of which run non stop in as little as 5h10).

[@MilesinTransit]

@@OntarioTrafficMan But that's 9-10 trains a day, not 3-4.

[@whsxc12]

In all fairness Stamford and New Haven are on the up and up and actually are cool towns to visit, the rest, yeah they need some work

[@Jonathannovak1]

One day, try making a tiny little corner opening to really pressurize the cream cheese and put it on in thin ribbons like Toaster Strudel icing-style. Eager to hear your thoughts after using this technique.

[@jeffreysmith85]

The south shore new 2 track extension is done to Michigan city . No more street running

[@rwdavidoff]

It'd be great to (1) get some of the Chicago Hub Improvement Project fixes from south of Lake Michigan into Chicago, and (2) get much higher frequency on this.

[@atlutd_kyle]

I did this trip to and from Detroit in the same day last year

[@anthony3246]

You gotta ride the new borealis train!!

[@Josephcavagnaro]

5:48 @amtrak if you want to hire me & train me to drive a train.

[@JohnLumagui]

Is this a record number of bathroom reviews for a video? It seemed like a lot.

[@MilesinTransit]

Don't forget the Boston Diner Video!

[@tomewatson]

Miles must have had a lot to drink.

[@brentlangasmiller]

I've met [REDACTED] before in Philly. Good guy.

[@vette1]

I wonder when you'll do the maple leaf

[@EastBayTransit]

Ton of bathroom reviews in this video, probably the most out of all of your videos

[@MilesinTransit]

You forget that the Boston Diner Video exists!

[@3thyr3al]

5:30 holy shit spider war,,,

[@Cupertinorail]

I always wanted to take a trip on the Wolverine train and no engineer? If Amtrak actually hired me then stuff like this wouldn't happen and yes I am being sarcastic. On a more serious note the Wolverine is part of the "Fast Midwest trains" cohort

[@paulhealy2557]

As they have loop railway, there is a branch off the line you were on into Greenfield Village

[@kyramonnix1520]

Imagine living in a country with a decent train system. Not here lol

[@markkajc]

At least Amtrak has food on the train

[@kyramonnix1520]

@@markkajc mmm overpriced sponge bagel

[@CBs-Home-Vids]

Have you ever had any issues on getting the free drinks from business class? I take business class every two months and I've since stopped getting my drink because every single time I do, they have the absolute worst attitude like they really don't want to give you the free drink. It's so consistent that I just never want it anymore. I love business because it's less people/less noise from people coming and going, and I always go a far distance. Plus I get the seat to myself and nobody can interrupt my movie time.

[@MilesinTransit]

I'm pretty sure [REDACTED] did have to kinda negotiate with the cafe attendant to get the free drink here. I don't really ride Business Class enough to know how difficult it is on average though.

[@JimbobsTransportVideos]

a true POOR BID moment, wow im here early

[@dangelohartley5977]

0:32 I'm jealous y'all got a XD60 on the Fast Woodard!

[@MilesinTransit]

Is that a rare thing?

[@dangelohartley5977]

@@MilesinTransit The last time I went to Detroit, they were only operating 40ft buses on the FAST routes, plus both DDOT and SMART were short on bus operators which made it harder for me to find them. Hopefully I'll get redemption to find it and catch it when I return this year

[@jfmezei]

Your two friends have a serious disease called Pixelatoma. It causes total loss of one's personality. The good news is that it can easily be cured by playing with the settings in your video editor and removing the effect that causes this very serious disease !!!!!

[@history_leisure]

Abandoned offices? Lets make it TOD and add commuter rail on the line

[@soupbrina]

Miles in Transit South Shore Line review when???

[@MilesinTransit]

At some point, not this trip though!

[@chibivesicle9612]

waiting for a review of the lincoln service in the future! yes, it does have the new venture cars but the 4 trains a day plus one texas eagle for a total of 5 is pretty damn good for the states.

[@Hale444]

I'd like to see more suburban sprawl.

[@Hale444]

Also this is some Greyhound level of organization not having someone to drive the train.

[@Hahlen]

POOR BID

[@OneGina83]

No he didn’t say short staffed. Hope my upgrade bid works in July.

[@GraniteJet]

20:26 - The best part of Indiana