Time Line - 2023

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• January 17. The Lake State Railway gives the Harrisville passenger station to the Alcona Historical Society. [True North Radio Network article]

• January 18. Diann tower, southwest of Dundee is torn down. This closure leaves four existing part-time towers operating in Michigan: Delray Short Cut Channel bridge in River Rouge (an operator job), CN International Bridge towers at Sault Ste. Marie, CSX St. Joseph Bridge and Norfolk Southern Rouge River Bridge in Detroit. The later three towers are bridgetender jobs, with signals operated remotely. [MRF-2023-3]

• March 15. The Surface Transportation Board approves the merger of the Canadian Pacific Railway with the Kansas City Southern Railway. The merger, which had been announced in December, 2021 was put in a trust, pending approval by the STB. Though this merger doesn't directly affect Michigan railroad operations, the CP does operate many through trains from Ontario to Illinois over trackage rights on the Norfolk Southern. The new firm will be known by the initials "CPKC". Click here for a link to the STB decision. [STB]

• March. Class 1 railroads have agreed to add about 1,000 wheel bearing and defect detectors on major railroad lines with a goal of having a detector every 15 miles. Current spacing is approximately every 40 miles. New thresholds for action are also being reviewed. This is in a response to a recent Norfolk Southern derailment in East Palestine, OH. {MRF-2023-04]

• March. Amtrak has been named one of America's Best Large Employers in a Forbes Magazine survey. Amtrak ranked 29th, second in the transportation category to Delta Airlines, which was 12th. The only other rail-related employer on the list was New York's Transportation Authority which was ranked 255th. Amtrak has 20,000 employees and hired 3,700 in 2022. The company has more than 4,000 positions available. [MRF-2023-04]

• June. The State of Michigan announces $19 million in railroad enhancement grants, awarded to 12 freight rail projects across the state. Grants provide 70% funding for projects. [MRC-2023-10]

• August. The Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society purchases the former Pleasant Lake, IN railroad depot. The society plans to raise money and restore the former Fort Wayne, Jackson & Saginaw depot which is just south of the Michigan state line. [FWRHS]

• August 11. Cleveland-Cliffs proposes to purchase United States Steel, in a cash and stock deal. If approved, this will make Cliffs the only U.S. owned steel company operating in the U.S. [Yahoo News]

• November 16. Westbound Amtrak train #355 derails at Three Oaks after striking an empty vehicle at Lakeside Road which was stalled on the grade crossing. The derailed cars remained upright. Eleven passengers were injured. [SJHP-2023-1128]

• December 8. The Biden administration provides grants to develop passenger rail between Detroit and Windsor, and three round trip passenger trains between Detroit, Toledo and Cleveland. The latter will apparently use the NS (former Wabash) line between Delray and Romulus (with a stop at DTW), and then south on the CSX between Romulus and Toledo.

• CSX begins using autonomous track assessment cars which are placed in freight trains. The cars measure gauge, rail profile, warp and track alignment. The data is sent in real-time to a vendor who flags anomalies and notifies the railroad for repairs. CN and CPKC also use similar cars. [MRL-2023-03]

Time line Key:

• Railroad event in Michigan
• Event relating to mining
• Event related to car ferries
• Event outside of Michigan
• Improvement in Technology
• Railroad built or extended
• Railroad abandoned and/or removed
• Economic panic or depression