Never Heard of Kalamazoo’s Infamous X-Train? Here’s What You Need to Know:

Has the infamous X-Train struck in Southwest Michigan once again?

Over the weekend it was reported that a flash mob of 20-30 people stormed a Kalamazoo gas station and stole hundreds of dollars worth of merchandise. Residents across the area were quick to bring up the name "x-train", but if you're not originally from Kalamazoo-- like myself-- you may not know what that means.

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I grew up in nearby Allegan and although I spent many years partying with my Bronco friends over in the Vine neighborhood, the words "x-train" had never crossed my ears until recently.

Especially if you're someone who recently moved to Kalamazoo, you may never even know this group exists until you encounter them yourself. And if you do? Godspeed.

What Is The X-Train?

The group has reportedly been raising hell in Kalamazoo since the '90s. Dubbed the "X-Train" it is a caravan of partiers and their cars, which essentially drive bumper to bumper through the north side of town leaving a path of destruction in their wake.

The X-Train, which takes their name from a popular club drug, has been known to rip up lawns, scatter trash and broken glass along the streets, and has been linked to at least one shooting death.

Authorities have made attempts to crack down on the X-Train's wild parties in recent years, even going so far as to arrest around 20 participants in 2017. But clearly the X-Train hasn't been derailed yet as shown by this recent, albeit unconfirmed sighting.

I'm also surprised at just how many residents aren't even aware of its existence! Local Kalamazoo Reddit users are chiming in saying:

• "How...have I lived here my whole life and never heard about this?" - u/sloppifloppi
• "I've lived here almost 20 years, never seen it once. Only time I learned about it was from articles written on it."  - u/squirmin
• "I only heard of it a few years back for the first time in my life and I've been here since childhood and I'm in my 20's." - u/Myckilee