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(rshsdepot) Bangor, MI
Bangor train depot back on track after renovation, rededication
The Associated Press
After spending more than a decade waiting outdoors for their trains,
passengers of Amtrak`s Pere Marquette in Bangor now can wait inside a newly
renovated and expanded depot.
Amtrak representatives and local, state and federal government officials
attended a rededication ceremony Friday for the train station, originally
built in 1926 by the Pere Marquette Railroad.
The renovation project cost about $670,000.
``Amtrak service in Bangor is important to the community and our
revitalization,`` said City Manager Larry Nielsen. ``Turning this former
eyesore into a beautiful station has meant a lot to the spirit of the
community.``
Amtrak operates the Pere Marquette daily between Grand Rapids and Chicago on
tracks owned by CSX Transportation. In Michigan, the train also stops in
Holland, Bangor, St. Joseph-Benton Harbor and New Buffalo.
The Michigan Department of Transportation provides some funding for the
line.
The brick depot fell into disrepair years ago. Around 1992, the city
constructed a three-sided acrylic shelter near the track where passengers
could wait.
The shelter was in use until Friday, when the revamped depot opened.
Bangor, which is about 27 miles west of Kalamazoo, bought the station from
CSX in November 2001. The city sold about three-fourths of the building last
year to Beacon Specialized Living Services, a provider of health care
services, and kept the passenger-waiting area, Nielsen said.
The business spent $360,000 to renovate its portion of the depot, which now
also contains a shop that sells sandwiches and coffee. MDOT contributed
$125,000 to rebuild the waiting room and platform.
The city gave $65,000 toward the project and Amtrak contributed engineering
services. Michigan Economic Development Corp. provided $120,000 toward
infrastructure improvements, Nielsen said.
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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org
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End of RSHSDepot Digest V1 #1140
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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org