Historic Jackson railroad station set for renovation

Wednesday, April 15, 2009 | Source: Concentrate

Jackson is bolstering its argument for inclusion in the Detroit-Ann Arbor commuter rail line, this time by investing in renovation of its downtown-area train station.

The state is dedicating $938,000 to renovating parts of the Jackson Amtrak Depot and the nearby Express Building. The depot, built in 1873, is a stop on the Chicago/Detroit/Pontiac high-speed Amtrak rail corridor.

"It's a historic location," says Bruce Inosencio, a spokesman for the Jackson Citizens for Economic Growth. "It's one of the oldest working passenger train depots in the country."

The Jackson Amtrak Intermodal Feasibility Study points to both buildings as needing about $10 million in renovations, such as fixing drainage problems, repairing masonry, and replacing a roof. The idea is to continue to use them as a train station. Work is expected to begin this summer.

Jackson is lobbying the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments to add it as the westward stop on the Detroit-Ann Arbor commuter rail line. The area has a rail yard not far from its station that it is offering for the commuter rail line to use for maintenance work.

Source: Bruce Inosencio, spokesman for the Jackson Citizens for Economic Growth
Writer: Jon Zemke