Category Archives: Station locator

Station locator

Troy (TRM)

Troy Transit Center
1201 Doyle Drive  Troy, MI 48084

Photo by Larry Sobczak
Photo by Larry Sobczak

This station replaced the Birmingham Amtrak station (BRM) in October 2014.

100 20141014 Interior of Transit Center. Note MARP table left hand side, rear.
Photo by Steve Sobel.

This modern facility is located at the elbow curve of Doyle Drive which runs from W Maple Rd to Coolidge Highway in Troy. If approaching from W Maple, Doyle Drive is located one quarter mile west of Coolidge and east of the railroad tracks. If approaching from Coolidge, Doyle Drive is the boulevard driveway entering the shopping center.

The station is located behind the shopping center between the gap in the complex separating Krogers from Kohls (current retailers as of June 2015.) There is a parking lot designated for the station across the street on Doyle Drive where it is safe for travelers to leave their cars overnight.

There is a taxi stand and taxis around train times. There are three Smart bus routes along Maple Road approximately one quarter mile north. Future plans include bringing a Smart bus stop in front of the station as well as intercity bus service.

There is a climate-controlled waiting room on the Doyle Drive side of the tracks. It is recommended that you arrive for your train with enough time to cross over the elevated walkway to the passenger platform on the opposite side of the tracks. There are two elevators and the station is completely handicap accessible. The station is unstaffed but it is opened at least a half an hour before scheduled trains. There is no checked baggage and no Quik-Trak ticket machine. There are modern bathrooms.

The city of Troy is near the center of one of the wealthiest counties in the U.S. Many corporations have located their national and regional headquarters in the city.  Somerset Collection, which is located 1.5 miles north of the station, is home to many top-tier and exclusive retailers. Downtown Birmingham is less than 2 miles from the station and considered the top shopping shopping districts in the Metro Detroit region. Both shopping districts can be accessed by Smart Bus or a short taxi drive. Adjacent to the station is a more traditional strip mall that has many quality retailers as well as affordable places to eat.

Visit the Troy station page at Amtrak:
http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=am/am2Station/Station_Page&code=TRM

Station locator

Station locator

Michigan has a wide variety of Amtrak stations, varying from grossly inadequate to real jewels. Ironically, some of the worst station accommodations for passengers are in some of the highest income areas of the state.

 Each station served by an Amtrak train is listed below. Cities with Amtrak Thruway or connecting bus service, but no train, are not listed even though they may appear in the Amtrak timetable. The ratings and descriptions of the stations are based upon their ease of use, particularly for the first-time user.

If you are using a GPS or an Internet mapping service to find the train station,  please note that the street maps on the Amtrak website or the street address read by the GPS do not always match the physical location of the station. For example, Railroad Street in Durand is closed to traffic over the railroad tracks and one must navigate through a series of residential streets to reach the station. Arrive early and pay attention to the posted signs.

 Call the (800) USA-RAIL for station hours. All stations have pay phones unless specifically noted. Track abbreviations: AMT = Amtrak, CN = Canadian National, CSX = CSX Transportation, NS = Norfolk Southern.

 More information can also be found on the website for Amtrak Michigan services.

To check the ontime performance for Michigan trains, click here.

Amtrak Stations:

 Albion Ann Arbor  Bangor
 Battle Creek Birmingham  Dearborn
 Detroit Dowagiac  Durand
 East Lansing Flint  Grand Rapids
 Holland Jackson  Kalamazoo
 Lapeer New Buffalo  Niles
 Pontiac Port Huron  Royal Oak
St. Joseph    
     

 

Click for Amtrak’s Michigan Services Schedule,
effective May 10, 2010-printable PDF version 

Michigan also has an extensive network of intercity motorcoach bus routes. Most routes are serviced by Indian Trails with some limited routes provided by Greyhound, Megabus and Metro Cars. An extensive review of many of the stops is not feasible since many are not much more than a bus sign or an address; or are subject to change according to local conditions. Check with Indian Trails for the most up to date information before your trip.

 Thruway Motorcoach Stations:
Bus connections to Amtrak routes 

Big Rapids Boyne City Boyne Falls
Cadillac Escanaba Howard City
Houghton Kalamazoo Kalkaska
Kingsley L’anse Mackinaw City
Mancelona Manton Marquette
Powers Pellston Petoskey
Reed City Rockford St. Ignace
Stephenson Traverse City  

 Michigan Amtrak and Thruway Coach Routes
Click on the map for a larger and printable PDF version (700k)

 Michigan Intercity Bus Routes
Click on the map for a larger and printable PDF version (700k)

 

Station locator

Albion (ALI)

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300 North Eaton Street
Albion, MI 49224


(Photos by J.R. Valderas)

The unstaffed Albion station is a quaint historic Italianate building built in 1882 for the Michigan Central Railroad.  It is located just west of the intersection of Michigan Avenue and Superior Street, at the north end of the downtown area.  The building today is occupied primarily by an insurance agency and the Chamber of Commerce.  The eastern portion of the building is a Greyhound waiting room with Greyhound ticket agent.  This also doubles as the waiting room for Amtrak passengers.  This waiting room is open daily from 8:00AM to 5:00PM.  If eastbound Wolverine train 352 is running behind schedule, the waiting room will not remain open.  There are 14 free parking spaces directly across the street from the station, which are rarely full even during busy times.

