Rapid Central Station

Rapid Central Station (also known as the Transit Center) is an intermodal transit station in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan. It is operated by the Interurban Transit Partnership and serves as Grand Rapids' main city bus station as well as a station on the Silver Line bus rapid transit. It is located on Grandville Avenue between Cherry Street and Wealthy Street, and is the BRT's northern terminus. It is just yards north of the city's intercity rail station, the Vernon J. Ehlers Station, on Century Avenue.

Rapid Central Station
Location250 Grandville Ave SW, Grand Rapids
Michigan, United States
Coordinates42°57′29″N 85°40′21″W
Owned byInterurban Transit Partnership
Bus stands16 city bus, 4 coach, 1 BRT
Bus operatorsThe Rapid, Greyhound Lines, Indian Trails
ConnectionsVernon J. Ehlers Station (Amtrak)
Construction
Structure typeGround level
Disabled accessYes
History
Opened2004
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Out-of-system interchange
Holland
toward Chicago
 Pere Marquette
transfer at Grand Rapids
 Terminus

History

The station was built in 2004 at the cost of $22 million to serve as both a new bus station and a terminus for intercity coach routes such as Greyhound and Indian Trails. Greyhound moved its operations from 190 Wealthy Street SW on the corner of Grandville Avenue to be part of the intermodal station.[1] It was the first transportation center in the US to receive LEED certification.[2]

The year 2014 saw two major additions to the station. The Silver Line was completed in August[3] adding a platform to the space between the building's eastern entrance and the coach bays. Just two months later, the city's Amtrak station opened at its new location 100 yards south of the bus station.[4]

As Grand Rapids' major bus transfer point, the station features sixteen bays for city buses. Most bus transfers are made on the central platform, while access to the BRT and the Greyhound/Indian Trails coaches is from the station building to the west.

An information desk and ticket counter for the Rapid is located inside the station building, along with similar facilities for Greyhound services. There is also a small snack shop, cafe and vending machines. Outside of information desk hours, ticket machines inside the building or on the central platform dispense any Rapid tickets that cannot be purchased on the buses, such as monthly passes or BRT fares.

Local service

Service operates based on a mass arrival and departure system known locally as the "line-up". The regular routes 1-16 and 18 all operate around the framework of quarter-hourly arrivals and departures. On weekdays, major routes depart at :15 and :45, while others depart at :00 and :30 during the day before reverting to :15 or :45 timings in the evenings. Incoming buses are scheduled to arrive around 7–10 minutes prior to their scheduled departure.

The final "line-up", or departure, of the day is delayed until all participating buses have arrived and any transferring passengers have reached their desired vehicle.

Rapid bus routes serving Central Station (as of August 29, 2016)[5]
Frequency
Number Route Destination M-F Sat Sun Notes
SL Silver Line 60th Street Park N' Ride 10-30 30 60 Local service (Wealthy-54th) provided by Route 1.
1 Division 54th Street Meijer 30 30 30
2 Kalamazoo Kentwood City Hall 15-30 30-60 30 15-minute service only to 28th Street Meijer
Interlined with Route 9 on Saturdays
3 Madison Hope Network 30-60 60 none
4 Eastern Gaines Twp Meijer 15-30 30-60 60 15-minute service only to 28th Street
Interlined with Route 6 on Saturdays and Route 9 on Sundays
5 Wealthy/Woodland Woodland Mall (Kentwood Station)
Peak extension to 33rd/Patterson		 15-60 60 none 15-minute service only to Breton Village
Interlined with Route 15 on Saturdays
6 Eastown/Woodland Woodland Mall (Kentwood Station) 15-30 30-60 60 Interlined with Route 4 on Saturdays
7 West Leonard Meijer (Standale) 15-60 60 60 Interlined with Route 15 on weekdays
8 Grandville/Rivertown Crossings Rivertown Mall/Meijer 15-60 60 60 15-minute service only to Goodwill
9 Alpine Alpine Walmart 15-30 30-60 60 15-minute service only to Greenridge Mall
10 Clyde Park 54th St. Meijer 30-60 60 60 Interlined with Route 16 on Sundays
11 Plainfield Plainfield/Elmdale 15-30 60 60
12 West Fulton Standale Meijer 30-60 60 none Interlined with Route 13 during Weekday mid-day
13 Michigan/North Fuller Michigan Veterans Facility 30-60 60 none Interlined with Route 12
14 East Fulton Leonard/Ball 30-60 60 none
15 East Leonard Knapp's Corner 15-60 60 60 Interlined with Route 7 on weekdays and Route 5 on Saturdays
16 Wyoming/MetroHealth MetroHealth 30-60 60 60 Interlined with Route 8 on Saturdays and Route 10 on Sundays
18 Westside Lake Michigan at Covell 30-60 60 none
100 Ferris State Express Ferris State University 4 trips none none No schedule when no college classes

