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
- Kansas railroads are getting safer, officials say - KAKE
- Panel: Railroads have questions, skepticism about zero emissions - TRAINS Magazine
- Nevada Northern Railroad Buys ‘Doodlebug’ Rail Car - Railfan & Railroad Magazine
- AI dungeon master for DnD railroads players - Wargamer
- News US transport chief slams rail carriers for retaliation against critics - theloadstar.com
- Man arrested for OWI after driving on railroad tracks, narrowly missed being hit by train - WQOW TV News 18
- Rail News - Trump names Fuchs chair of STB. For Railroad Career Professionals - Progressive Rail Roading
- Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society acquires Pullman ‘Kitchi Gammi Club’ - TRAINS Magazine
- Carload Considerations: The pivot to improvising - TRAINS Magazine
- FRA issues Q3 2019 PTC status report; progress continues - Mass Transit Magazine
- Kelly, Thompson introduce Short Line Railroad Tax Credit Modernization Act - Mike Kelly
- Strategic Investment in Evertrak, a North American Composite Railroad Tie Manufacturer - PR Newswire
- Sumitomo Invests in Evertrak's Revolutionary 50-Year Composite Railroad Ties Made From Recycled Plastic - StockTitan
- Federal funding secured to eliminate dangerous rail crossings - Alexandria Echo Press
