John D. Dingell Transit Center opens in Dearborn, Mich.

Written by Jenifer Nunez, assistant editor
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The John D. Dingell Transit Center located at 21201 W. Michigan Avenue in Dearborn, Mich., is officially open.

 

The city-owned intermodal passenger rail station, dedicated in honor of retiring U.S. Congressman John Dingell, the longest serving member of Congress in U.S. history and an essential advocate for the completion of the transit center, replaces a smaller station erected by Amtrak on city property in 1979. The station was fully funded by $28.2 million from the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and has free parking, free Wi-Fi, a soon-to-open Tim Hortons restaurant and bike racks.

Amtrak operates and staffs the station. Six daily Wolverine Service trains sponsored by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) run daily through Dearborn. Nearly 79,000 Amtrak passengers used the former station in the last year, making it the busiest in Metro Detroit. More intercity passenger traffic is expected as MDOT’s accelerated rail project continues between Pontiac and Chicago, via Dearborn.

The station is also an important component in initiatives for commuter rail between Ann Arbor and Detroit. It is also seen as an economic driver for Dearborn and is anticipated to bring more business to the city and in the future can inspire residential and other developments in the downtown area.

“We are excited not just to open this station, but to be part of the future of rail transportation,” said Dearborn Mayor John O’Reilly, Jr. “Today marks just the start of the possibilities for economic growth, for greater links between Dearborn, the region and the Midwest and for our ability to showcase our outstanding community to more visitors, more customers and more employees attracted to our city because of convenient connections.”

 

 

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