Durand Union Station

Durand, MI
General information
Location200 Railroad Street
Durand, Michigan
United States
Owned byCity of Durand
(leased by Durand Union Station, Inc.)
Line(s)CN Flint Subdivision
Platforms1 side platform
Tracks2
Construction
ParkingYes; free
Other information
Station codeAmtrak: DRD
History
Opened1903
Passengers
FY 202310,532[1] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
East Lansing
toward Chicago
Blue Water Flint
toward Port Huron
Former services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
East Lansing
toward Chicago
International Flint
toward Toronto
Preceding station Grand Trunk Western Railroad Following station
Bancroft
toward Chicago
Main Line Duffield
toward Port Huron
Vernon Detroit and Milwaukee Division Gaines
toward Detroit
Lennon Cincinnati, Saginaw and Mackinaw Division Terminus
Grand Trunk Railway Station
Map
Coordinates42°54′33″N 83°58′57″W / 42.90917°N 83.98250°W / 42.90917; -83.98250
ArchitectGrand Trunk Railway Co. of Canada, and Spier and Rohns
NRHP reference No.71000419[2]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPMay 6, 1971
Designated MSHSNovember 6, 1970

Durand Union Station is a historic train station in Durand, Michigan. The station, which now serves Amtrak Blue Water trains, was originally a busy Grand Trunk Western Railroad and Ann Arbor Railroad hub, as well as a local office for Grand Trunk Western, from its construction in 1903 until 1974. It is currently owned by the city of Durand and leased by Durand Union Station, Inc. a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation, restoration, and maintenance of the building and its surrounding property.

The building also houses three small railroad history museums: the Michigan Railroad History Museum (which doubles as a gift shop), the Grand Trunk Western Railroad Museum, and the Ann Arbor Railroad History Museum. Also in the building is a model railroad club, the Durand Union Station Model Railroad Engineers and its large layout,[3] and a ballroom for special events and parties.

The station sits at the junction of Canadian National Railway's busy mainline interchange of the Flint and Holly Subdivisions. Additionally, Great Lakes Central Railroad and Huron and Eastern Railway operate near the station, and a freight yard used by all three carriers is located just north of it. It is one of Michigan's most popular locations for railfans to visit, especially during the annual Durand Railroad Days Festival in May. The station was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 6, 1971,[2] and the Michigan Register of Historic Places in 1987.[4]

The station's lessees are currently attempting to raise $50,000 for building repairs.[5]

  1. ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2023: State of Michigan" (PDF). Amtrak. March 2024. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  3. ^ "Durand Union Station Model Railroad Engineers". Archived from the original on 2022-10-14. Retrieved 2022-05-03.
  4. ^ The Michigan Historical Markers Website - Durand Union Station
  5. ^ Durand Union Station in need of money for repairs WJRT-TV (ABC 12), January 25, 2017