Michigan Central Station

They may be able to influence the state tax credits but the federal standards are generally what govern these projects and likely worth a nearly equal amount. I don't get the sense at all that Ford is looking to do this project on the cheap.

I completely agree that the upper floors are a blank slate. That is not a problem at all, in fact it's probably an advantage. The exterior will remain intact from to bottom and I think we would both agree that the interior will be impressive to say the least.

gokeefe wrote:The pricing appears to include a federal historic preservation tax credit which is 20% of expenses on a certified rehabilitation. If Michigan has a state historic preservation tax credit they will get that as well. In Maine the state tax credit is 25%.

This is a major part of the reason why Ford is pursuing historic items. The certified rehabilitation standards basically require restoration of any trims and finishes deemed to be significant. In a building like Michigan Central Station it's basically floor to ceiling in all of the public spaces.

If it is true that they are in fact pursuing a historic preservation tax credit (which it appears at first glance they are) this is going to be one of the most astounding rebirths of an American train station ever undertaken. Basically the entire station will be rebuilt to near perfect condition.

Furthermore Ford wants it done basically "tomorrow" ...

The Wall Street Journal ran a major (start on page A1, continue inside on a full page) profile of Ford CEO Jim Hackett this morning. They didn't mention MCS in the text however they posed him inside the station for the profile pic. Something like that doesn't happen by accident. This is going to be a major part of Ford's corporate image going forward.

I am very pleased to see the resurrection of the Michigan Central station and hope that it can be part of the transportation picture for Detroit in the future. The Ford family has been interested in history for many decades and Henry Ford himself was the main force behind the creation of The Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village, two excellent facilities in suburban Dearborn. A few years ago a new Dearborn Amtrak station was build adjacent to the Greenfield Village grounds, replacing a flagstop platform that had existed near that same location. For those interested in railroad history, both venues have some excellent displays.
I think Henry would be happy with the recent events concerning the Michigan Central Station.

One thing worth noting, the new Dearborn station is 20 minutes west of downtown by car - not exactly conducive to a Corktown rail shuttle as some posters have envisioned.

Detroit News Jan 10th:
Ford to host winter festival at Michigan Central Depot

Ford will host a 10-day winter festival in front of the Michigan Central Depot from Jan. 18 through Jan. 27, the automaker announced Thursday.
...The outdoor event along Michigan Avenue will feature a 3D light show on the building, a night-time market, activities for all ages and a first-of-its-kind exhibition of train station artifacts....
The festival begins at 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Jan. 20. and 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. from Sunday through Thursday (except Jan. 20).

Detroit News Jan 11th:
Ford gives preview of recovered Michigan Central Depot artifacts
Items recovered include:
- Exterior Clock's metalwork
- Light fixture (bulb holders)
- Elevator Call buttons
(see article for photos)

Perhaps "coming soon" on Track 1 ...

DETROIT – More than 30 years after the last passenger train left Michigan Central Station, Ford Motor Co. and regional leaders are studying whether Amtrak service can return to the iconic building, Bridge Magazine has learned.

A $30,000 feasibility study commissioned by the Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority is underway and should wrap up by month’s end, and discussions are ongoing between Ford, the City of Detroit and other transportation officials, said Kyle Burleson, executive director for the Port Authority.
...
The news comes as Amtrak is considering restoring train service from Detroit to Toronto, which stopped in 1971. Service restoration was indicated as a future possibility in a line item in Amtrak’s annual grant request to Congress, as first reported in Curbed Detroit.
...
Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari said he couldn’t confirm discussions but issued a statement saying Amtrak is “exploring places it can modernize and expand its services and network.”

“A Chicago/Western Michigan-Detroit-Toronto corridor is one of the services where we see promise,” according to the statement.

Interesting to see this. I love the old station, but is it a good location today? It’s about two miles from downtown, which would be similar to terminating Chicago trains at the drawbridge near Chinatown or terminating New York trains in Jersey. People would absolutely flip out if that was the case.

That said, the current station is awful.

Also there are questions about transit. Detroit just built that streetcar from downtown to the current station.

Tadman wrote:Interesting to see this. I love the old station, but is it a good location today? It’s about two miles from downtown, which would be similar to terminating Chicago trains at the drawbridge near Chinatown or terminating New York trains in Jersey. People would absolutely flip out if that was the case.

That said, the current station is awful.

Also there are questions about transit. Detroit just built that streetcar from downtown to the current station.

It would be a huge upgrade in both station quality and location even if it's not perfect. Isnt there also talk of reviving rail to toledo?

Toronto.

Toledo would be good too, but yes, Toronto.

It’s too bad there aren’t many big destinations in Corktown or Mexicantown right now, because it would make perfect sense to send the next LRT Branch down Michigan Avenue to Vernor Highway. Maybe Ford would pay for some of it, if it went clear out to Dearborn.

Actually, there is talk about a Detroit-Toledo train once again. A consultant has said that such a service "could work" as long as it's faster that the Lake Cities was in 1995. There is a possibility that the route could be merged with the Ann Arbor-Traverse City train proposal. Here's an article concerning the proposal.

https://www.toledoblade.com/local/trans ... 0190329187" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It's interesting to see what having a partner like Ford has done for both Michigan Central and service proposals. In my mind it really speaks to the generally capital starved nature of Amtrak's existence. Understandable but nonetheless unfortunate.

Currently,There's NO active trackage going thru MCS,it is totally isolated NOW.
You have got to figure that some of the ROW that accessed MCS has been built over or otherwise encroached on
Figure on CRSA/CN/NS/CSX asking $$$$$$$$$ to reconnect MCS to the network from MiDOT and Amtrak.

Satellite maps and open railway maps show active tracks and ROW coming into the station from the West. To avoid a reverse move, tracks do need to be reconnected on the East side. Not every platform track appears to be in service. Also, there looks like a decent wye less than a mile west of the station.

Backshophoss wrote:Currently,There's NO active trackage going thru MCS,it is totally isolated NOW.
You have got to figure that some of the ROW that accessed MCS has been built over or otherwise encroached on
Figure on CRSA/CN/NS/CSX asking $$$$$$$$$ to reconnect MCS to the network from MiDOT and Amtrak.

No it isn't. It's immediately adjacent to the very-much-active approach to the Detroit River Tunnel. Nothing's encroached upon at all. We're talking about Detroit here. It's not like vacant land is scarce.

As for NS/CP/CRSA demanding funds, well-- Ford Motor is one of the biggest, if not *the* biggest, shipper on the US and Canadian rail systems. A fact I'm sure the folks in Norfolk, Jacksonville and Calgary are well aware of. If Ford wants this to happen, they're not going to start throwing obstacles in the way.