Kalamazoo and the occasional mention in the National News

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Nothing major...

I just think it's fun when Kalamazoo pops-up in the national news from time to time (even if it' only a clause in one sentence).

Amtrak News - Boston Globe

The mention here is in reference to upgrades to the stretch of track from Kalamazoo to Niles that is completely owned by Amtrak (this is the only such length of track outside of the Northeast).

Several points:

1. Keeping up with Amtrak news over the years this stretch of track has come up several times, usually with regard to upgrades. I wonder, given that this stretch of track probably receives the lowest traffic of all the trackage owned by Amtrak, is it reasonable to suggest that Amtrak sees this as a test track for upgrades they'd like to implement on other stretches?

You could almost consider that stretch of track a latent asset in that it provides the occasional mention for the city of Kalamazoo (and Niles) adding to its visibility.

2. I also wonder whether it's just because I'm from Kalamazoo so I'm more inclined to notice it, or whether Kalamazoo seems to get a higher than average amount of National Attention for a city of its size.