LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan Department of Transportation has awarded $5 million to CSX Transportation to upgrade the railroad’s Detroit Livernois Intermodal Facility, the agency announced today (Friday, March 15). Improvements will include paving what is currently a dirt and gravel yard, which will help limit dust blown into surrounding neighborhoods.
CSX is contributing $6.7 million to the $11.7 million project, which also includes track work and equipment upgrades. The state funding comes from the Michigan Rail Enhancement Grant Program.
“CSX is grateful to MDOT for their partnership in advancing these critical infrastructure projects that will enhance intermodal rail service for our customers in Detroit and southeast Michigan,” Carrie Crozier, vice president of Intermodal Operations, CSX Intermodal Terminals, said in a press release. “The Detroit Intermodal Rail Service and Capacity Plan will not only improve the efficiency and safety of our operations, but also reduce the environmental impact of freight transportation in the region. … This is a win-win for CSX, our customers, and our neighbors in Detroit.”
Sam Krassenstein, chief of infrastructure for the City of Detroit, said the city “is appreciative of CSX and MDOT’s investment in the Detroit Livernois Intermodal Facility in southwest Detroit as a major step forward toward modernizing this yard, limiting fugitive dust and track-out, and building momentum for further investment in the Detroit Intermodal Freight Terminal. We look forward to continuing to work with the State of Michigan, freight stakeholders and community leaders to identify further economic development and community benefit opportunities in southwest Detroit.”
It seems tax money is gotten by all railroads when they have a large project so I am sure the $5 million is more of CSX’s appreciation than just the yard.
I joke that I am truly a lifelong railfan and this photo ties into that statement. When I was less than a year old, my parents discovered that I was a lot less fussy on the drive to grandma’s house if they took me alongside the railyards on the way there (instead of the faster and more direct freeway trip.) Those trips by the railyard continued until I was the one driving and eventually moved away. The rail yard was PC’s, then Conrail’s, Livernois Yard and the road we drove alongside the yard was John Kronk Street, which is visible running parallel to the tracks in the upper left hand corner of the photo.
Before PC or Conrail, Livernois was New York Central’s terminal in Detroit. It was pretty much abandoned with Conrail, later CSAO, operating out of a small yard near Mound and Caniff on the northeast side.
John Kronk was better known for the southwest side boxing gym that for running alongside a rail yard.
Oh and BTW, for a couple of years my home address was on Livernois, between Puritan and Six Mile on the northwest side.
Going even further it was Michigan Central.
Don’t you think CSX could afford the project on their own? What moral justification can there possibly be for this corporate welfare?
I look at it as $6.7M from CSX to improve track for their operations, and $5M from MDOT to pave the facility to improve quality of life in the neighborhood. In the good old days only the former would have been done by the railroad, and the latter likely done by no one.