Train station, parking deck considered for land next to Michigan Central

[Airforceguy]

This will be huge for the city and Corktown.





The presentation shows the transit hub could be built immediately south of a city-owned Department of Public Works yard. It says that Michigan Central, Ford’s nonprofit that operates the 30-acre Michigan Central campus, is “working with [[the) city to develop [[a) plan for DPW relocation and redevelopment [[of the site) as a new model of urban mixed-use communities.” Michael Frezell, a spokesperson for MDOT, told Crain’s in an email that the presentation is “very preliminary.”“While locating an intermodal facility at the Michigan Central campus is an option, we are still in the exploratory phase, and it is still too early in the process to determine an exact location,” Frezell said.

Funding for the project is “being worked out with MDOT,” said Sam Krassenstein, director of infrastructure for the city of Detroit. He added that the city is not directly contributing funding to the project, and that no official funding commitments have been received either at the state or federal level. It also hasn’t been determined how much would come from American and Canadian sources.“We’re still figuring out what we are trying to build here,” Krassenstein said.

The presentation was prepared in advance of a visit by Federal Railroad Administration officials to Detroit in mid-October. At the same time, Amtrak officials toured the Michigan Central property with Michigan and VIA Rail Canada officials, Amtrak spokesperson Marc Magliari previously told Crain’s.

Ultimately, the rail connection between Chicago, Detroit and Toronto is meant to, among other things, “link three major North American economic epicenters,” the presentation says, and address what it calls a “lack of Chicago-Detroit-Toronto rail service and limited transportation options between Michigan and Ontario.”

Officials estimate a cross-border ridership of some 66,500 in 2029, which would be the first year the connector would be in operation, under the most current timeframe. The October presentation expects things like environmental clearance to take place this year and to start finalizing funding and final design throughout next year. Construction would begin in 2027.
Krassenstein said Monday that those timelines are still the goals for the project.

"It's really exciting to see the whole idea of trains coming back toward the station into Corktown and try to connect a bunch of different things at once," Krassenstein said.

https://www.crainsdetroit.com/transp...chigan-central

[EASTSIDER BALDUCK]

This, I can endorse!

[Lowell]

I like the thinking of this. I've always thought the development of a Chicago-Detroit-Toronto rail nexus made a lot of sense and would benefit us by placing Detroit in the center instead of being somewhat of a dead end it currently is.

[Lapooty]

Another big part of this article that may get overlooked:

Michigan Central, Ford’s nonprofit that operates the 30-acre Michigan Central campus, is “working with [[the) city to develop [[a) plan for DPW relocation and redevelopment [[of the site) as a new model of urban mixed-use communities.”

That is a massive chunk of land that can be used for so many other better things now

[Zads07]

This is extremely exciting. The idea that train travel can come back to Corktown is just so cool.

Couple of notes: How do you get from the station to the CBD? That will be important to get public transport from the station to downtown.

I love the removal of the DPW yard and creating a neighborhood. It was also cool to see the DCFC stadium in the rendering.

Lastly, PLEASE give us a route from Detroit to Lansing to GR. The fact that these cities aren't connected is infuriating.

[DetroiterOnTheWestCoast]

An interesting proposal, but why have an “international platform?”

After all, we’re being told that a bad enemy is to our north.

[Honky Tonk]

An interesting proposal, but why have an “international platform?”

After all, we’re being told that a bad enemy is to our north.

No, we aren't being told that. That's just the libtard spin on what's going on.

[DetroiterOnTheWestCoast]

No, we aren't being told that. That's just the libtard spin on what's going on.

Oh, you hurts my fee fees by dredging up the “libtard” reference. I assume you’re the conservaconartist camp and like the conservaconvict.

[Vic01]

Politics Warning!!! please everybody hold off on these comments before things get so far off track that we end up with a good thread locked down, as has happened before

[Satiricalivory]

Another big part of this article that may get overlooked:



That is a massive chunk of land that can be used for so many other better things now

This is the best part. Always thought the land use there was ridiculous.

[K-slice]

When I toured Michigan Central the second day it was open I talked to some Ford/MC big wig who was sanding by the door, can't remember her name. One thing I asked her was what the plan was for DPW yard next door and she told me that they were in talks with the city to move it out and redevolp the space. Glad to see this is still part of the plan, and good to know it's been in the works for some time already since we know how long things can take when it involved government.

