Amtrak, MDOT eye Michigan Central for new train, bus station

**Airforceguy** · February-07-25, 07:54 PM

Amtrak officials and local and Canadian transportation officials toured Michigan Central Station late last year to discuss the possibility of a new multimodal station on the revitalized train depot's campus, Axios Detroit has learned.
Why it matters: A new Michigan Central station would fit with a proposed Chicago-Detroit-Toronto corridor, Amtrak spokesperson Marc Magliari tells us.

It's unclear exactly where on the campus the facility would be located.

When the depot reopened on June 6, Michigan Central CEO Josh Sirefman told reporters that discussions were underway regarding the potential return of passenger rail.

However, he stated, "I don't think there's any situation in which the building will resume its former function as a station in that sense, but we believe there are real opportunities to establish passenger rail in the future."

What they're saying: Michigan Central hosted a group that included Amtrak, state officials and VIA Rail Canada late last year after the train depot's grand reopening, the culmination of Ford's six-year restoration process.

"Amtrak leaders are excited about Ford Property's suggestion of a multimodal station planned on the Michigan Central campus," Magliari wrote to Axios in an email Thursday. "There is much interest by the city of Detroit and Transport Canada officials, too."

Zoom out: The city's revitalization in recent years has highlighted its public transit shortcomings, which local leaders have been trying to solve for years.

Michigan Central could be a key piece of the puzzle as the city searches for long-term solutions.

https://www.axios.com/local/detroit/...in-bus-station

**stasu1213** · February-07-25, 08:45 PM

Make sense

**MichaelAnthonyVideos** · February-07-25, 10:33 PM

I hope it goes through

**Richard** · February-07-25, 10:35 PM

That’s why the hub at the fairgrounds was funded,you guys are there ,so if the fairgrounds transportation hub was designed for that line,how does MTS fit in?

**Jimaz** · February-08-25, 08:19 AM

Michigan Central Station could again be transportation hub in Detroit

Both Amtrak and the Michigan Department of Transportation have toured Michigan Central Station and are looking into possible transit options, officials say.

**MichaelAnthonyVideos** · February-08-25, 08:32 AM

it's silly that the city just added an actual bus route to the airport in 2024. Third world city's have had that for a century.

**stasu1213** · February-08-25, 09:33 AM

Originally Posted by MichaelAnthonyVideos

it's silly that the city just added an actual bus route to the airport in 2024. Third world city's have had that for a century.

City leaders and planners had third world mentalities for years when it came to mass transit. The region had relied on SMART which had a route that traveled to the airport from downtown Detroit. However, it wasn't an express bus, ran once every hour, and stopped at every Smart bus stop along the way. There was a plan to have a shuttle train that would utilize the track when Amtrak wasn't scheduled to run through town. This was during the Granholm administration. That plan was shot down weeks before operation. Whitmer campaigned on fixing the damn roads. Sadly she ignored Michigan's need for having a darn mass transit system at least through the southern region

**Burnsie** · February-08-25, 12:21 PM

Originally Posted by stasu1213

There was a plan to have a shuttle train that would utilize the track when Amtrak wasn't scheduled to run through town.

?? The tracks to the airport are a completely separate line from the Amtrak route. Unless you meant they intended to run a shuttle bus 5 miles down Merriman Rd. from the Amtrak line to the airport?

"Axios Detroit has learned", lol. That tour last year was reported on the FRA's Twitter feed when it happened. Any Amtrak operation at the MC Depot campus will likely be confined to a small structure out back, with no use of the historic passenger spaces. Like the Pittsburgh and Indianapolis setups where hotel guests but not passengers get to use the old waiting room. They're only talking about relocating one round trip from the New Center station to the Windsor routing.

**MichaelAnthonyVideos** · February-08-25, 12:59 PM

Originally Posted by stasu1213

City leaders and planners had third world mentalities for years when it came to mass transit. The region had relied on SMART which had a route that traveled to the airport from downtown Detroit. However, it wasn't an express bus, ran once every hour, and stopped at every Smart bus stop along the way. There was a plan to have a shuttle train that would utilize the track when Amtrak wasn't scheduled to run through town. This was during the Granholm administration. That plan was shot down weeks before operation. Whitmer campaigned on fixing the damn roads. Sadly she ignored Michigan's need for having a darn mass transit system at least through the southern region

From everyone that I have spoken too, I believe it's the Big Three that lobbied against any mass transit. Mayor Archer proposed a plan for inner city trains like NYC and Chicago has but of course it never went through. The plan included using existing tracks.
If you look up Mexico City, they have a subway that goes to their airport from their downtown area.

