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.
Photo info/credit: Canadian National track maintenance crews weld a rail repair at Tappan, near Port Huron. [Dan Meinhard]
Newsfeed from Google: Railroads
07 February 2023
- Amtrak train crews begin required training on Mobile-to-New Orleans route - WEAR
- Amsterdam to Venice by train: The best places to stop along the way and what to see - Euronews
- Germany's most scenic railroad line – DW – 02/06/2023 - DW (English)
- Rails to the Past: Exploring the Western Pacific Railroad Museum - CNET
- Parkersburg-Belpre railroad bridge owner plans repair of crack in pier - Parkersburg News
- Virginia Scenic Railway 'train ride felt like being on vacation,' woman says - CBS 6 News Richmond WTVR
- Huge Historic Locomotives and More at the Western Pacific Railroad Museum - CNET
- Smarter Railroad Tracks Are Boosting Train Safety And Efficiency - Forbes
- Railroads Riding High After Victory Against Workers - The Intercept
- AAR to T&I: ‘Railroads Bullish on 2023 and Beyond‘ - RailwayAge Magazine
- Where Does Rail Vision Ltd (RVSN) Stock Fall in the Railroads Field? - InvestorsObserver
- Ronald C. Hill, Noted Western Rail Photographer, Dies at 85 - Railfan & Railroad Magazine
- A railroad in the Valley - Marysville Journal Tribune
- What Railroads Are Saying About the Economy in 2023 - Barron's
- Railroad improvements coming to Lebanon | Lebanon ... - Lebanon Democrat
