The Grand Rapids, Belding and Saginaw Railroad is a defunct railroad which operated in the state of Michigan

Michigan

Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....

 at the turn of the 20th century.

The company formed on September 26, 1898, with the intention of owning a 44 miles (70.8 km) line from Greenville

Greenville, Michigan

Greenville is a city in Montcalm County of the U.S. state of Michigan. Portions of the county are associated with the Western region while others are more closely associated with the Central Michigan region. The population was 8,481 at the 2010 census...

 to Hastings

Hastings, Michigan

Hastings is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, the county seat of Barry County as well as the county's only city. The population was 7,095 at the 2000 census. The city borders Hastings Charter Township on the north, east, and south, and Rutland Charter Township on the west...

 via Belding

Belding, Michigan

Belding is a city in Ionia County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 5,877 at the 2000 census. Belding is a small rural city surrounded almost entirely by farmland...

, Lowell

Lowell, Michigan

Lowell is a city in Kent County of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 4,013. The city is in the northern portion of Lowell Township, but is politically independent...

 and Freeport

Freeport, Michigan

Freeport is a village in Irving Township, Barry County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 444 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all land.-Demographics:...

. Some parts of this line existed already: the Detroit, Grand Rapids & Western

Detroit, Lansing and Northern Railroad

The Detroit, Lansing and Northern Railroad is a defunct railroad which was formed on December 27, 1876 as a reorganization of the foreclosed Detroit, Lansing and Lake Michigan Rail Road...

 operated a branch line between Greenville and Belding, while the Lowell & Hastings operated a line from Freeport to Lowell. Not yet built were the Lowell–Belding (in Kent

Kent County, Michigan

-Air Service:*Commercial air service to Grand Rapids is provided by Gerald R. Ford International Airport . Previously named Kent County International Airport, it holds Grand Rapids' mark in modern history with the United States' first regularly scheduled airline service, beginning July 31, 1926,...

 and Montcalm county

Montcalm County, Michigan

-Michigan State Highways:* M-46* M-57* M-66* M-82* M-91-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 61,266 people, 22,079 households, and 16,183 families residing in the county. The population density was 86 people per square mile . There were 25,900 housing units at an average density...

) and Freeport–Hastings (in Barry county

Barry County, Michigan

-Highways:* M-37* M-43* M-50* M-66* M-78* M-79* M-89* M-179-Demographics:As of the 2000 census, there were 56,755 people, 21,035 households, and 15,986 families residing in the county. The population density was 102 people per square mile . There were 23,876 housing units at an average density of...

) sections.

The company took its first step in May 1899 when it bought the Lowell & Hastings, giving it a 13 miles (20.9 km) line. On January 1, 1900 the company opened 15.9 miles (25.6 km) from Lowell to Belding, where it met the Pere Marquette

Pere Marquette Railway

The Pere Marquette Railway was a railroad that operated in the Great Lakes region of the United States and Canada. The railroad had trackage in the states of Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and the Canadian province of Ontario. Its primary connections included Buffalo; Toledo; and Chicago.The company was...

, the successor company to the DGR&W. As built the line followed the course of the Flat River

Flat River (Michigan)

The Flat River is a tributary of the Grand River in the western part of the U.S. state of Michigan. It rises as the outflow of the six lakes system in Belvidere Township, west of Edmore in Montcalm County. It flows mostly south and slightly west through Montcalm County, Ionia County, and Kent...

 along its west bank, eventually crossing it in Belding itself. The Pere Marquette promptly took control of the line and administered it until 1903, when it bought the company outright. The Hastings–Freeport line was never realized; as of 2008 neither town has a railroad connection.

The Pere Marquette operated the Freeport–Belding line as part of a longer line which ran through Greenville northwest to Edmore

Edmore, Michigan

Edmore is a village in Montcalm County of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 1,244.Edmore was founded and platted by Edwin B. Moore, a real estate man, in 1878, and named with a contraction of his name. A post office was established on July 22, 1878 with...

. It abandoned the section south of Elmdale (Freeport–Elmdale) in 1935. The remainder eventually passed to CSX Transportation

CSX Transportation

CSX Transportation operates a Class I railroad in the United States known as the CSX Railroad. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles...

, which sold it to the Mid-Michigan Railroad

Mid-Michigan Railroad

The Mid-Michigan Railroad is a railroad owned by RailAmerica, having been acquired in 2000. It operates of track in Michigan.-History:The company incorporated in 1987, for the purpose of acquiring railway lines from the CSX Corporation. The company was owned at inception by RailTex, a Texas-based...

 (MMRR). The MMRR has requested permission from the Surface Transportation Board

Surface Transportation Board

The Surface Transportation Board of the United States is a bipartisan, decisionally-independent adjudicatory body organizationally housed within the U.S. Department of Transportation. The STB was established in 1996 to assume some of the regulatory functions that had been administered by the...

 to abandon the remainder of the line (Greenville–Lowell). The stub from Lowell to Malta across the Grand River

Grand River (Michigan)

The Grand River is the longest river in the U.S. state of Michigan. It runs through the cities of Jackson, Eaton Rapids, Lansing, Grand Rapids, and Grand Haven.-Description:...

, which connects Lowell to the rest of Michigan's railroad network, remains in operation, while RailTex

RailTex

RailTex was a transportation holding company that specialized in owning and operating short line railroads across North America.Based in San Antonio, Texas, the public company was a leader in making unprofitable lines shed by Class I railroads into viable transportation routes.The company was sold...

abandoned the remaining southern leg from Malta to Elmdale in 1997.