Bangor's depot and the daily train to Chicago

Bangor has something many larger towns do not: a direct passenger train. Amtrak’s current Pere Marquette timetable lists one train each way every day. The route runs Grand Rapids, Holland, Bangor, St. Joseph-Benton Harbor, and Chicago. Bangor is one of just three stops between the two endpoints.

The depot has had a few lives. The Pere Marquette Railroad completed the brick building in 1926 to replace a wooden station from 1870. It later sat empty for almost three decades, then housed a model-train factory from 1981 to 1991. After that business closed, the station topped the Great American Station Foundation’s 1998 list of endangered stations.

Bangor bought the station from CSX in 2001. A private buyer took most of the building in 2004, while the city kept the passenger waiting-room end. A state grant, city and private funds, and Amtrak engineering help rebuilt the waiting room and platform. The station was rededicated in May 2005, and trains still call there today.

The practical gift is simple: you can board in a small downtown and step off at Chicago Union Station without driving or finding a parking ramp. Times can change, so use Amtrak’s live schedule when you plan the trip. The station code is BAM, which is unusually easy to remember.