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
24 March 2025
- Nevada Backroads: Railroads in the movies - KTVN
- ICYMI: Two Local Railroad Crossings to Close for Annual CSX Maintenance - WYDaily
- Signage change implemented at railroad crossings in Dawson - WALB
- Traffic Alert, Railroad bridge repairs begin Monday - KWQC
- Three railroads selected for ASLRRA Business Development Awards - TRAINS Magazine
- Trial will decide if other companies will share cost of $600M East Palestine derailment settlement - WFMJ
- I’d Had Jobs Before, but None Like This - The Atlantic
- White House forces out CEO of passenger railroad Amtrak - Reuters
- Woman found dead near railroads in South Memphis - WATN - Local 24
- Look Back: ‘Old Jasper’ retired in 1928 after 53 years of railroad service - The Times Leader
- ‘The Land Grant to Build the Illinois Central Railroad’ to be presented at Mendota museum - Shaw Local News Network
- Pedestrian gates being installed Barrington, Illinois railroad crossing where teen died last year - CBS Chicago
- Railroad crossing construction to close multiple roads in York County, Pa. - WGAL Susquehanna Valley Pa.
- Moncks Corner railroad crossing reopens after deadly March 12 crash - WCBD News 2
- PHOTOS: Walmart truck overturns on railroad tracks - WREG NewsChannel 3