Inter-city service
Long distance routes serving Grand Rapids at Central Station
Service Number Cities from Cities to Notes
Amtrak 370 Chicago IL, St. Joseph/Benton Harbor, Bangor, Holland
Amtrak 371 Holland, Bangor, St. Joseph/Benton Harbor, Chicago IL
Greyhound 4588 Detroit, Southfield, E. Lansing, Lansing Muskegon
Greyhound 4590 Detroit, Southfield, Ann Arbor, Jackson, E. Lansing, Lansing Muskegon
Greyhound 4591 Lansing, E. Lansing, Southfield, Detroit
Greyhound 4592 Detroit, Southfield, E. Lansing, Lansing
Greyhound 4593 Muskegon Lansing, E. Lansing, Southfield, Detroit
Greyhound 4595 Muskegon Lansing, E. Lansing, Jackson, Ann Arbor, Southfield, Detroit
Indian Trails 24 Chicago IL, Gary IN, Benton Harbor Lansing, E. Lansing, MSU, Perry Jct, Flint, Saginaw
Indian Trails 31 Lansing offers timed transfer from Bay City, Saginaw, Flint, Owosso
Indian Trails 33 Flint, Perry Jct, E. Lansing, Lansing Kalamazoo, WMU, Benton Harbor, Gary IN, Chicago IL Amtrak Thruway route 8555 from St. Ignace, Mackinaw City, Cheboygan, Alpena, Tawas City, Bay City, Saginaw transfers at Flint
Indian Trails 80/82 (82) Kalamazoo (80) Rockford, Cedar Springs, Howard City, Morley, Stanwood, Big Rapids, Reed City, Cadillac, Manton, Kingsley, Traverse City, Charlevoix, Petoskey, Alanson, Pellston, Mackinaw City, Sault Ste. Marie Amtrak Thruway 8364
Indian Trails 81/83 (81) Sault Ste. Marie, Mackinaw City, Pellston, Alanson, Petoskey, Charlevoix, Traverse City, Kingsley, Manton, Cadillac, Reed City, Big Rapids, Stanwood, Morley, Howard City, Cedar Springs, Rockford (83) Kalamazoo Amtrak Thruway 8365
Indian Trails 86 Kalamazoo
Indian Trails 87 Kalamazoo Amtrak Thruway 8465
Indian Trails 93 Holland, South Haven, Benton Harbor
Indian Trails 94 Benton Harbor, Holland
Indian Trails 95 Holland, South Haven, Benton Harbor

Amtrak schedules:[6]
Indian Trails schedules:[7]
Greyhound schedules:

References
  1. "Greyhound Relocates Facility in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to Downtown Intermodal Transportation Center". www.greyhound.com. Greyhound. September 14, 2004. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  2. "Past, Present and Future Converge to Ride the Rapids at Transit Facility". www.dcd.com. Design Cost Data. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  3. "Grand Rapids launches $40 million rapid bus system". www.washingtontimes.com. Washington Times. August 25, 2014. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  4. "Vern Ehlers 'a true statesman,' says Sen. Carl Levin at new Amtrak station's opening". www.mlive.com. MLive. October 27, 2014. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  5. "System Map". Archived from the original on 22 November 2011. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  6. http://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/8/305/Michigan-Service-Schedule-102714.pdf
  7. webstore.indiantrails.com https://web.archive.org/web/20141103073150/https://webstore.indiantrails.com/schedules.asp. Archived from the original on 2014-11-03. Missing or empty |title= (help)

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