Jackson, Michigan (Amtrak station)

Jackson

The station building in 2010.
Location 501 East Michigan Avenue
Jackson, MI, 49201
Owned by Amtrak
Line(s)
Platforms 1 side platform, 1 island platform
Tracks 2
Construction
Parking Yes; free
Disabled access Yes
Other information
Station code JXN
History
Opened 1841
Rebuilt 1872 & 1978
Traffic
Passengers (2011) 32,106[1] Increase 13%
Services
Preceding station   Amtrak   Following station
toward Chicago
Wolverine
toward Pontiac, MI
  Former services  
New York Central Railroad
Parma
toward Chicago
Michigan Central Railroad
Main Line
Grass Lake
toward Detroit
Horton
toward Fort Wayne
Fort Wayne BranchTerminus
Haires
toward Niles
Michigan Air Line Railroad
TerminusJackson Branch
Napoleon
toward Toledo
Cincinnati Northern Railroad
Lyonette
toward Franklin
Bay City Branch
Rives Junction
toward Bay City
Michigan Central Railroad Jackson Depot
Location Jackson, Michigan, USA
Coordinates 42°14′53″N 84°24′01″W / 42.24806°N 84.40028°WCoordinates: 42°14′53″N 84°24′01″W / 42.24806°N 84.40028°W
Architect Henry A. Gardner
Architectural style Italianate
NRHP Reference # 02001504
Added to NRHP 2002

Jackson is an Amtrak station in Jackson, Michigan, United States. It is served by the Wolverine. The station was rebuilt by the Michigan Central Railroad in 1872, as a replacement for an earlier station built in 1841,[2] and was used as a Union Station, which also served the Jackson, Lansing and Saginaw Railroad, the Fort Wayne, Jackson and Saginaw Railroad, the Grand River Railway, and the Michigan Air Line Railroad.[3]

In 1978, the station underwent a major restoration inspired by the nation's Bicentennial celebrations. Workers cleaned the brick exterior, reground the terazzo floors and refinished the elaborate wood trim and benches. Artist Leland Beamon created a mural showing the depot in 1904 alongside a modern Turboliner Amtrak train.[4] The station was added to the National Register of Historic Places in the year 2002.[5]

Also in 1978, a former disgruntled Amtrak employee named Rudy Bladel killed three former coworkers at the station.[6] The murder trial lead to a U.S. Supreme Court case, Michigan v. Jackson, on the admissibility of confessions.

There are currently plans to repair and modernize the station, including possibly converting into a true intermodal facility on the model of the Kalamazoo Transportation Center. The Michigan Department of Transportation has made a $300,000 grant for roof and brick repairs; city officials estimate that a full renovation/expansion would cost $10-13 million.[7]

References

  1. ↑ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, FY2011, State of Michigan" (PDF). Amtrak. December 2011. Retrieved 4 February 2012.
  2. ↑ Stations: Jackson, Michigan (Michigan's Internet Railroad History Museum)
  3. ↑ Jackson (JXN) Great American Stations (Amtrak)
  4. ↑ "Celebrate Renovation of Jackson, Michigan, Station (Amtrak NEWS)". Amtrak History & Archives. November 1978. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
  5. ↑ Jackson County Listings at the National Register of Historic Places
  6. ↑ 475 U.S. 627
  7. ↑ Paul, Fredricka (December 26, 2007). "Depot remake picks up steam". Jackson Citizen-Patriot. p. A1.

External links

Media related to Jackson, Michigan (Amtrak station) at Wikimedia Commons