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
11 December 2024
- Glenwood Springs City Council reviews Uinta Railroad case, talks environmental concerns - Glenwood Springs Post Independent
- Carload Considerations: Will pricing above inflation work indefinitely? - TRAINS Magazine
- Railroad to sweep Lawrence property where many people moved after Amtrak camp closure, despite city’s objections - The Lawrence Times
- Railroad bridge in Stratham will take two weeks to repair after fire - WMUR Manchester
- Missing in Western North Carolina since Helene: The sounds of freight trains - Raleigh News & Observer
- Here’s why Colorado communities are opposing a proposed Utah railroad at the U.S. Supreme Court this week - The Denver Post
- University of Houston historian breaks down East End’s well-known railroad track dangers - KPRC Click2Houston
- Salem roadwork to remove unused railroad tracks prompts traffic detours - WSLS 10
- Railroad to invest $2.9M for project on South Side - Youngstown Vindicator
- Concrete falls from East Baltimore railroad bridge, injuring driver, fire officials say - CBS Baltimore
- Railroads, Regulators and Labor Partners Unite for Safety - Union Pacific
- Through Song and Railroads, Silkroad Retells the Story of the U.S. - Sojourners
- How the Supreme Court viewed Colorado's challenge to a Utah oil railroad — and what could be next - Colorado Newsline
- Teamsters at Three Railroads Ratify Contracts - International Brotherhood of Teamsters
- G&W Launches New Railroad in Alberta - Railfan & Railroad Magazine
