ABOVE: Cadillac’s historic train station, identified by the 2018 North+South Passenger Rail feasibility study as a potential station location for the new rail service, is sandwiched between the city’s charming downtown and its spectacular lakefront Cadillac City Park. Today, the building is home to After 26 Depot Cafe, and its parking lot hosts the regionally popular Cadillac Farmers Market.
Cadillac is an ideal candidate for the reintroduction of passenger rail. After all, railroads have played a crucial role in connecting Cadillac with the rest of the state and country for as long as the city has been around. The area between Lake Street and Lake Cadillac has been host to a railway depot since before the place it sat in was known as Cadillac, or even incorporated as a town. Passenger service waned over the course of the 20th century as automobiles improved and government spending on roads increased. But today, the Great Lakes Central Railroad still uses some of the tracks that run through town to bring in materials for manufacturing and ship out finished products. Cadillac produces $1 billion in goods each year.
In the 21st century, Cadillac has emerged as a hub for manufacturing. Factories here produce boats, vacuums, industrial components, and myriad other products that need to be transported to markets. The convenience of being connected to the national freight rail network gives Cadillac additional freight capability, which can be an advantage when it comes to attracting manufacturers, processors, and other industrial operators, which employ thousands of the area’s residents. Also, rail freight provides an effective alternative to shipping by truck, thereby reducing local congestion, emissions, and road damage.
Cadillac has seen value from the continued maintenance and existence of the tracks, so the benefits of increasing the use of rail is evident to locals. Freight users see how the North + South Passenger Rail Project would provide upgrades to the tracks and an increased impetus for their maintenance, and Cadillac would see the passenger rail benefits rural cities connected to the Amtrak network have seen: an energized Main Street, economic development, and strengthened transit networks, increased tourism, to name a few.
Community leaders in Cadillac are excited about expanded business opportunities that passenger rail service could bring.
Cadillac Chamber of Commerce President Caitlyn Stark sees the potential, saying, “Transportation isn’t just about getting from point A to point B—it’s about connecting people to opportunities far beyond their immediate surroundings. It’s how parents access childcare, how families create lifelong memories, and how communities grow. Having a train station in Wexford County would be life-changing, not only for the people who live here but also for our regional economy.”
Stark also thinks introducing passenger service would be a positive catalyst for the entire region’s economy. “The strength of an economy is deeply tied to how effectively people and goods can move. In rural communities like ours, we’ve often built everything around driving, but in today’s world, that’s no longer enough. Lack of transportation options limits access to education, employment, and healthcare. A train station here would bridge those gaps and serve as a powerful catalyst for connection and economic growth across the region.”
Niki Shultz, Executive Director of the Alliance for Economic Success, is excited about rail’s potential for sustainable tourism growth—bringing business while not straining local roads. The number of tourists and staycationers who make their way to Cadillac has grown significantly over the past few decades, and a train has the potential to assist with that growth while limiting the amount of traffic generated. Another way the train may help with tourism is by showing off the natural beauty of Cadillac to passengers who might otherwise be unaware of the city’s downtown, which abuts Lake Cadillac. Passengers might also become aware of the adventures possible in Pere Marquette State Forest. Additionally, while the train would not alleviate all congestion associated with tourism, it would provide locals with a way to avoid it when traveling north or downstate.
The proposed route of the North + South Passenger Rail project would provide passengers with views of Cadillac and a number of its attractions.
Carrie Thompson, Executive Director of WexExpress, Cadillac’s local transit authority, echoes the sentiment that the train could help alleviate traffic, even outside of the realm of tourism. Frequent, reliable rail service would provide “freedom of movement and ease of access around the state, meaning you don’t need a car for a good number of those medium-to-longer trips outside the range of local public transit, and the ability to avoid the congestion and traffic around festivals. The more transportation you have, or ease of access to a city, the more you make it so people want to be there! Michigan as a whole could benefit from gaining this ease of access to its cities.”
The opportunities that could come from bringing passenger rail back to Cadillac are exciting, and enthusiasm is buillding as residents look forward to the day passenger trains roll back into town. Until then, Cadillac is playing a major role in the North + South Passenger Rail Project through participating in the project Advisory Group and WexExpress is partnering with Groundwork on conducting the Phase II study. 
Michael Goldman Brown Jr. is Groundwork’s Transportation Specialist.
michael.goldmanbrown@groundworkcenter.org
