Houston Station

[mfastx]

Here is a pic of the Kansas City sign:

Source

Note: in the background you can see the new pavement to the refurbished second track of the station.

 

[Gratt]

One that sign is great I hope they never change it

Also there is currently a private blue and white business-car on a siding right next to the train station undergoing some serious restoration.

I took a picture of it a few days ago I will try to put it up

 

[henryj]

That sign is left over from when the Lone Star still operated. It was killed in the 'Carter Masacre'. The second track is used now days by the Barnum and Bailey circus train when it is in town and of course any other special trains that pass through which now days aren't many. I don't know why the sign doesn't recognize service to LA. Only Amtrak could tell you that one.

 

[printman2000]

That sign is left over from when the Lone Star still operated. It was killed in the 'Carter Masacre'.

I am pretty certain it is a newer sign that was added long after the Lone Star. It looks very new and includes the current logo.

 

[henryj]

That sign is left over from when the Lone Star still operated. It was killed in the 'Carter Masacre'.

I am pretty certain it is a newer sign that was added long after the Lone Star. It looks very new and includes the current logo.

LOL then it is a mystery since no trains or thru way buses go to KC. The connection to the Eagle goes to St Louis and Chicago. Maybe it's just nostalgia on the part of the station personnel.

 

[bretton88]

Or Amtrak has secretly decided to replace the Texas Eagle with a daily Lone Star. With announcement soon to follow. I doubt TEMPO would mind. It would still give Texas its good service.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

That sign is left over from when the Lone Star still operated. It was killed in the 'Carter Masacre'.

I am pretty certain it is a newer sign that was added long after the Lone Star. It looks very new and includes the current logo.

Then it is a mystery since no trains or thru way buses go to KC. The connection to the Eagle goes to St Louis and Chicago. Maybe it's just nostalgia on the part of the station personnel.

I can't explain the reasoning or logic of the sign, but it seems like you could reach Kansas City from Houston if you really wanted to.

Train 1 from HOS to SAS on the Sunset Limited.

Train 22 from SAS to STL on the Texas Eagle.

Train 313 from STL to KCY on the Missouri River Runner.

About thirty-five hours by rail or a little over twelve hours by car. Sigh.

 

[PaulM]

.A correction to your phrasing. An Amshack is basically nothing more than a bus shelter. Houston has a station, ugly as it may be, it is a waiting area with doors and windows and a ticket office and baggage service. An Amshack is you, the bugs, and the bus shelter.

I always thought a double-wide, decked out in Amtrak colors, is also defined as an Amshack. A good example would be the old STL station.

But I agree, the two types of Amshacks shouldn't be confused with one another. But let's face it, there aren't many large cities outside of the two coasts and Chicago with real stations. Denver being an exception (let's hope Amtrak gets back to it some day).

 

[cirdan]

.A correction to your phrasing. An Amshack is basically nothing more than a bus shelter. Houston has a station, ugly as it may be, it is a waiting area with doors and windows and a ticket office and baggage service. An Amshack is you, the bugs, and the bus shelter.

I always thought a double-wide, decked out in Amtrak colors, is also defined as an Amshack. A good example would be the old STL station.

But I agree, the two types of Amshacks shouldn't be confused with one another. But let's face it, there aren't many large cities outside of the two coasts and Chicago with real stations. Denver being an exception (let's hope Amtrak gets back to it some day).

Dallas has a fairly attractive station, and with DART and TRE sharing it, it is pretty busy too..

 

[user 1215]

Fort Worth isn't bad, either. Smaller than it's glorious T&P Station a 1/2 mile away, but nice and very busy.

 

[user 1215]

I am thinking that the Kansas City question needs to be answered. I need Henry to go to the station and ask the attendant why KC is on the station sign.

*Note: I tried to call, but their local phone number is routed to Julie.

 

[henryj]

I am thinking that the Kansas City question needs to be answered. I need Henry to go to the station and ask the attendant why KC is on the station sign.

*Note: I tried to call, but their local phone number is routed to Julie.

LOL I will get right on it. The ladies that work down there are very nice. Since I live in Katy, 30+ miles from downtown, I don't go there very often. I want to do the Friday Lafayette turn when I get a Friday free later this summer. I will ask them then.

 

[printman2000]

I am thinking that the Kansas City question needs to be answered. I need Henry to go to the station and ask the attendant why KC is on the station sign.

*Note: I tried to call, but their local phone number is routed to Julie.

