The Downtown Detroit Partnership hosted their annual Fall Forum on Oct. 15 at Michigan Central Station. Hour Detroit attended this special edition of the annual event. For the first time, it spotlighted not only Detroit, but Windsor as well.
The 4.5-hour forum was open to the public, and included a networking and innovation showcase. Guests heard from a range of 14 business and political leaders from Michigan and Canada. Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens opened the event, while Gov. Gretchen Whitmer gave the closing address.
The panel highlighted recent development news, like updates on the Gordie Howe International Bridge and infrastructure improvements. An underlying theme for the event was the importance of maintaining strong economic ties with Windsor. Despite what is taking place on a federal level, speakers emphasized the idea of “being stronger together.” But the biggest news was about Michigan Central and the future of transportation there.
Trains Could Return to Michigan Central by 2029
Gov. Whitmer announced that plans are underway to bring Amtrak service back to Michigan Central. This would be the first time Amtrak has operated at Michigan Central since the station shuttered rail service in 1988.
The plans seek to use the existing freight tracks southwest of the station within the 30-acre Michigan Central Innovation District. These tracks currently travel to Windsor by tunnel and would allow Amtrak to expand service across the border. The proposed plan would extend the Detroit-Chicago Wolverine train to Windsor and Toronto. Construction could be completed in 2026, with the first train departures taking place in 2029.
The railway would be a part of a larger multi-modal transportation. At the event, Whitmer announced the Michigan Department of Transportation, the city of Detroit, and Michigan Central entered into a memorandum of understanding. She also said the hub will also serve as a bus station for both local and regional transportation.
“Last week, the Michigan Department of Transportation and the city of Detroit signed an MOU setting this into motion,” Whitmer said. We will be investing $40 million dollars in this hub, which will feature an intercity bus station and passenger rail train that will strengthen connections between Detroit, Windsor and Toronto.”
The revitalization process for the station started a decade ago. However, there have been discussions about its current use as a train station. Arun Rao, senior director of Amtrak’s central region network development, spoke at the event. He said that from the beginning, Michigan Central was the front runner for the Wolverine train’s extension.
“I think there was always a thought that it would be here at Michigan Central, because Amtrak served here for a period when the company was formed in 1971. This is a homecoming,” Rao said.
What Mayor Duggan and Gov. Whitmer Said at the Event
With a packed lineup of business and government officials, Duggan and Whitmer topped the list with their speeches. These are a few of the best quotes from Detroit’s mayor and Michigan’s governor.
Duggan on the role a strong relationship with Windsor played in the decision to build a Jeep factory in Detroit.
“It turns out the proximity of Windsor to Detroit was the deciding cost factor. They [Stellantis] ended up locating here, and we have 5,000 families now being supported by the Jeep plant, in significant part because of our integration with the Canadian auto industry.”
Whitmer on her approach to strengthening Michigan’s infrastructure.
“I’m working with the legislature to secure new bipartisan economic tools to make it easier to build factories, create jobs and innovate. Our strategy is to invest in people, to revitalize places and to compete for projects.”
Duggan on the effects of tariffs on our cross-national economic ties with Canada.
“We are so much better off when we reduce the barriers and push together for both of our federal governments to reach a deal sooner, as opposed to later. It’s been a tremendous partnership, and we’ve helped make Detroit a better place.”
Whitmer on the shared values between Canada and Michigan.
“We know that our success absolutely depends on our ability to work together. Michigan and Canada share a lot — a love of craft beer, good pizza and great hockey, proud manufacturing traditions and strong agricultural industries.”
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