Scoop: Amtrak, MDOT eye Michigan Central for new train, bus station
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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.
Between the lines: The potential for a combined bus and rail station at Michigan Central makes more sense after previous plans for a multimodal facility in New Center stalled in January 2024.
- The fate of the city's Greyhound station near the Lodge Freeway is also unknown, while other big cities are seeing stations close altogether.
- The MDOT-owned station at 1001 Howard St. isn't among the Greyhound hubs nationwide that closed and relocated in recent years after being bought by an investment firm.
Flashback: The last train left Michigan Central in 1988, bound for Chicago.
- At its peak in the 1940s, more than 4,000 passengers used the train station daily.
State of play: MDOT is central to the plans, because Amtrak's service in Michigan is operated under a contract with the state agency.
- "MDOT continues to work in partnership with the city of Detroit and Michigan Central to explore a potential, new multimodal facility on Michigan Central's campus," MDOT spokesperson Michael Frezell wrote to Axios in an email.
- Ford and the City of Detroit did not respond to our requests for comment on Friday.
What's next: Next week, MDOT and a team of consultants will begin a "service development plan" for Amtrak's Wolverine, Blue Water and Pere Marquette routes in Michigan, Frezell wrote.
- The proposed Chicago-Detroit-Toronto corridor would be an extension of the Wolverine line.