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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

Station locator

Battle Creek (BTL)

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104 Capital Avenue S.W.
Battle Creek, MI 49017


The Battle Creek station underwent a renovation in 2011-2012. (Photo by Steve Sobel)

The Battle Creek station is an intermodal center owned by the Battle Creek Transportation Authority. It has fairly good access by car, and all city buses come to the station. For short term parking, it is recommended that passengers use the ice skating rink parking lot immediately west of the station. Long term parking permits are available from the agent which allows passengers to park their cars in the station drive. The area is quite safe, and cars can be left in the long term parking area for extended periods without worry.

The downtown area of Battle Creek has undergone a substantial redevelopment in recent years, and the station is surrounded by a 4-star hotel, a water park , a convention arena and the downtown shopping district. The exterior of the station retains the lines of a traditional station, but there’s nothing traditional about it at night. Station eaves, roof lines and columns are lit by neon and fluorescent lights, and the result is spectacular.

The new interior of the Battle Creek station. (Photo by John DeLora)

Being an intermodal station with substantial traffic and isused by Amtrak, Indian Trails, Greyhound and Battle Creek Transit . The station was built 30 years ago in what was then a popular design which some call “Urban Gothic,” with concrete, steel deck plate and black leather décor. A $3.8 million renovation was completed in June 2012 that changed some of that. The enlarged facility is a light tan, with new, expanded seating and a much more open and inviting interior. One notable change is that the bus ticket counter has been moved down a hallway to the west, and is now more conveniently located to the intercity bus boarding dock.  The Amtrak agent occupies one half, the bus agent the other half. Vending machines are available in an alcove. There are plenty of restaurants ranging from fast food to Four Star within a short walk.

The city used another stimulus award to relocate the bus transfer center from next to the train station to across McCamly Street at a cost of $230,262. Battle Creek Transit buses now use a loop west of the station with shelters for the east route.

Amtrak station page:
http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?c=am2Station&pagename=am%2Fam2Station%2FStation_Page&cid=1229726269433

Station locator

Dearborn (DER)

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John D. Dingell Transit Center
21201 Michigan Avenue
Dearborn, MI 48124

Street side view. Photo by Steve Sobel.
Street side view. Photo by Steve Sobel.

In December 2014, the Dearborn station moved approximately one mile west on Michigan Ave to a brand new facility.

Dearborn waiting area. Photo by Steve Sobel.
Dearborn waiting area. Photo by Steve Sobel.

The new station is staffed and it serves as model for what a modern station should look and function like in the state of Michigan. It has adequate parking and it is one of the busiest stations in the state.  It is safe to leave cars here for extended periods of time. Taxis are generally on hand for all train arrivals. Both DDOT and SMART have routes along Michigan Avenue. A bicycle path begins across the street from the station, weaves through the University of Michigan Dearborn Campus before linking to Hines Park and many suburbs in western Metro Detroit.

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.

Dearborn is the home of Henry Ford and the Ford Motor Co., which dominates the local economy. Ford’s World Headquarters building is less than a mile away.

Dearborn’s Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village is a world class historical attraction and it has an entrance and walkway on the south side of the station.

There is ample hotel and motel rooms in the vicinity as well as a major regional shopping center, Fairlane Towne Center nearby.

Amtrak station page:
http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=am/am2Station/Station_Page&code=DER

013 20141226 The first sunny day in weeks, train353 rolls into Dearborn Transit Ctr. Steve T. Sobel, photo