Michigan Central, which is both a redevelopment of a historic train station as well as an economic development initiative with transportation as its focus, has entered into an agreement with the state and city to begin the process of creating a “multimodal transportation hub” on its campus near downtown Detroit.
The hub serving as a nexus for transportation is “actually a priority and part of our overall thesis,” said Beth Kmetz-Armitage, director of commercial development at Michigan Central. She also explained that the transportation hub can become “a platform for testing new innovation related to mobility. And that could take the shape of either passenger mobility, as well as goods mobility, potentially.”
The multimodal transportation hub is planned for a 30-acre site within the Michigan Central Innovation District in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood. The project, which has been backed by $40 million in state and federal funding, is entering phase one, and that involves drafting and filing environmental and other reports in order to access federal funding. This phase is expected to run for 18 months, followed by design and construction. The new facility is expected to open around 2029.
“It’s near-term. We’ve been doing a lot of work in the background to lead up to this [memorandum of understanding] execution,” said Kmetz-Armitage. “For infrastructure projects, this is not too slow.”
One new transportation option at the center of the proposal is the development of passenger rail service at Michigan Central, which would connect cities like Ann Arbor, Mich., and Chicago to the west with Detroit, and then continue across the Detroit River into Windsor, Canada, and on into Toronto.
The project will aid the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) strategy to replace the existing Amtrak train station, a 1990s-era facility, said Michael Frezell, senior communications manager for MDOT. He added that the project was listed in the Michigan Mobility 2045 Rail Service Investment Plan.
The existing station, which also serves Greyhound bus and local transit options, has been described by officials as well outside of downtown, and lacking in space.
The mobility hub can also serve as a place to test and incubate transportation innovations, including drones, said Kmetz-Armitage.
“The future of both passenger rail and freight rail is being considered as the future of what is possible,” she said. “There may be opportunities to intersect up with our aerial mobility program.”
Michigan Central, in partnership with companies like Ford Motor Co., has explored numerous mobility innovation efforts to improve transportation in and around Detroit.
“We are in active conversations with some of the thought leaders in the innovation space about how we might be able to use this mobility to further some of the development of these technologies,” said Kmetz-Armitage.
State transportation officials also welcome the possibilities around technology innovation that Michigan Central’s new transportation hub could spur.
“MDOT and our partners will consider technology solutions that could enhance the passenger experience as the project progresses. Implementation will depend on available funding,” said Frezell in an email.
