KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO) -- Its not high speed rail, just Higher Speed rail and it’s coming to a track near you. The Federal Government has given Amtrak a green light to increase the top speed of trains running between Kalamazoo and Porter, Indiana from 95 to 110MPH. It is the only stretch of track outside of the eastern seaboard that is constructed to handle those speeds.
The rails have been upgraded, the crossing signals are timed and the trains can make the speed. The state has just received the federal funding to also upgrade the tracks to the east of Kalamazoo to Dearborn, so eventually it will also cut the trip to Detroit. It’s not a bullet train, but for now, it will shave 10-minutes off the trip to and from Chicago.
