Train Service May Soon Return to Michigan Central Station

The reopening of Michigan Central Station is just one more milestone in the road to recovery for Detroit.

The historic train depot sat empty for nearly 30 years before the Ford Motor Company bought the building and spent $90 million in restoration and redevelopment efforts. What could possibly come next?

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Hopefully, trains!

After celebrating the grand re-opening of Michigan Central Station in June 2024 as an office space and hub for startups and other companies, there is talk that Amtrak could once again restore train service to the Corktown depot.

The building was designed by architects who had also work on New York's Grand Central Station. The structure was dedicated in 1914 and in addition to the train depot there was a notable 13-story tower for office space. At the time Michigan Central Station was considered the tallest rail station in the world.

After declining passenger volume the last Amtrak train pulled out of Michigan Central Station on January 6, 1988 and the building went into disrepair-- until now. What was once a symbol of Detroit's decline is now a beacon of hope!

Amtrak Train Service to Resume?

According to Deadline Detroit the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is meeting with consultants to discuss the future of Amtrak in Michigan as,

...part of a broader effort to explore bringing passenger rail to Michigan Central Station campus and connect Detroit to Toronto by train.

Sources say Amtrak would not operate out of the Michigan Central Station building itself, but somewhere else on campus.

Either way, I'm excited at the possibility of the hustle and bustle of train service returning to the area just as it was meant to be. Curious though, will possible border and energy disputes with our neighbors to the north derail plans for a rail line connecting Detroit to Canada?