Huron and Eastern Railway
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Rail transport |
| Founded | 1986 |
| Headquarters | Vassar , United States |
Area served | Michigan's Thumb region, Flint/Tri-Cities area |
| Owner | Genesee & Wyoming, Inc. |
| Parent | Genesee & Wyoming, Inc. |
Huron and Eastern Railway operates as a short line railroad managing track segments within Michigan's Thumb region and the Flint/Tri-Cities vicinity. Since 2012, it has been under the ownership of Genesee & Wyoming, Inc., having been purchased from RailAmerica. Its administrative offices are situated in the historic former Michigan Central Railroad station located in Vassar, Michigan.
History
The inception of HESR dates back to 1986 when it commenced service over 83 miles of former Chesapeake and Ohio Railway lines that connected Huron and Sanilac Counties, running between Bad Axe and Croswell. On December 22, 1988, the railway expanded by acquiring the Bad Axe Subdivision from CSX, covering the route from Saginaw to Bad Axe.
Further growth occurred on January 22, 1991, when HESR took over former Penn Central tracks from the Tuscola and Saginaw Bay Railway, thereby extending its service reach to include towns such as Vassar and Caro. On April 30, 1998, it purchased CSX’s Port Huron Subdivision stretching from Saginaw to Brown City, although the section beyond Brown City to Avoca remains inactive.
In 2004, HESR’s network was broadened through acquisition of the Central Michigan Railway, which allowed access to Bay City and Midland, as well as an interchange point with Class I carrier Canadian National at Durand. Additionally, RailAmerica consolidated the Saginaw Valley Railway into HESR in May 2004, adding a western line from Saginaw. This integration resulted in the alternate designation Huron and Eastern Saginaw Valley Railroad.
Post-merger developments saw the majority of the former Saginaw Valley line westward to Richville being abandoned except for a short two-mile stretch leading to Denmark Junction. Despite some parallel routes requiring maintenance, HESR has preserved most of its rail infrastructure with limited track abandonment.
Today
The locomotive roster of Huron and Eastern features a mix of equipment inherited from Central Michigan Railway, Saginaw Valley Railway, alongside original HESR units.
Its primary route extends northeastward from Saginaw to Bad Axe, then turns southeast toward Croswell. The railway services more than 100 freight rail customers throughout Mid-Michigan and provides connections to over 140 transloading sites.
Another corridor runs from Midland eastward to Bay City, then south through Saginaw continuing down to Durand, utilizing former tracks of both Central Michigan Railway and the Grand Trunk Western Railroad.
HESR maintains interchange operations with Canadian National Railway and Great Lakes Central Railroad in Durand; as well as with Lake State Railway at both Saginaw and Bay City.
The freight handled predominantly consists of agricultural commodities along with industrial materials like cement, fly ash, and various chemicals. In 2008 alone, HESR moved close to 34,000 carloads.