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Originally Posted by subterranean
I did not know that. Thanks for the history lesson.
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On some additional background, Grand Trunk Western Railroad had offered commuter service between Pontiac and Brush Street Station (where the RenCen is) from 1931 until the railroads began phasing out passenger service. Apart from the two termini, the SEMTA line had 8 stations, one in Detroit (Milwaukee Junction), one in Highland Park (Chrysler Center), and then six north of 8 Mile: Ferndale, two in Royal Oak, Birmingham, Bloomfield Township, and Bloomfield Hills.
Here are a few photos from 1973 of Brush Street Station. It would be torn down that same year and the station (Franklin Street Station) moved east of the RenCen:
This was one of the three downtown passenger stations the others being Fort Street Union Depot and Michigan Central Station. Brush Street hosted the Grand Trunk Western Railroad including it's commuter services. Michigan Central Station hosted its namesake and its partners, and Fort Street Union Depot hosted everything else.
It's also my understanding that the east-half of the Dequindre Cut was purposefully left unpaved in case the region wanted to run a rail line back down the cut. So, rail using this line is not farfetched at all.