Ann Arbor Mini-High

An Amtrak train next to the mini-high platform at the Ann Arbor station.

The Ann Arbor station is located on the east-west Detroit – Chicago line in Michigan (USA) and serves Amtrak Wolverine trains between these cities. The station has a rather unique mini-high platform. Over the years several different people asked me for photos or descriptions of this platform. As a result, I decided to write a comprehensive post to illustrate the concept and to avoid haphazard attempts to describe it in the future. Photos were taken at different times in different years (2017-2021), so small details may differ slightly, but the big picture stays the same throughout.

First, a view of the station from a nearby overpass is intended to provide an idea of the overall layout of the station: a long low-level platform to the east and a short mini-high platform to the west.

The Ann Arbor station. From the European standpoint, it is not really a station,
just a stop, as it has only one track and no switches.

Next, a closer look at the mini-high platform. The high-level platform is referred to as "mini-high" because it is rather short – it is only long enough for a couple of adjacent doors in two adjacent cars.

A view of the mini-high from the station's parking lot.

A view of the mini-high from the track side.
The white portion in the middle is retractable and can move in or out.

Another view from the track side.
There are ramps and stairs to the low-level portions at both ends.

A view of the mini-high from the low-level portion.

Note how far the mini-high is set back from the track compared to the low-level portion. This is necessary to provide sufficient clearance for freight trains with extra-wide loads.

Another view from the other end.

One of the two ramps leading up to the high-level portion and
providing full accessibility for disabled riders and for riders with luggage or prams.

A view from the high-level platform.

The portion with the yellow tactile edge on the above photo can move to the right towards the track. The metal gates in the very front and in the very back can swing open to provide access to this movable portion once it is in its boarding position, as will be seen below.

Another illustration of how far from the track the movable portion is in its retracted position.

When a train arrives at the station, it needs to be positioned in such a way
that its two adjacent doors are next to the movable portion of the mini-high.

Once the train is in position, the movable portion extends to the train under control of Amtrak
employees and eliminates the gap, thus providing level boarding/disembarking for all passengers.

Note that the side railings of the movable portion also move with it, thus preventing passengers from potentially falling while boarding. Also note that the swinging gates are now open, providing access to the movable portion. Once the boarding process is complete, the movable portion is retracted back to its original position.

The gap between a moving Amtrak train and the mini-high platform is pretty large – almost a meter!

While most photos were taken during COVID intentionally avoiding large crowds and may produce an impression of lack of passengers, Ann Arbor is generally a busy station – in fact, the busiest in Michigan – with 100-150 passengers typically boarding each train on weekends and during busy travel periods (holidays, beginning/end of each semester, etc.) Since the introduction of the mini-high platform, boarding time for all these passengers has decreased dramatically from more than 10 minutes to just a few. Everyone benefits from faster boardings, even passengers boarding at other stations, with trains having shorter running times. To achieve the same time savings by improving the rail line itself, one would need to invest significantly more than the cost of this mini-high. Thus, a mini-high platform is a prudent investment in speeding up trains and keeping them on time. I hope this successful improvement will be replicated at other busy stations with low platforms where a full-length high-level platform cannot be built.