MCS Preservation Society on Facebook - Train station news maybe?

[esp1986]

Of course it does.

If the place were turned into a viable business such as a restaurant or shops or even offices of some kind, there would be more incentive for Amtrak to have trains stop there again.

There's no reason for Amtrak to stop at a vacant hulk.

The problem was before, that the building was entirely reliant on trains, at a time when trains were at one of their lowest points in ridership, and Detroit was also at it's lowest point economically, the trains and ridership to Detroit just couldn't support the station anymore. There has long been talk of a Union Station serving Downtown, and the station in New Center is the smallest Amtrak station I have ever seen, a far cry from any other big city station. If they can find a viable use for the station other than trains, trains will eventually come back, because the infrastructure is already there to support it.

[kryptonite]

I thought Amtrak opted out of using older 'depots' almost 30 years ago with a long-term plan to build federally owned small handicapped accessible modernized stations such as the newer Detroit and Cleveland Amtrak stations and by 1985 Amtrak was the only tenant left in many old urban depots. I think they actually leased space in places such as MCS and the Terminal Tower in Cleveland, which costed them more revenue in the long run than owning smaller stations that would not even have to be open long hours considering trains are running maybe twice a day in many cities.

Plus Amtrak is high on the list of federal agencies to receive budget cuts, who knows what the future of rail transportation even is in this country.

[Meddle]

Too bad somebody couldn't jerk it out from under MM with Eminent Domain.

[Pushtina]

Maybe Maroun is finally going to announce his backing of the Michigan Central Station Water Park...

http://hubpages.com/hub/Michigan-Cen...tion-Waterpark

This could really compliment the awesome new ROOSEVELT skate park...

[bailey]

Maybe Maroun is finally going to announce his backing of the Michigan Central Station Water Park...

http://hubpages.com/hub/Michigan-Cen...tion-Waterpark

This could really compliment the awesome new ROOSEVELT skate park...

I hope they leave room for an indoor ski hill like the one in Dubai.

[iheartthed]

Too bad somebody couldn't jerk it out from under MM with Eminent Domain.

Honestly, it's probably safer under his ownership than under the city. If the city owned it Kilpatrick would have fed it to his demolition contractor campaign contributors years ago.

[esp1986]

Honestly, it's probably safer under his ownership than under the city. If the city owned it Kilpatrick would have fed it to his demolition contractor campaign contributers years ago.

He would have offered them twice the price of the demolition and taken a kickback for himself.

[Hypestyles]

Is it legal for Moroun's company to block off the roads going directly under the train tracks next to the station?

[mcsdetroitfriend]

Not his property, spoke to DIBC yesterday who didn't know about it. She called around and told me that Canadian Pacific owns the viaduct and the limestone or concrete has been falling off so the city blocked it off. CPR has a bid in and it should be cleaning and revamping that whole underpass.

We'll see

[BrushStart]

Not his property, spoke to DIBC yesterday who didn't know about it. She called around and told me that Canadian Pacific owns the viaduct and the limestone or concrete has been falling off so the city blocked it off. CPR has a bid in and it should be cleaning and revamping that whole underpass.

We'll see

I noticed that the road was blocked too. Hopefully, the road situation will add some pressure to the "let's finally do something with MCS" crowd at city hall. I'm not sure how well Matty will play ball, but there's a lot that could be easily done to make MCS look more like the respectable historical attraction that it is, and less like a giant looming monument to blight.

[mcsdetroitfriend]

Something for you guys to puzzle over...hopefully this is legible if not, there is a high resolution version on the facebook page.

[Richard]

How about if one looks at it this way with two parts one being the station on its own and the other being the building behind it.

The station,A board of volunteer citizens forms a oversee panel and through the use of other volunteers fundraising and cleaning painting restoration work etc. The station then becomes owned by the actual public and is supported by encouraging the trains and supporting shops etc to be there, the rents will be based on the costs of upkeep etc making it a non profit venture.

The rest of the back building, the top floors becomes a mix of apartments, condos or residential creating a cash flow, the middle becomes a nice but mid sized hotel,the rest is a mixed use supermarket,retail etc.

I lived in an area that probably holds the lock on theme parks and dated a girl whose parents built a $100,000,000 theme park it lasted 5 years and has been mothballed ever sense ,try and economically repurpose that, and they had the backing of an entire foreign country whos pockets were way deeper then this countries.

[marcwigle]

What is the name of the FB group... there are several.

Is this it?

http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=178565380054

[mcsdetroitfriend]

Michigan Central Station Preservation Society...black and white photo of the depot as the photo and about 2100 followers [[I'm on my phone otherwise I'd link you)

[Detroit2MeetU]

What's going on with this?? First Bing announces that there is big news on Flash Point in late December, and nothing comes of it. And I haven't heard anything else.

Anything new?

[mcsdetroitfriend]

What's going on with this?? First Bing announces that there is big news on Flash Point in late December, and nothing comes of it. And I haven't heard anything else.

Anything new?

Nothing that I've heard :-\ just tweeted him about it, we'll see what he says.

[DocTerry]

city reps were asked at the corktown area town hall meeting. they were very cagey, mentioned on-going litigation and said they couldnt discuss it.