MDOT provides capital and operating assistance, technical support and safety oversight of Michigan’s passenger rail system. The department also sponsors three separate intercity passenger rail routes that are operated by Amtrak and serves 22 station communities.

In addition, MDOT owns a segment of the accelerated rail corridor that connects Chicago and Detroit/Pontiac and the communities in between. It funds all capital and maintenance work on the segment of the corridor between Kalamazoo and Dearborn.

Currently, efforts are focused on increasing passenger speeds up to 110 mph in this area. Passenger trains have traveled up to 110 mph since 2012 on the Amtrak-owned portion of the accelerated rail corridor between Kalamazoo, Michigan, and Porter, Indiana.