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Train Travelers Headed Out For The Holidays

ROYAL OAK (WWJ) - Hundreds of Metro Detroiters are "on track" to get home for the holidays.

Travelers departing from the Amtrak station in Royal Oak on Thursday were off to far-flung holiday destinations you might not expect by train.  Talking to WWJ Newsradio 950's Ron Dewey were those headed to Arkansas, Wisconsin, Colorado and New Mexico, just to name a few.

Even if it takes a little longer than air travel, they say they enjoy the unique experience of traveling by rail.

"We've got ourselves a big old sleeper car," one man said. "In Chicago we get on the California Zephyr, it's called I think? It's like a little hotel on a train and it's gonna be pretty cool. We're hoping for a little bit of that Hogwarts Express vibe, I suppose."

Catching the 6:25 a.m. Wolverine was a family with kids looking forward to riding the train down south to Grandma's house.

"It's fun because they have a café on there and I always like to go to the café to buy snacks and fruits and stuff," said one little girl.

Other travelers said they're looking forward to high-speed track upgrades, with work beginning next year.

Still, the car remains king. A majority of Michiganders traveling for the holidays, about 92 percent, will be driving themselves this season.

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