I hope that Ford has the insight to back the extension of the the streetcar [[F-Line maybe?) to the station at least. In my dream world it would go all the way to the Blvd then down to Riverside Park to turn around, but that'll probably stay in my dreams.

[mikeg19]

New rail/parking deck. Nice. Development of some 50 acres into new neighborhood + the new soccer venue. Much better.

Let's all be aware of the "still in exploratory phase" comment regarding this whole thing. It could still go off the rails..........

[stasu1213]

This is extremely exciting. The idea that train travel can come back to Corktown is just so cool.

Couple of notes: How do you get from the station to the CBD? That will be important to get public transport from the station to downtown.

I love the removal of the DPW yard and creating a neighborhood. It was also cool to see the DCFC stadium in the rendering.

Lastly, PLEASE give us a route from Detroit to Lansing to GR. The fact that these cities aren't connected is infuriating.

Loop busses or shuttle busses could transport people from the train station to CBD. Also the driverless shuttle could be used to transport people to the downtown midtown area as well

[Meddle]

Wait ....

They want to build a train station next to a .....




... train station?

[stasu1213]

Wait ....

They want to build a train station next to a .....




... train station?

It's no longer a train station.

[Airforceguy]

Detroit considers moving Corktown DPW yard to free up land for development

A 43-page presentation Crain’s obtained from a Freedom of Information Act request earlier this month said officials are discussing the possibility of turning the site — which is at Michigan Avenue and 19th Street — into “a new model of urban mixed use communities.” Immediately south of DPW yard would be used for a new Amtrak station and transit facility as well as an eight-story parking deck, as depicted in the plan prepared with input from Michigan Central, the city, the Michigan Department of Transportation and presented to Amtrak officials last fall.
But not so fast, said Sam Krassenstein, the city’s director of infrastructure. He described the conversations as “very early-stage planning” and there have been no formal decisions made for the site, which has a maintenance garage and salt dome, and materials for street paving, potholes, winter maintenance are all housed there.With Michigan Central Station and the neighboring former book depository redeveloped, a still-being-worked-out vision for a new transit hub and parking deck, a plan for a new Detroit City Football club soccer stadium nearby, new construction like the Godfrey Hotel and Perennial Apartments and several other new housing projects completed or under construction, it may make sense to relocate the city's facility elsewhere.

https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-e...-yard-corktown

[ABetterDetroit]

I’m just spit balling here. I don’t see Amtrak having a bright future with the maga party in control of gov. Certainly zero capital improvement funds for new stations at the very least.

[Meddle]

It's no longer a train station.

The railyard is still basically there and it would take a lot less effort to restore/rehabilitate the tracks along their original routes than to lay new.

[K-slice]

The railyard is still basically there and it would take a lot less effort to restore/rehabilitate the tracks along their original routes than to lay new.

The "railyard", or space where passenger platforms existed is there only in the sense that phyical space still exists in the universe. All the viaducts that carried the passenger loading rail sidings are long gone and Ford already has a plan for the area behind MC. It would take more work to add passenger service out back of MC VS a new station on the other side of Vernor. There many rails do still exist, no new viaducts would be needed, and it could be directly connected to a new garage.

[Burnsie]

Agree with most of those points, but the remaining viaduct originally carried 8 freight tracks vs. the 2 that remain, there'd be plenty of room to add a couple passenger tracks and platforms. Of course the bottom line seems to be that Ford doesn't want a small new rail/bus station in that spot, nor a parking ramp. Not sure if that new low white building behind the old station is a 2 level parking structure.

[bibs]

This train station will only serve passengers traveling to and from Canada. Amtrak has said that it would cause significant delays if the Wolverine line stopped at the Michigan Central Station. The Wolverine line runs from Pontiac to Chicago. The Wolverine train diverges from the tracks heading to MC at Junction Ave and Federal St and that line leads to current Detroit Amtrak station.
If I had a magic wand, I would make the Wolverine line go to MC, under Jefferson with a train station near downtown and then head north via the St Aubin Cut which is currently a bike path.

[Burnsie]

The plan would be to divert one Wolverine round trip to originate/terminate at Windsor and stop near the MC Depot. It would then go straight west to Dearborn & Chicago, not going up to the New Center or Pontiac.

Agreed that a lot of options were lost by never extending the Grand Trunk tracks at Brush St. to the tracks that ended at 3rd St. But they probably would've been torn out in the '50s anyway in the name of "urban renewal."

[Hypestyles]

travel to Canada would be nice.