Chippewa County urges Amtrak extension to Upper Peninsula, asks state and federal agencies to act
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Summary
The Chippewa County Board of Commissioners unanimously adopted a resolution asking Amtrak, MDOT, WISDOT and USDOT to extend Hiawatha service to the Upper Peninsula with stops including Sault Ste. Marie and St. Ignace, and to consider using CN tracks and refurbished lines; the board directed copies be sent to regional and federal officials.
The Chippewa County Board of Commissioners on June 12 unanimously adopted Resolution 2025-08 urging Amtrak and state and federal transportation agencies to extend the Hiawatha passenger train north into Michigan’s Upper Peninsula with stops in Sault Ste. Marie and St. Ignace.
The resolution, offered by Commissioner Scott Shackleton, said residents and visitors in Chippewa County lack access to the national passenger rail network, which it said limits economic development, health-care access and educational and employment opportunities. It asks Amtrak, the Michigan Department of Transportation, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and the U.S. Department of Transportation to consider extending the Hiawatha route, using CN rail tracks and refurbished abandoned lines, and lists organizations and elected officials to receive the resolution.
The board’s action includes a recommendation that southbound trains arrive in Chicago at 9:30 a.m. on Schedule 332 and that the northbound run follow Schedule 339; the resolution also identified the Soo Locks and Lake Superior State University in its statement of support. The clerk recorded a unanimous roll-call vote in favor of the resolution.
Why it matters: The resolution is a formal request for state and federal partners to study and consider passenger-rail service into a region that currently lacks direct national-rail connections. If pursued, the measure would involve coordination among multiple transportation agencies and rail owners and could require track upgrades and funding commitments.
The board sent the resolution to Amtrak, MDOT, WISDOT, USDOT, the Northwoods Rail Transit Commission, regional passenger-rail advocacy groups, the governors of Michigan and Wisconsin and the county’s congressional delegation.