I’ve been to Lollapalooza in Chicago for the past two years, and each time, I’ve gone via the Amtrak route from Grand Rapids to Grand Central Station. I love taking the train. It’s convenient, cheap, and efficient. It’s a shame there aren’t more passenger routes around the state, let alone around the country, when you compare our trains to somewhere like England, where taking the train is part of everyday life.
However, after years of trying, a new passenger route could be added to our state for the first time in decades. Even more exciting? This route is going north.
⬇️SEE EARLY 1900s TRAIN WRECKS⬇️
Current Train Routes
Currently, Michigan has three passenger train routes, the Wolver Service, Blue Water, and Pere Marquette lines, all of which run east to west across the state. While getting to Chicago isn’t an issue, the passenger routes only provide transportation across a small part of the Great Lakes State.
However, progress has been made by the Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities to add a passenger rail service to a pre-existing State-owned freight route. The route, currently known as the Great Lakes Central Railroad, connects Ann Arbor to Traverse City and Petoskey, a 240-mile stretch through Mid-Michigan.
The route would need to be updated for passenger train use, according to Carolyn Ulstad, the Groundwork Transportation Program Manager. A 2018 study estimates production costs from $200 to $800 million. With this in mind, this project is still a way out from reality but estimates are putting this as early as 2030.
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