New Buffalo has a new Amtrak station.  The crowd of nearly 100 people had to wait a little longer than expected for the first train to arrive.  It pulled up to the platform around noon on Monday, a little over a half hour late.

The new station will offer service along the Blue Water and Wolverine lines.  The Blue Water offers non-stop service between New Buffalo and Union Station in Chicago.  That train continues East to Niles, Dowagiac, Kalamazoon, Battle creek, East Lansing, Durand, Flint, Lapeer, and Port Huron.  The Wolverine line connects Chicago and Detroit, and continues on to Pontiac.  Other stops along the Wolverine route are Hammond, Michigan City, Niles, Dowagiac, Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, Albion, Jackson, Ann Arbor, Dearborn, Detroit, Royal Oak, and Birmingham.

"It saves on gas. It saves on time since I can get work done on the train. It hopefully will be a lot more convenient than the South Shore Line," said passenger David Bante.

"Bringing people to Southwest Michigan and in particular New Buffalo is just a great opportunity for all of us to really see some revenue in the state increase and we all want to see that in the state," said District 79 State Representative John Proos.

For more information, see www.amtrak.com.