Detroit-Windsor Amtrak Service: KCS Merger potential and Thruway Bus Discussion

The link below from a National Association of Railroad Passengers Blog says Amtrak and VIA are in discussions about a ‘bus bridge’ between Detroit and Windsor. They've agreed to pursue through ticketing and service could be up and running by the end of 2017.

https://www.narprail.org/news/blog/narp ... t-windsor/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Current connecting arrangement is a bit tedious but it does work:

A taxi all the way but you pay the taxi company a border surcharge for crossing. Or:

Windsor Transit loops through downtown Detroit every half hour. You would have to use a connecting transit bus on either end: Amtrak to the Tunnel Bus and Tunnel Bus to VIA.

http://www.citywindsor.ca/residents/tra ... tunnel.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And when looking at the above schedule.....you have to get a 'Southbound' bus if going from Detroit to Windsor. Canada is south of the USA here!

I played around on Amtrak's website and it appears to be there already. There are Thruway motorcoach stops for Windsor (WNO), London (LOB), and Toronto (TCT). The schedule is indeed pretty tough and the connection is via Dearborn. It looks like it's piggybacking on an existing Chicago-Toronto Greyhound service. It's a start.

Mackensen wrote:I played around on Amtrak's website and it appears to be there already......... It's a start.

That's been in the schedule for awhile. I think what is being proposed now is a direct bus link between stations. Get off Amtrak in the Detroit station and the bus is waiting to take you to the VIA Windsor station to board your train for London and Toronto.

NS:

I agree with you - Windsor Transit would be the most logical entity to offer connecting bus services between Detroit and Windsor with
dedicated runs of Tunnel Bus service across the US/Canada border. All would be needed is to extend certain runs to Walkerville for VIA
and to the Detroit Amtrak Station at the appropriate times to allow connections. This would be that easy...MACTRAXX

Just extend the new streetcar line under the river across to Windsor

dowlingm wrote:Just extend the new streetcar line under the river across to Windsor

See, I wondered about this once if Detroit ever had connecting trolley service across the border like Buffalo did with the International Railway Corporation, but I was told by a local historian that even though Detroit United Railways operated the trolley system in Windsor too, they only way to connect was with using a bus.

AgentSkelly wrote:

dowlingm wrote:Just extend the new streetcar line under the river across to Windsor

See, I wondered about this once if Detroit ever had connecting trolley service across the border like Buffalo did with the International Railway Corporation.

So did El Paso-Juarez with trolley service until 1974.

R36 Combine Coach wrote:

AgentSkelly wrote:

dowlingm wrote:Just extend the new streetcar line under the river across to Windsor

See, I wondered about this once if Detroit ever had connecting trolley service across the border like Buffalo did with the International Railway Corporation.

So did El Paso-Juarez with trolley service until 1974.

St. Stephen, New Brunswick and Calais, Maine had an International Streetcar service. You could connect between the Canadian Pacific (to Saint John & Montreal) in St. Stephen and Maine Central (to Bangor & Boston) in Calais.

http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg ... x?id=16274" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/border-st ... -1.1011362" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Oh yeah, other places had great local cross border transit service.

I think Detroit/Windsor was the only one that didn't have interconnecting service.

I wonder if there was cross-river Dinky service via the Michigan Central - there was definitely ferry service.

mtuandrew wrote:I wonder if there was cross-river Dinky service via the Michigan Central - there was definitely ferry service.

And a truck ferry to this day.

https://www.railwayage.com/passenger/tr ... sdot-smrt/

...
According to the report, STB’s decision “specifically said the deal would allow Amtrak to add passenger service on the KCS-owned line between Baton Rouge and New Orleans,” adding that the “agreements to allow Amtrak access to the Louisiana line and a CP-owned line between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, were conditions for approving the merger.”

AgentSkelly wrote: ↑Tue May 09, 2017 5:20 am Oh yeah, other places had great local cross border transit service.

I think Detroit/Windsor was the only one that didn't have interconnecting service.

I don't think Port Huron-Sarnia did either.