 New Buffalo, MI | Wolverine | Dowagiac, MI  |
| Blue Water |
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.
