Episode Player
An update on MDOT’s work with Michigan Central and rail service to Toronto
Talking Michigan Transportation
Chapters
0:07
Setting The Stage: Why Detroit
2:11
Choosing Michigan Central Over New Center
6:47
MOU Signed And Work Begins
9:02
Timelines, Funding, And Reality Checks
11:19
Safety PSA: Snowplow Law Reminder
11:55
How Cross-Border Rail Would Operate
16:40
Tunnel Access, CPKC, And Infrastructure
18:29
Hub Timeline And Environmental Review
20:31
Corridor ID And Future Routes
Talking Michigan Transportation
An update on MDOT’s work with Michigan Central and rail service to Toronto
Jan 08, 2026
Season 8
Episode 251
Michigan Department of Transportation
On this week’s edition of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, a conversation with Peter Anastor, director of the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) Office of Rail, about where things stand for passenger rail service at Michigan Central in Detroit.
Anastor also offers an update on plans to link passenger rail service in Michigan with service in Canada and create a link between Chicago and Toronto.
In October, MDOT, the City of Detroit and Michigan Central signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to begin preliminary assessments for a new multimodal transportation hub located within the 30-acre Michigan Central Innovation District on a parcel just southwest of the station.
Key provisions include:
- The partners will utilize a $10 million grant awarded to MDOT through the Federal Transit Administration's Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant program (now known as the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development, or BUILD, grant program), plus an additional $30 million in state funds.
- This proposed hub would include infrastructure for passenger rail and intercity bus service.
- Decisions about final project designs, funding and timelines will be shared as the exploratory phase progresses.
