The first Detroit United Railway train rolled through Clawson in September 1899 and operated until 1931. The train approached town along South Main Street, then known as Niles Road, about 1900. Poor road conditions did not affect the swift electric trains, and many people settled in villages along the train lines to commute to jobs in Detroit. The Detroit United Railway waiting station stood on the northeast corner of the downtown intersection, and sections of railway track still remain under Main Street.