**missn** · February-08-25, 06:59 PM

Detroit took the moniker "Motor City quite" seriously. Every worker could afford a small house and a car of their own. The spatial design of Metro Detroit was built to accommodate the auto we took the moniker Motor City literally. And the animosity between city and suburbs and their own separate transit systems is absurd. Even Cleveland has Rapid Transit between their downtown and airport.

That said, I would love to see
trains back at the Michigan Central!

**MichaelAnthonyVideos** · February-08-25, 10:03 PM

In my opinion, that Amtrak station we have now is ridiculous. Toledo has a bigger train station than that.

**MichaelAnthonyVideos** · February-08-25, 10:06 PM

Cleveland just got a $130 million grant to replace upgrade it.

**stasu1213** · February-08-25, 11:59 PM

Originally Posted by missn

Detroit took the moniker "Motor City quite" seriously. Every worker could afford a small house and a car of their own. The spatial design of Metro Detroit was built to accommodate the auto we took the moniker Motor City literally. And the animosity between city and suburbs and their own separate transit systems is absurd. Even Cleveland has Rapid Transit between their downtown and airport.

That said, I would love to see
trains back at the Michigan Central!

Los Angeles has more cars on their freeways than Detroit and is more car centric

**stasu1213** · February-09-25, 12:11 AM

I looked at an old brochure on Detroit dated 1917. Michigan had trolley lines that went ss far west to Grand Rapids, North to Flint, and East to Port Huron. I guess all of it changed around the 1930s. I had went to meetings in the late 90s held by TRU. The idea of using Amtraks tracks was planned. I don't think Governor Whitmer is going to focus on improving mass transit and probably don't really care to. It's going to take a Governor who's not supported mostly by the big 3 who will take mass transit seriously.

**Burnsie** · February-09-25, 09:43 AM

Originally Posted by stasu1213

Los Angeles has more cars on their freeways than Detroit and is more car centric

LA naturally has more cars on its freeways when the metro population is 18.3 million. Detroit metro population is 4.4 million. And LA has some commuter trains, Detroit has zero.

**Zads07** · February-10-25, 08:46 AM

It still is crazy to me that there isn't a train that connects Grand Rapids, Lansing and Detroit, let alone the airport and Detroit. It's not good for the metro area or the state to not have this kind of transit.

Let's hope that this is a start to getting more trains running in the state.

**MichaelAnthonyVideos** · February-10-25, 09:00 AM

Orlando has a commuter train too

**expatriate** · February-10-25, 04:06 PM

I wouldn't count on any Federal funding for any of these transportation projects for the next four years and little gets done without it.

**stasu1213** · February-10-25, 04:51 PM

Mass transit should had been a topic of discussion during the Gubernatorial debate between Gretchen Whitmer and Tudor Dixon. Dixon dropped the ball on that one and Whitmer has done little to make Michigan a more transit friendly state. She hasn't done much to make this state attractive to Millienials and Gen Zs especially those whom live in fire and earthquake ravaged California and high rent, subway flooding, rat infested New York

**royce** · February-13-25, 04:56 PM

I love the idea. It's unfortunate that, as a region, we can't improve mass transit, beyond busses. Young people under 30 don't have the desire nor the money to purchase a car, SUV, or truck. Many, especially college grads who are drowning in student debt, are moving to cities where getting around doesn't require an automobile. They walk, ride bikes, take an Uber, take the subway, take commuter rail, or el-train.

During the time that Detroit freeways were being built, the powers that be should have considered putting commuter rail down the middle of those freeways, if a subway system was deemed too expensive. Putting the trains in would have added to the costs of construction, but there would have been an alternative to travelling exclusively by car.

When MDOT re-did I-75, they should have considered putting a rail line down the middle of the freeway. I envisioned a rail line travelling from Great Lakes Crossing to the GM RenCen, with the rail line going under the proposed I-375 boulevard and continuing under Jefferson to the RenCen. This was before GM decided to move from the RenCen, but it still could be beneficial as it relates to stadium traffic.

I also would like to see a rail line from Detroit to Ann Arbor, but not along the I-94 corridor, but along the Fisher Freeway/I-96-M14 corridor, where the rail line would travel in the median of the three freeways and then travel underground along Main Street in Ann Arbor. It's expensive but consider how expensive it is to constantly re-do a freeway every 20 years. Think of the mess going on on I-696 right now. That's my two cents.

**MichaelAnthonyVideos** · February-13-25, 09:56 PM

Originally Posted by stasu1213

Mass transit should had been a topic of discussion during the Gubernatorial debate between Gretchen Whitmer and Tudor Dixon. Dixon dropped the ball on that one and Whitmer has done little to make Michigan a more transit friendly state. She hasn't done much to make this state attractive to Millienials and Gen Zs especially those whom live in fire and earthquake ravaged California and high rent, subway flooding, rat infested New York

The Big Three own Whitmer. We may never have regional light rail. We will be lucky if we get light rail to and from the airport.