Niles Rail Depot

Niles is a train station in Niles, Michigan, served by Amtrak, the national railroad passenger system. The Amtrak station is located along the main line east of the former Benton Harbor Branch crossing and west of the former junctions with the South Bend and Air Line Branches. Amtrak uses the old Michigan Central Railroad station; the current structure was built in 1892 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Niles Station serves the Wolverine and Blue Water which lead to other stations in Michigan and Indiana before terminating in Chicago. East of Niles, the Wolverine and Blue Water share stations until after Battle Creek Station. Baggage cannot be checked at this location; however, up to two suitcases in addition to any "personal items" such as briefcases, purses, laptop bags, and infant equipment are allowed on board as carry-ons. Of the 22 Michigan stations served by Amtrak, Niles was the 13th-busiest in FY2010, boarding or detraining an average of approximately 50 passengers daily. Niles Depot has been used in on-locations scenes of at least three movies. Continental Divide, starring John Belushi and Blair Brown, Midnight Run, starring Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin, and Only the Lonely starring John Candy and Ally Sheedy. It was the latter of these three which spawned a tradition of adding Christmas lights and decorations around the station annually. It was also featured in Planes, Trains and Automobiles.