Durand Union Station facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Durand, MI
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| Location | 200 Railroad Street Durand, Michigan United States |
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| Owned by | City of Durand (leased by Durand Union Station, Inc.) |
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| Line(s) | CN Flint Subdivision | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Platforms | 1 side platform | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tracks | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Construction | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Parking | Yes; free | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Station code | Amtrak: DRD | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | 1903 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Traffic | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Passengers (FY2019) | 13,622 (Amtrak) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Grand Trunk Railway Station
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 Location in Michigan
Location in the United States
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| Architect | Grand Trunk Railway Co. of Canada, and Spier and Rohns | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NRHP reference No. | 71000419 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Significant dates | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Added to NRHP | May 6, 1971 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Durand Union Station is a really old and important train station in Durand, Michigan. Today, Amtrak's Blue Water trains stop here. But long ago, from 1903 to 1974, it was a super busy center for two big railroads: Grand Trunk Western Railroad and Ann Arbor Railroad.
The city of Durand owns it now. A group called Durand Union Station, Inc. takes care of it. This group is a nonprofit organization that works to keep the building and its area safe and looking good.
Inside the station, you can find three small museums about railroad history. There's the Michigan Railroad History Museum, which also has a gift shop. You can also visit the Grand Trunk Western Railroad Museum and the Ann Arbor Railroad History Museum. A model railroad club, the Durand Union Station Model Railroad Engineers, has a huge train layout here too. There's even a ballroom for special events!
The station is located where the Canadian National Railway's busy train lines meet. Other railroads like Great Lakes Central Railroad and Huron and Eastern Railway also operate nearby. A big area where trains are sorted, called a freight yard, is just north of the station. This makes Durand a very popular spot for railfans, who are people who love watching trains. Many come during the annual Durand Railroad Days Festival in May. The station was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. It was also added to the Michigan Register of Historic Places in 1987.
Contents
History of the Durand Train Station
This station is a very important part of Michigan's railroad story. It was built in 1903 by a company from Detroit called Spier and Rohns. Many trains passed through here because the Grand Trunk Western Railroad and Ann Arbor lines crossed at this spot.
In 1905, a fire almost destroyed the station. But it was quickly rebuilt! At its busiest time, about 42 passenger trains, 22 mail trains, and 78 freight trains came through Durand every single day. Almost 3,000 passengers used the station daily.
Changes in Passenger Train Service
In July 1950, the Ann Arbor Railroad stopped its passenger service. This meant trains no longer went from Toledo to Frankfort and Elberta on Lake Michigan. Elberta was a place where people could take ferries across the lake.
Into the 1960s, the Grand Trunk Western railroad still ran several trains a day. These trains went between Chicago, Port Huron, London, and Toronto. Some famous trains included the Inter-City Limited and the International Limited. Until 1960, Grand Trunk also had trains from Detroit to Grand Rapids and Muskegon. From these cities, people could take ferries across Lake Michigan to Milwaukee. Passengers could also catch trains from Durand that went to Detroit and Bay City.
The Station's Decline and Rescue
In 1971, the Grand Trunk Western stopped its last trains that passed through Durand. These included the International Limited and other trains going between Chicago and Detroit. By 1974, the Grand Trunk Western decided to close the station. This was because fewer and fewer people were using the trains.
The historic building was going to be torn down. However, the city of Durand stepped in to save it. They stopped the demolition and eventually bought the station in 1979 for just $1.00.
Amtrak brought train service back to the station in 1974. Today, Amtrak still offers daily passenger train service on the Blue Water route. This train travels between Chicago and Port Huron. You can't check your bags here, but you can carry on two suitcases plus personal items like briefcases or laptop bags. From 1982 to 2004, the station was served by a different train called the International Limited. This train was run by Via Rail and Amtrak and went between Chicago and Toronto.
See also
