There are many cities in Michigan served by the nation's passenger rail service Amtrak. From the largest, Detroit and Grand Rapids, to the quite small Bangor in the southwest corner of the state.
But could Amtrack's service map of Michigan have been better designed?
That's the question that's been posed by the YouTube channel Trains Are Awesome which previewed Michigan's Wolverine line as a jumping off point for how Michigan could have been serviced better by passenger trains.
The Wolverine Line: Michigan's Passenger Rail Backbone
The Wolverine serves thirteen Michigan cites. From west to east: New Buffalo, Niles, Dowagiac, Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, Albion, Jackson, Ann Arbor, Dearborn, Detroit, Royal Oak, Troy and Pontiac.
The Wolverine Line is funded by the state of Michigan - despite running also through Indiana and Illinois. Trains are Awesome critiques the service postulating that the Wolverine does not serve the Michigan population as well as it could.
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Critiquing the Current Schedule: Why Timing Matters
An example is the time of the first daily train. While it leaves Chicago before 7AM Central Time, it doesn't make Detroit until after noon, meaning, even if you hopped the train somewhere in Michigan, you're not getting to the key destination until half the day is gone.
How could the service be better for Michigan? The first daily trains could begin in New Buffalo or Kalamazoo which would allow for a morning run across the state.
Closing the Gaps: Connecting Grand Rapids and Detroit
Another area of improvement is connecting the line to Grand Rapids. While Michigan's second largest city is on Amtrak as the terminus to the Pere Marquette line which also runs to Chicago. Other than the Lakeshore-adjacent cities of Bangor (South Haven), St Joseph and New Buffalo, there's no other connection to Michigan.
The solution here would be to have a branch of the Wolverine line run between Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo which would open up a GR to Detroit train connection which currently doesn't exist.
Another branch could run to Toledo, branching off from Dearborn and connecting via the Detroit airport.
👇🏼BELOW: This is Every Amtrak Station in Michigan👇🏼
Check out the full deep dive into Michigan Amtrak service on the Wolverine line.
It's also worth noting that north of Grand Rapids, Lansing and Port Huron there is is no passenger train service to Northern Lower Michigan or the Upper Peninsula.
This is Every Amtrak Station in Michigan
Gallery Credit: Eric Meier
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Gallery Credit: Eric Meier
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