By Lindsey Ashley
At this Monday’s meeting, City Manager Jeremy Howard announced the North + South Passenger Rail Project.
The North + South Rail Project is a proposed new transportation service that would connect cities in Southwest Michigan to mid-Michigan and onward to the northwest lower peninsula (L.P.) through train rails. The ultimate goal of this project is to provide more efficient, sustainable, and environmentally conscious alternatives to driving.
The North + South Project would also largely utilize pre-existing tracks, thus reducing the complexities and costs of the project.
This project was first conceived nearly 17 years ago back in 2009, leading to further research being conducted into its feasibility by the Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities. Groundwork is a Traverse City-based organization that focuses on bettering the state of Michigan by finding innovative, locally based, environmentally conscious, and economically beneficial solutions for Michigan’s communities.
Following an initial feasibility study conducted in 2018 by Groundwork and the Bay Area Transportation (BATA), the project began to seek funding. In 2021, the project was awarded $1 million from Michigan’s Labor and Economic Opportunity office.
The project was able to secure additional funding the following year when Groundwork partnered with the Cadillac/Wexford Transit Authority (WexExpress). The team was awarded a $1.3 million RAISE grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation, leading to a total of $2.3 million in acquired grants.
In 2025, the team began to conduct an in-depth study into the execution options of the project. Some of the topics this study is examining are track conditions, route options, travel demand, and cost estimates.
As the team enters this stage of planning, they have also expressed interest in gathering feedback from the community. As such, they have created a survey that’s currently available on their website, Northsouthrail.org. The city explained that response to this survey is important, as it allows them to better assess travel needs, priorities, and preferences, thus ensuring the service will be the most effective for the community.
During the discussion at Monday’s meeting, Howard offered forth his opinion on the project, stating, “If it all does come to fruition at some point, it would be a neat little way to get from Detroit all the way up to TC and Petoskey.”
Ultimately, while the exact details of the project still remain in speculation, the city hopes that the project will help unite communities across Michigan while offering better and more affordable transport options for people.
