Today's Railroads in Michigan...
Railroads in Michigan are almost 200 years old, beginning in 1836 and reaching their peak in trackage about 1916. Since that time, each year has seen abandonments and reduced passenger and freight traffic, all coinciding with the deindustialization of Michigan's major cities and a move of passenger to airlines and automobiles. A majority of Michigan railroad lines have disappeared in the last 100 years.
Today, the railroad operations which are left generally fit into one of these six categories:
- Overhead freight/intermodal traffic from Sarnia to the Chicago area via the Port Huron tunnel and Battle Creek on the CN
- Overhead freight/intermodal traffic from Windsor through the tunnel and on NS trackage rights towards Chicago by the CP
- Automobile and auto parts traffic from the Detroit area to points southeast, south and west on the NS, CSX and CN
- Iron ore taconite transport from the Marquette iron range to docks and all-rail shipments to a few steel mills
- Unit trains of coal, grain and sugar beets to power plants, agri-businesses and sugar processing plants near Bay City
- Amtrak passenger trains to and from Chicago, Detroit, Port Huron and Grand Rapids
- The remainding branch lines throughout the state carry only 1-2 freight trains per day each way mostly on shortline railroads
This website is divided into two sections. Today's Railroads features current railroad operation including links to Michigan's operating railroads. The RRHX Railroad History section features almost 200 years of past railroads, from the establishment of the Erie & Kalamazoo railroad in 1836 to today.
Image info: Canadian National track maintenance crews weld a rail repair at Tappan, near Port Huron. [Dan Meinhard]
Newsfeed from Google: Railroads
News Feed - Railroads
18 September 2024
- Railroads and regulators must address the dangers of long trains, report says - The Associated Press
- Regulators scrutinize trends on second day of rail growth hearings - TRAINS Magazine
- Railroads say able to handle disruption from possible ILA port strike - JOC.com
- Bristow City Council rescinds decision on railroad crossing - 2 News Oklahoma KJRH Tulsa
- Railroads Love ‘Monster’ Trains. Texans Don’t. - The Wall Street Journal
- Historic Railroad Dining Cars Moving to Abilene - KSAL
- Columbia to get $3.2 million for railroad improvements - KOMU 8
- The Privatized US Rail System Is a Disaster. A New Report Makes Case for a Public Takeover - Common Dreams
- Chatham Co. looks to alleviate traffic problems caused by railroad crossing on President St. - WTOC
- Union Pacific’s BIG BOY To Pass Through On September 17th - inForney.com
- Feds should beef up freight train safety or risk derailments, report warns - New Jersey Monitor
- Railroads and regulators must address the dangers of long trains, report says - Nashua Telegraph
- Senators announce railroad tax credit upgrade - Central Oregonian
- Family Of Killed Pedestrian Sues Metra, Union Pacific Railroads - WLS
- Railroads and regulators must address the dangers of long trains, report says - ABC News
