Michigan State University will play an integral role in the $9.48 million
East Lansing Amtrak Station renovation. MSU will contribute a long-term land lease of the property, valued at $3.2 million. According to Fred Poston, MSU vice president for finance and operations, the school wanted to be involved in the project because of its potential to impact transportation options for students.
“The new Amtrak station will make it more convenient for the students,” says Poston. “They can get on a bus at their residence hall or anywhere in the city or surrounding area to go to the Amtrak station.”
The project will also be funded by a $6.28 grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration through Bus and Bus Facilities Program Livability Initiative funds. It will provide connectivity to the interstate, the regional transportation network, as well as bike and pedestrian pathways. The project is also expected to create jobs and improve the vibrancy of the area.
Poston says student use of mass transit is at an all-time high, and East Lansing is the fastest growing in Michigan. The renovations will improve connections to both Detroit and Chicago. The project will include an expansion of the Michigan Flyer service, increased number of routes between East Lansing and Detroit and Mega Bus service between Chicago and Detroit with stops in Grand Rapids, Lansing and Ann Arbor.
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