Spencer is a native Chicagoan and avid lover of maps. He is familiar with taking different forms of transit in various cities throughout Michigan including Chicago, Ann Arbor and Detroit. He has served as an intern for TRU and is adamant about public transit investment and advocacy.
“I’ve been fortunate to experience a well-connected Metra system connecting my suburb to Downtown.”

Paper and electronic maps have captivated my attention long before I can remember. Anytime I go somewhere new I pull out Google Maps to check out nearby transit routes. I play around to see how long it would take me to get to any appealing destination, sometimes with no intention of ever going there. Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, I have been fortunate to experience a well-connected Metra system connecting my suburb to Downtown (the Loop). While the system is not perfect, generally it runs smoothly, taking around 50 minutes to reach the final stop. Last summer, I commuted from home down to the Loop every day. It was a luxury not to meticulously plan my day around train times, as the trains were designed for suburban commuters and ran frequently to and from the suburbs in the mornings and late afternoons.
Comparing this experience to Michigan’s transportation system reveals stark differences. Although I live in Ann Arbor, which may have the best transit options in the state, I have certainly learned and experienced the shortcomings of Michigan’s transit system. Southeastern Michigan is the 14th largest metropolitan area in the country, but it lacks any form of commuter rail and a proper bus system to support its residents. Due to the history of car companies in the area, and the immense funding used to support the highway system, public transit has been ignored. In most parts of the region, it has been left in a frail state – directly harming residents who need it the most. The state of transit in Michigan can certainly be changed with increased government funding for local bus operating systems specifically.
“The state of transit in Michigan can be changed with increased government funding for local bus systems.”
Living in Chicago and attending school in Ann Arbor, has led to me taking many trips using Amtrak’s Wolverine service near campus. I would like to share a story that sheds light on the state of transit in Michigan. Coming back to school from winter break, I had booked an afternoon train the day before classes started. I received a text that the train had been canceled a couple of days prior. Annoying, but at least I had a heads-up. I rescheduled to the 6pm train on the same day, scheduled to arrive around 11pm. It was snowing that day so I got to Union Station around an hour before the train. When we stopped in Kalamazoo, the train was shockingly on-time, maybe even a couple of minutes ahead of schedule.
After a 40 minute delay in Kalamazoo, the conductor announced that the crew who was supposed to swap in Battle Creek were caught on a train behind a downed tree. After another hour of waiting, we were told that our train would be turning around arriving back in Chicago by 3 am. We were given the following options: 1) Remain on the train and sleep at an Amtrak-provided hotel for 3 hours before taking another train in the morning or 2) Get off the train in Battle Creek and try to find a ride at midnight to our destinations. There were no Ubers available so people had to hope that their friends/family would answer their calls at midnight. The Battle Creek station became a refuge for people who couldn’t afford to waste hours on the train again. I narrowly avoided spending a night in the Battle Creek station and was lucky to find a ride back with some strangers going to Ann Arbor.
Historically, transit has been an afterthought, prioritizing highway infrastructure above all else.

While this story demonstrates Amtrak’s unreliability, it is representative of the state of transit throughout Michigan. Historically, transit has been an afterthought, prioritizing highway infrastructure above all else. Slowly, leaders in Michigan are starting to recognize transit in Michigan as a valuable investment for Michiganders and the local economy. People have a plethora of reasons to take transit: affordability, safety, environmental benefits, accessibility, and many more. We know that a well-connected Michigan is certainly possible, and TRU is working hard to make it happen.
If you want to know more about the hard work TRU is doing to improve Michigan’s state of public transportation click here.