DETROIT — Google is joining Ford Motor Co.’s effort to transform the landmark Michigan Central Station into a hub of technology and innovation.
The news site mlive.com reports Google will be a “founding member” of the Michigan Central Innovation District, a 30-acre campus being developed by Ford at the long-neglected station.
“This is not going to be a Ford campus. This is going to be a campus where entrepreneurs, big and small, would come here and help develop the future,” Ford executive chair Bill Ford said at a Friday event announcing Google’s involvement.
Ford announced in 2018 that it was buying the station, opened in 1913 but vacant since 1988, as a new technology campus [see “New life for Detroit’s Michigan Central Station,” Trains News Wire, June 11, 2018]. It has spent $740 million so far on restoring the building, expected to house 5,000 workers, only half of them from Ford. The state of Michigan is contributing $126 million in investments and resources, including area infrastructure.
Google plans to provide cloud-based services for the campus, and offer digital training for local students and job seekers.
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