Niles, MI
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Niles is the stop on the Wolverine and Blue Water trains that serves South Bend, Indiana. The station is located just 13 miles north of the South Bend Amtrak Station. The Niles Dial-a-Ride fixed-route (Route 2) provides very limited weekdays only service from Niles (stopping at the DART office 0.4 miles away) south to a connection with South Bend Transpo.

All trains serve the station except for the first westbound Wolverine of the day that runs non-stop from Kalamazoo to Chicago. The station was staffed by an Amtrak agent for one morning shift (about 7:00am until 2:00pm) until March 1, 2018 when the station became unstaffed with a caretaker now opening and closing the depot.

Trains stop at the historic Richardson Romanesque, 1892 Michigan Central Railroad Depot. Inside the depot are plenty of historic wooden benches (with arms) for waiting passengers, along with restrooms. At one end is the now closed ticket office, complete with an Amtrak pointless arrow next to a train information sign beneath a silver '90s Amtrak P42 paint job. There is an opening for baggage check-in beneath the ticket window but Michigan trains haven't offered baggage service in a number of years. The walls are painted a cream color, with wooden trim. The wooden ceiling has been restores. There is also a fireplace, complete with an unburned log in it. On one wall is a painting by Janet Seaman, showing the depot circa 1893. The station leads out to a small Amtrak parking lot along with grass and gardens maintained by the Niles Garden Club. Access to the depot is from Dey Street.

The stone depot is located on the north side of the two-track railway. The station platforms begin just beyond the grade-crossing of North 5th Street and run east. There is a side platform for the north track and a narrow secondary island platform that only serves the south track, but is full length with pedestrian crossings to it at each end and in the middle of the platform. The station can only accommodate one train at a time, although they can stop on both tracks. The platforms both have pink tactile warning strips.


Photos 1-14: 5 June, 2016 on a visit by bicycle; 15-39: 15 April, 2018

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Grass between 5th Street and Dey Street that provides access to the station's parking lot
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Approaching the historic depot, passing the gardens that surround it
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The historic 1892 depot
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The Richardson Romanesque depot
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There is also a second smaller freight depot next to the main depot
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The main doors into the depot
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Sign at the main entrance to the Niles Amtrak depot
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The ends of the platforms
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A Woverine train led by P42 #38 begins to cross the St. Joesph River
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P42 #38 pulls a mix of Horizons and Amfleet I coaches
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A Woverine Train in the middle of the crossing the St. Joesph River
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Horizon Coaches at the end of a Wolverine Train crossing the St. Joesph River
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The Rear Horizon Coach finishes crossing the St. Joesph River
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Getting of the Blue Water at Niles
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View of the Niles depot from the middle platform for the south track while stepping off the Blue Water
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The Mobile lift beneath a platform canopy and a Niles, MI sign
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A side of the Richardson Romanesque depot
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Amfleet I Club/Cafe Car #48187 and the rear P42 on the Blue Water stop in Niles
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The rear P42 of the Blue water stopped in Niles, approaching the platform crossing
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Last Updated: 6 July, 2018
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