Michigan Central Station
2405 W. Vernor Hwy.
Opened 1913, replacing Third Street Station built in 1850
Number of station tracks: 11 through
Interlocked switches controlled as follows:
Fifteenth Street Tower: controlled the east end of the station
Twentieth Street Tower: controlled the west end of the station
Fort Street Union Depot
Fort St. and 3rd St.
Opened 1893
Number of station tracks: 6 stub
Interlocked switches controlled from Sixth Street Tower
Brush Street Station
Brush St. and Atwater Dr. (now occupied by Renaissance Center)
Opened 1882
Number of station tracks: 4 stub
Non interlocked switches controlled by switchtender
(Michigan Central Station)
Departures-Westbound
No. Name 1942 Dest. 1942 Time 1956 Time 1971 Time 227 Toledo 12:05 7 Motor City Special Chicago 12:30 315 11:59 351 11:30 pm 39 North Shore Limited Chicago 3:10 3:20 17 Wolverine Chicago 7:45 6:35 8:25 am 301 Toledo 8:00 203 Bay City 8:30 633 8:15 33 New Eng. Wolverine Chicago 8:35 41 Michigan Chicago 8:40 355 12:01 pm 12:10 pm 303 Ponce De Leon Cincinnati 11:25 11:00 am 75 Mercury Chicago 1:00 375 8:30 am 305 Toledo 1:10 1:10 23 Western Express Chicago 2:50 31 Twilight Limited Chicago 4:45 4:45 76 Mercury Cleveland 5:30 5:15 109 (Motor Train) Jackson 5:35 627 5:35 357 5:15 pm 361 Gr. Lakes Aerotrain Chicago 6:30 45 Number Forty-Five Chicago 10:30 207 Northerner Mackinaw City 11:00 337 10:35 307 Indianapolis Express Indianapolis 11:30 10:40 309 Royal Palm Cincinnati 11:45 11:35Arrivals-Westbound
No. Name 1942 Orig. 1942 Time 1956 Time 1971 Time 39 North Shore Limited New York 2:54 2:40 17 Wolverine New York 7:30 6:05 7:45 am 33 New Eng. Wolverine Boston 8:00 47 Detroiter New York 8:15 8:00 35 Fast Mail New York 12:45 335 12:30 5 (Motor Train) Buffalo 8:30 51 Empire State Express New York 9:55 9:35 351 10:05 pmDepartures-Eastbound
No. Name 1942 Dest. 1942 Time 1956 Time 1971 Time 58 Niagara Albany 2:55 358 3:20 40 North Shore Limited New York 4:35 2 (Motor Train) Buffalo 5:25 50 Empire State Express New York 8:30 8:30 52 8:30 am 44 New York Special New York 5:03 5:15 48 Detroiter New York 7:00 7:00 8 Wolverine New York 7:50 8:25 14 8:30 pm 10 Water Level Limited New York 8:50 364 9:35Arrivals-Eastbound
No. Name 1942 Orig. 1942 Time 1956 Time 1971 Time 58 Niagara Chicago 2:35 358 2:45 374 7:40 am 106 Grand Rapids 4:15 40 North Shore Limited Chicago 4:20 222 Toledo 5:10 302 Michigan Special Cincinnati 6:40 6:50 202 Northerner Mackinaw City 6:50 338 6:40 42 Detroit Night Exp. Chicago 7:10 304 Toledo-Detroit Exp. Indianapolis 7:30 7:40 16 Motor City Special Chicago 7:55 316 7:45 52 5:30 am 75 Mercury Cleveland 10:40 10:15 46 Mail Chicago 11:00 360 Gr. Lakes Aerotrain Chicago 12:20 76 Mercury Chicago 3:15 376 2:45 312 Ponce De Leon Cincinnati 3:50 4:05 208 Bay City 4:35 634 4:25 44 New York Special Chicago 4:50 4:50 8 Wolverine Chicago 7:35 8:00 14 8:00 pm 306 Toledo 8:00 7:00 228 Toledo 9:40 30 Twilight Limited Chicago 10:30 10:20 356 10:55 pmPassenger service retained by Amtrak in 1971.
Service from Detroit to Ann Arbor and Jackson was of a commuter nature, which continued until 1975 independent of Amtrak. Between 1975 and 1984, the state of Michigan sponsored Amtrak service over that segment.
(Michigan Central Station)
Departures
No. Name 1942 Dest. 1942 Time 1956 Time 1971 Time 20 Canadian Montreal 3:05 am 3:10 am 630 Toronto 5:00 am 38 Royal York Montreal 9:15 am 9:00 am 22 Overseas Montreal 5:00 pm 4:20 pmArrivals
No. Name 1942 Orig. 1942 Time 1956 Time 1971 Time 19 Canadian Montreal 3:00 am 3:00 am 635 Michigan Toronto 6:55 am 8:10 am 21 Chicago Express Montreal 2:35 pm 2:15 pm 629 Toronto 8:20 pm 37 Royal York Montreal 11:15 pm 11:25 pmPassenger service discontinued in 1967.
