The Howell and Lansing Railroad is a defunct railroad which proposed to construct a railway line between Howell

Howell, Michigan

Howell is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 9,489. It is the county seat of Livingston County and is located mostly within Howell Township, but is politically independent from Howell Township...

 and Lansing

Lansing, Michigan

Lansing is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located mostly in Ingham County, although small portions of the city extend into Eaton County. The 2010 Census places the city's population at 114,297, making it the fifth largest city in Michigan...

 in central Michigan

Central Michigan

Central Michigan, often called Mid Michigan, is a region in the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. Southern Michigan can be considered as a subregion of Central Michigan. As its name implies, it is the central area of the Lower Peninsula. Lower Michigan is said to resemble a mitten, and...

. The company incorporated on June 23, 1868 and began grading along the 33 miles (53.1 km) length of the line. The H&L had some difficulty obtaining financing; by the time it merged with the Detroit and Howell

Detroit and Howell Railroad

The Detroit and Howell Railroad is a defunct railroad organized in 1864 to build a line connecting Howell and Detroit in southeast Michigan....

 on March 29, 1870, no track had been laid. The two companies merged formed the Detroit, Howell and Lansing

Detroit, Howell and Lansing Railroad

The Detroit, Howell and Lansing Railroad is a defunct railroad which operated in central and southeast Michigan during the early 1870s. The company formed on March 29, 1870 through the consolidation of the Detroit and Howell and the Howell and Lansing...

, and the H&L ceased to exist as an independent company.