Farewell to Lowell-Greenville?

Mid-Michigan Railroad is looking to abandon its line from Lowell to Greenville. They took a real hit when Electrolux closed its plant in Greenville; no trains have run on the stretch in some time. This 24-mile line is the last operational railway serving Greenville and Belding. The tracks are to be pulled up and the grade converted to a rail trail under the West Michigan Trails and Greenways Coalition.

The Patterson Railroad built the 1.67-mile section from Belding across the Flat River in 1872. That same year the Detroit, Lansing & Lake Michigan took ownership of the line and merged it with that of the recently acquired Ionia & Lansing, which had built north all the way to Greenville from Lansing. The final stretch, Lowell—Belding, was built in 1899 by the Grand Rapids, Belding & Saginaw. The first two segments passed to the Pere Marquette on its formation in 1899; the last in 1903. This line passed to the Cheaspeake & Ohio, then CSX, and finally Mid-Michigan sometime in the late 1990s. There are three stations (Lowell, Belding and Greenville), plus four bridges over the Flat River.

It's a pity to see this happen, but not surprising. The abandonment in Lowell is short of the Grand River (I think), so the Grand Rapids-Lowell link will remain. STB threw out the previous petition this January (link) after MDOT alleged various inaccuracies in MMRR's petition.