(Fort Street Union Depot)
Departures
No. Name 1942 Dest. 1942 Time 1956 Time 1971 Time 53 Great Lakes Limited Cincinnati 3:20 pm 3:05 40 9:30 am 20 Ambassador Baltimore 5:45 pm 6:20 pm 57 Louisville 11:45 pm 11:40 pmArrivals
No. Name 1942 Orig. 1942 Time 1956 Time 1971 Time 58 Louisville 7:30 am 7:20 am 19 Ambassador Baltimore 8:05 am 7:50 am 54 Great Lakes Limited Cincinnati 7:10 pm 6:45 39 4:50 pmPassenger service discontinued in 1971 with the creation of Amtrak.
Baltimore & Ohio trains operated via Pere Marquette, later Chesapeake & Ohio, between Detroit and Toledo. Between 1946 and 1964, Baltimore & Ohio trains instead used Michigan Central Depot, operating via New York Central between Detroit and Toledo.
(Fort Street Union Depot)
Departures
No. Name 1942 Dest. 1942 Time 1956 Time 1971 Time 101 Bay City 12:10 3 Grand Rapids 8:35 11 8:30 am 8:15 am 103 Bay City 8:50 46 Sportsman Phoebus VA 5:05 6:10 pm 1:30 pm 7 Grand Rapids 5:10 15 5:05 pm 5:40 pm 9 Resort Special Petoskey 9:00Arrivals
No. Name 1942 Orig. 1942 Time 1956 Time 1971 Time 10 Resort Special Petoskey 7:30 47 Sportsman Phoebus VA 7:45 7:55 am 11:59 am 4 Grand Rapids 4:00 14 10:40 am 11:05 am 104 Bay City 4:05 6 Grand Rapids 8:20 12 8:05 pm 6:10 pm 106 Bay City 9:15Passenger service discontinued in 1971 with the creation of Amtrak.
(Fort Street Union Depot)
Departures
No. Name 1942 Dest. 1942 Time 1956 Time 1971 Time 452 Mansfield 12:45 pm 68 Red Arrow New York 5:50 pm 4:50 106 Pittsburgh 11:55 64 10:30Arrivals
No. Name 1942 Orig. 1942 Time 1956 Time 1971 Time 105 Pittsburgh 7:25 65 7:40 69 Red Arrow New York 8:15 am 8:40 117 Pittsburgh 7:55 pmPassenger service discontinued in 1959.
(Fort Street Union Depot)
Departures
No. Name 1942 Dest. 1942 Time 1956 Time 1971 Time 201 Mid City Express Fort Wayne 12:15 1 St. Louis Special St. Louis 8:25 7:50 301 7:15 am 7 Red Bird Chicago 5:00 3 St. Louis Limited St. Louis 8:30 8:20Arrivals
No. Name 1942 Orig. 1942 Time 1956 Time 1971 Time 44 Mid City Express Chicago 7:35 2 Detroit Limited St. Louis 8:10 8:00 8 Red Bird Chicago 3:00 4 Detroit Special St. Louis 10:00 8:30 304 8:35 pmPassenger service discontinued in 1971 with the creation of Amtrak, last train was the Wabash Cannonball.
In later years, trains 1 and 4, later trains 301 and 304, carried their more famous name, the Wabash Cannonball. Trains between Detroit and Chicago operated via Pennsylvania Railroad west of Fort Wayne.
(Brush Street Station)
Departures
No. Name 1942 Dest. 1942 Time 1956 Time 1971 Time 19 Durand 9:20 am 4:45 169 12:08 pm 21 Muskegon 1:40 pm 1:40 pm 34 Port Huron 3:15 pm 165 Mohawk Chicago 4:30 pm 75 Birmingham MI 4:30 pm 5:05 995 5:00 pm 77 Pontiac 5:20 pm 5:25 997 5:30 pm 79 Pontiac 6:10 pm 6:10 999 6:00 pm 57 Muskegon 11:15 pm 11:15 pmArrivals
No. Name 1942 Orig. 1942 Time 1956 Time 1971 Time 76 Birmingham MI 5:50 pm 70 7:35 994 7:30 am 22 Muskegon 7:35 am 7:45 am 72 Pontiac 8:00 am 8:10 996 8:00 am 74 Pontiac 8:40 am 8:40 998 8:30 am 54 Durand 8:50 am 9:30 168 4:53 pm 56 Muskegon 5:45 pm 6:00 pm 35 Port Huron 9:30 pm 164 Mohawk Chicago 11:00 pmIntercity passenger service discontinued in 1971 with the creation of Amtrak.
Commuter rail service between Detroit and Pontiac discontinued in 1983, after losing its support from the Southeastern Michigan Transportation Authority (SEMTA).
Michigan Central Depot
The urban decline of Detroit has resulted in many abandoned buildings. The Michigan Central Station for many years had been possibly the most symbolic of the abandoned buildings, as this Web site shows.
The Fabulous Ruins Of Detroit
Link to another fascinating Web site, about the decline of a great city, which hopefully can reemerge as one of America's great cities.
Michigan Central Station (Wikipedia)
Michigan Railroads/Wayne County
Links to some interesting Web sites containing further historical information on Detroit's stations and railroads.
The Michigan Central Station has remained standing, abandoned for many years after it closure as a station in 1988. In 2018, Ford Motor Co. acquired the building for restoration and development.
Fort Street Union Depot was closed in 1971 with the creation of Amtrak, and was demolished in 1974.
Brush Street Station was demolished during the 1970's to make way for the Renaissance Center, which now occupies that location. A modest station was built to the east, at the southeast corner of St. Antoine St. and Franklin St. That station served the SEMTA commuter trains until their discontinuance in 1983.