Bangor is the least used station on the Pere Marquette Route and the only one on the daily train that doesn't accept bicycles (that ride in the Cabbage unit) probably because of platform length and dwell time considerations. The station serves a small town of 1,885 people. This doesn't mean the town doesn't have a nice train station. The current station is a brick station that was built in 1926; it sat empty for three decades until 1981 when a model train factory moved into the space. Amtrak passengers used a small waiting room adjacent to the factory when the Pere Marquette began operations in 1984. The train factory closed in 1991 and was endangered with demolishment through the 1990s until the City of Bangor bought the station in 2001 and in 2004 it was purchased by Beacon Specialized Living Services, a seniors healthcare provider that renovated the second story attic into usable space for offices. Today the station feels modern and contains a nice looking waiting room with wooden benches, plenty of Amtrak brochures, and a community book exchange. The rest of the first floor is occupied by the Railroad Cafe open (unlike those hours specified on its website) 6:00am to 4:00pm weekdays and 6:00am to 2:00pm Saturdays. It appears the Amtrak waiting room has the same hours (although they aren't updated to the new limited hours) but say the waiting rooms is closed on Sundays.
Pere Marquette trains stop at a small two-car platform. The platform is made of sidewalk paving with a red tactile warning strip that decaying and needs replacement. The platform has low fencing. The portion in front of the depot is at the same level as the depot with an entrance area. There is one bench on the platform and a plaque in Memory of Jay Washegesic embedded in the pavement. The half of the platform south of the depot is at a higher elevation than Railroad Street. The couple steps leading off the platform are coned off because of the decay of the steps. There is finally a single bus shelter, now home to the wheelchair lift, and an older generation blue pointless arrow sign that says Bangor, MI on the side facing the platform and Station on the other side. A more modern sign attached to the same posts informs passengers that the station is an unstaffed Amtrak facility. It finally lists an outdated (as of May 4, 2015 Amtrak schedule) claiming trains leave at 9:02am for Chicago and 8:03pm for Grand Rapids, today these times are earlier and later (so passengers can make longer day trips to Chicago) at 7:30am to Chicago and 9:51pm returning. There is finally a large sign outside the depot in the parking lot (manufactured 10/2010) saying the depot is the Bangor Transportation Center with logos for MDOT and Amtrak beneath it.
All Photos Taken on 12 November, 2016 on a visit by automobile
St Joseph, MI 