| Rapid Central Station | |||||||||||
| Country: | Michigan, United States | ||||||||||
| Connections: | Vernon J. Ehlers Station (Amtrak) | ||||||||||
| Structure: | Ground level | ||||||||||
| Bus Stands: | 16 city bus, 4 coach, 1 BRT | ||||||||||
| Opened: | 2004 | ||||||||||
| Accessible: | yes | ||||||||||
| Mapframe: | yes | ||||||||||
| Mapframe-Custom: |
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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.
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 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 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 Indian Trails services. There are also vending machines. Outside of information desk hours, ticket machines on the central platform allow riders to reload fare cards.
Central Station is no longer served by Greyhound, which currently operates from a curbside stop adjacent to a Burger King restaurant at 410 Pearl St NW.
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.
| 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 |
| 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 | ||