The CP mainline is pretty far away from the depot itself, so the removal of it would cause minimal disruptions to train service.Is it practical to tear it down though? Aside from the rooms under the approach to the tunnel under the river, are there other parts of the foundation which, if removed, would require expensive infrastructure changes to non-station structures?
Of course it will cost money the City of Detroit does not have to tear down the depot, but a lot of rust-belt cities see the stimulus money as a financial savior. Also, keep in mind that you’re talking about the Detroit City Council, so youll never see any rational decisions from them.It seems that if demolishing the station would cause significant expenses to be incurred by entities not affiliated with the demolition of the station, the city would have to remedy those expenses before condemning the structure under the blight laws...
Another thing to consider is Morouns political alliance with the Kilpatrick family. His ties with Kwame are how the proposal to make the depot into the new police headquarters came about because Moroun would make a lot of money from the city. Moroun is also asking Kwame’s mom, US Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick to intervene in the building of a second bridge spanning the Detroit River, which both US and Canadian officials support. Its all politics to why the choice to remove the building came about after Kwame left.