Michigan Central Station
The New York Central main line between Buffalo and Chicago via Canada was the main railroad through Detroit, using the Michigan Central Station. Fifteenth Street Tower controlled the east end of the station, and Twentieth Street Tower controlled the west end of the station. The tunnel to Windsor Canada was 1 mile east of the station. Bay City Jct., 1 mile west of the station, was where NYC's Bay City Branch diverged north from the main line. And West Detroit, 2 miles west of the station, was where NYC's main line to Toledo diverged. Also using the tunnel to Canada were Canadian Pacific trains.
Fort Street Union Depot
Union Belt of Detroit operated the Fort Street Union Depot, and the trackage as far as Delray, 4 miles west. Sixth Street Tower controlled the station. The most significant railroad serving Fort Street Union Depot was Pere Marquette, later Chesapeake & Ohio. PM's main line began at Delray and extended to Plymouth, 24 miles northwest, and beyond to Grand Rapids. At Plymouth was the junction with PM's Saginaw Division, extending north to Saginaw and south to Toledo. Delray also was the beginning of the Wabash main line southwest to St. Louis. PM had trackage rights over the Wabash main line between Delray and Romulus, where Wabash crossed the Saginaw Division. This was for PM trains to Toledo, along with Baltimore & Ohio trains using trackage rights from Detroit to Toledo. But during the 1950's, the Wabash trackage rights were discontinued, and C&O trains from Detroit to Toledo began using a circuitous route via Plymouth. Pennsylvania Railroad trains to Toledo used trackage rights via Wabash 1 mile between Delray and Ecorse Jct., its own trackage between Ecorse Jct. and Carlton, and via PM between Carlton and Toledo. Carlton is 11 miles south of Romulus.
Brush Street Station
Grand Trunk Western used Brush Street Station, mostly for trains operating via GTW's Holly Subdivision to Durand, and beyond to Muskegon. Durand was also the junction with GTW's main line between Chicago and Port Huron. GTW's Mount Clemens Subdivision was a line from West Detroit to Port Huron, basically crossing and connecting with the Holly Subdivision at Milwaukee Jct., 4 miles north of Detroit.
In 1994 Amtrak opened its new station along a long time freight only segment of the GTW Mount Clemens Subdivision, where the line crosses over Woodward Ave. Trains originally would use NYC trackage east of West Detroit via Scotten, the Bay City Branch and Vinewood, to make the connection. In more recent years a more direct track connection was constructed, enabling Amtrak trains to switch railroads at West Detroit.