DETROIT — Michigan Central Station, the long-abandoned rail facility revived last year by Ford Motor Co. as the centerpiece of an innovation district, could see trains again under an agreement announced today (Oct. 15, 2025).
The Michigan Department of Transportation, the city of Detroit, and Michigan Central, the company overseeing the innovation district, have agreed to a memorandum of understanding to begin developing a transportation hub for rail and bus transit on the Michigan Central campus near the historic station dating to 1913. That agreement commits $40 million for initial research and engineering for the project.
“Today’s MOU lays the foundation for a new multimodal transportation hub that will grow our regional economy, make downtown Detroit more vibrant, and connect residents and visitors to our communities,” Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a press release. Said Michigan Central CEO Josh Sirefman, “As Detroit’s innovation ecosystem grows at an unprecedented rate, our transit infrastructure must evolve alongside it, by linking entrepreneurs and companies to emerging innovation zones and the opportunities they unlock.”
The land designated for the multimodal hub is just west of the Michigan Central building, according to a map of the site, and is owned by Ford.
Amtrak indicated its support for the plan in a emailed statement, saying, “The development of an intermodal station on the Michigan Central campus aligns with long-term Amtrak goals to expand service with our partners at the Michigan Department of Transportation, including our work with VIA Rail and Transport Canada to restore an international connection between Chicago and Toronto through Detroit and Windsor.”
An Amtrak presentation calls for extending one or two daily Wolverine trains, which currently run between Chicago and Pontiac, Mich., from Detroit to Windsor, Ontario, providing a connection to VIA Rail Canada trains via CPKC’s existing Windsor tunnel. It also calls for a new joint border screening facility in Windsor and says it would expand service “with minimal capital investment.” The presentation says partners in the project include Michigan DOT, VIA, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, Conrail, Ford Land, and short line Essex Terminal Railway, which would have to make significant upgrades to its right-of-way to link the current Amtrak and VIA routes [see “Amtrak-VIA proposal …,” Trains.com, Nov. 13, 2023].
Amtrak trains could not travel to Windsor from the current Detroit station in the city’s New Center neighborhood without a backup move that would potentially add 20 to 30 minutes to their trip [see “Are trains in Michigan Central’s future?” Trains.com, June 8, 2024].
Crain’s Detroit Business reports in a paywalled article that the memorandum calls for engineering and environmental work to be completed by Oct. 1, 2026. An agreement covering actual development would then be signed, with a target of Oct. 31, 2028, for completion of design and construction, and Dec. 31, 2028, to open the new facility.
