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
21 January 2025
- Etna train delay highlights growing problem: highly powerful railroad companies - NEXTpittsburgh
- Panel: Railroads have questions, skepticism about zero emissions - TRAINS Magazine
- Man arrested for OWI after driving on railroad tracks, narrowly missed being hit by train - WQOW TV News 18
- Incident in Buffalo County on railroad tracks - WEAU
- 'I thought we were making progress': Railroad's abrupt road closure sparks safety concerns - WKRC TV Cincinnati
- Avalon railroad crossings closing later this month - Times Daily
- Delaware County gets largest-ever federal roads grant to fix problematic railroad crossing - The Columbus Dispatch
- Lancaster County tourist railroad ordered to pay $211K in back wages, damages - ABC27
- Carload Considerations: The pivot to improvising - TRAINS Magazine
- House subcommittee schedules hearing on freight and passenger rail - TRAINS Magazine
- More than $4M to improve Railroad Crossing Infrastructure - WIBW
- AI dungeon master for DnD railroads players - Wargamer
- SMART-MD members ratify agreement with National Carriers' Conference Committee-represented railroads - Smart Union
- Rouzer named chairman of subcommittee on railroads, pipelines and hazardous materials - Carolina Journal
- Railroad Crossings Repairs In Anniston-Prepare for Detours - WEIS | Local & Area News, Sports, & Weather - weisradio.com