Presently, Albion is designated as a flag-stop for the Amtrak trains which are scheduled to stop.  This means passengers wishing to board or detrain at Albion must have a reservation and be ticketed through this station in advance.  If you are detraining in Albion, the conductors onboard will be aware that the train needs to stop.  If you are boarding here, when you hear the train approach, be sure you are on the platform and visible to the train crew so they know they need to stop.  In late 2010, Amtrak installed a new platform, signage, and a wheelchair lift at this station.

The station is a short walk from both the historic downtown business district and Albion College.  Many small towns this size have little to offer, but being home to a prestigious college, Albion can offer more to the traveler.

Amtrak station page:
http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?c=am2Station&pagename=am%2Fam2Station%2FStation_Page&cid=1229726268145

Station locator

Ann Arbor (ARB)

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325 Depot Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48104


Amtrak Train 351, the Wolverine, stops at the station in Ann Arbor, Mich. on April 20, 2007. (Photo by Steven R. Williams)

The staffed Ann Arbor station is located on the north end of the downtown area on Depot Street. Depot St. is crossed by a new overhead Broadway St. bridge. To the east of the bridge is the beautiful historic Michigan Central Railroad station, today occupied by the famous Gandy Dancer restaurant. The current Amtrak station is located just on the west side of the bridge, in a large one-story station of the “Amshack” design. Aside from the signs, it is an undistinguished building, and could be easily mistaken for insurance or dentist’s offices.

Parking includes some metered and some free parking. Ninety five free spaces for long term parking are located on the north side of the tracks, across from the station. This lot is accessible from the Broadway St. bridge by car, and passengers must climb the stairs and use the bridge to cross the tracks to the station side. Unless you are really into fitness, we suggest you drop your luggage off at the station first if you have more then a simple carry on bag. Immediately west of the station is a parking lot of 35 metered spaces. If this lot is full, a little-known but just as convenient lot with 16 more metered spaces is located directly underneath the Broadway St. bridge, between the current Amtrak station and the Gandy Dancer. Both short term lots are accessible from Depot Street, and meters in both lots are generally enforced. Taxis are generally present for all train arrivals.

This station is also a stop on the Amtrak Thruway motorcoach to Toledo Ohio, which provides a guaranteed connection to the Lake Shore Limited and the Capitol Limited.  Contact Amtrak or a station ticket agent for details about this connection.

Local public transportation is provided by the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority (AATA,) which can be reached at (734) 996-0400 for scheduling information. As of December 2008, the AATA added route #17 with a link between the Ann Arbor Amtak Station and the Blake Transit Center on Fourth Avenue. Baggage is allowed on the bus although there is no specific luggage compartment. The Blake Transit Center provides connections to other bus routes throughout the city and surrounding area. Check with AATA for the latest bus schedule before making finite plans.

Landscaping at the station has been ignored, and the brick-lined flowerbeds are full of weeds. However, the interior of the station is well maintained by the station staff. Over the last few years, Ann Arbor has regularly been the busiest Amtrak station in Michigan, and the station is often crowded even for non-peak trains. Arrive early unless you don’t mind standing. Crowds often spill out of the station building onto the boarding platform, which has a weather protection overhang. This protects passengers from the many seasonal delights of Michigan weather, including the slush and snow of the winter months. The staff maintains a rack full of Amtrak schedules and train information in the station, and a Visitors’ Bureau rack is full of brochures for local attractions. Vending machines are located within the station.

Ann Arbor is home to one of the world’s great universities, and offers a wide variety of attractions for the visitor. The downtown area is pedestrian friendly, and features a wide variety of interesting shops, cafes, restaurants, and sophisticated cultural sites. Ann Arbor’s downtown is full of one way and angled streets, which can make navigation by car (and sometimes on foot) rather difficult. It becomes impossible to travel before and after football games. Football is nearly a religion here and the University of Michigan Wolverines have sold out every seat of the 100,000+ seat stadium for the past forty years! Traffic becomes and nightmare and it sometimes takes hours for the streets to clear out after a game.

(Please note that Depot Street becomes Fuller Street on the east side of the Gandy Dancer Restaurant.)

Amtrak station page:
http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?c=am2Station&pagename=am%2Fam2Station%2FStation_Page&cid=1229726270485

Station locator

Bangor (BAM)

541 Railroad Street
Bangor, MI 49013

 
Local officials and passengers greet the arrival of Amtrak’s Pere Marquette during a rededication ceremony for the newly renovated and expanded train station in Bangor, Michigan on May 6, 2005. (Photo by J.R. Valderas.)

The unstaffed Bangor station was built in 1926 and completely refurbished in a year long project that was completed in 2005, which has brought new life to this historic Pere Marquette Railway structure. It is an excellent example of partnership between private business and local, state, and federal governments.

Today, the building houses the Bangor Railroad Café, an Amtrak waiting room, offices for Beacon Specialized Living Services, and the Ed Foster Trophy Collection. The south portion of the building is the enclosed waiting room for Amtrak. Passengers will find the waiting room kept spotless by coffee shop employees, and open during the hours of the café. A caretaker also opens the waiting room for the evening arrival of the Pere Marquette. The Bangor waiting room includes racks which are kept full of useful Amtrak information by MARP volunteers. Those who travel west on the morning Pere Marquette may want to purchase food from the Railroad Café before boarding the train, as dining options on board are very limited at the present time.

Cars can be parked for extended periods without worry along Railroad Street or in the parking lot across the road. Van Buren Public Transit provides limited public transportation in Bangor, call (800) 828-2105 for information.


The Bangor Station from the street side. (Photos by J.R. Valderas)

Amtrak station page:
http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?c=am2Station&pagename=am%2Fam2Station%2FStation_Page&cid=1229726268282