Make sure you call during station hours. I have found another station is auto routed to Julie after hours.

 

[had8ley]

That sign is left over from when the Lone Star still operated. It was killed in the 'Carter Masacre'.

I am pretty certain it is a newer sign that was added long after the Lone Star. It looks very new and includes the current logo.

Then it is a mystery since no trains or thru way buses go to KC. The connection to the Eagle goes to St Louis and Chicago. Maybe it's just nostalgia on the part of the station personnel.

I can't explain the reasoning or logic of the sign, but it seems like you could reach Kansas City from Houston if you really wanted to.

Train 1 from HOS to SAS on the Sunset Limited.

Train 22 from SAS to STL on the Texas Eagle.

Train 313 from STL to KCY on the Missouri River Runner.

About thirty-five hours by rail or a little over twelve hours by car. Sigh.

Yes, and you can go from NOL to Portland, Maine via Sunset, Coast Starlight, Empire Builder,City of new Orleans, Crescent, Acela to Downeaster. :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[cirdan]

Nice pictures Cirdan. The multi story red brick building is of course the old Union Station building.

Okay, that explains it then. Our guided tour definitely didn't go anywhere near that building, and I wasn't aware it was part of the complex. That would explain why I didn't realise that any old bits were left.

Also, I'm pretty sure that our guide had said the tracks had run in a north-south sort of direction but what you and others say indicate they were more east-west, which makes much more sense, also in terms of interpreting the space and other buildings in the area.

So the morale of the story is, just because somebody is sufficiantly confident in answering my questions doens't mean they actually know much about the subject.

I've spent some time on Google-Earth follwoing the various rail lines and wasn't aware that the METRO red line actually crosses the line used by Amtrak on a bridge by UH Downtown. I wonder if they ever considered transferring the Amtrak station to that location which would make a lot more sense in terms of connections, especially if they are thinking of commuter rail at some point in the future, which would presumably use the same station.

 

[stntylr]

Nice pictures Cirdan. The multi story red brick building is of course the old Union Station building.

I've spent some time on Google-Earth follwoing the various rail lines and wasn't aware that the METRO red line actually crosses the line used by Amtrak on a bridge by UH Downtown. I wonder if they ever considered transferring the Amtrak station to that location which would make a lot more sense in terms of connections, especially if they are thinking of commuter rail at some point in the future, which would presumably use the same station.

Houston hAd a plan to build a multimodal station to combine the metro and Amtrak but it was cancelled last year due to money problems.

 

[librarian]

In June, I drove with my son to Houston where he has a summer internship, and returned home by train. I had read about the Houston Amtrak Station here, so knew what to expect. My son drove me to the station, but his GPS landed us in the parking lot of the Post Office complex, where the long-gone former train station sat. We could see the small Amtrak station, but had to backtrack several streets to get there.

The Houston Amtrak Station is indeed a sorry-looking place, basic maintenance and a paint job would help. The female staff member was quite busy handling incoming passengers for the Thruway Bus, and answering questions for a couple with a small child who wanted to know "if they could take him on a train ride." A second staff member ate potato chips and stared out the window.

The station has the wooden seating from the former station, and the platform is from the pre-1959 station. There are nice displays and photos of the former station, but otherwise it is dreary, with a broken vending machine.

I had my tickets printed before I left, as I was unsure what was available in Houston. I am not sure what passengers do the two days a week that the Station is closed and the daily Thruway Bus to Longview picks up, as luggage was loaded by the bus driver anyway. We had 20 passenger for the bus, and it was a nice ride to meet the Texas Eagle.

It is an interesting contrast to be standing in this 1959 block building, looking out the windows at a dynamic, modern downtown Houston skyline.

 

[had8ley]

Nice pictures Cirdan. The multi story red brick building is of course the old Union Station building.

I've spent some time on Google-Earth follwoing the various rail lines and wasn't aware that the METRO red line actually crosses the line used by Amtrak on a bridge by UH Downtown. I wonder if they ever considered transferring the Amtrak station to that location which would make a lot more sense in terms of connections, especially if they are thinking of commuter rail at some point in the future, which would presumably use the same station.

Houston hAd a plan to build a multimodal station to combine the metro and Amtrak but it was cancelled last year due to money problems.

Last month I had to take #1 to Houston. Four cab drivers turned me down because I wasn't going to an airport (I guess I should have written their cab #'s down but it was hot and steamy)....so I took the last one's advice and started walking "two blocks" to the light rail. Even with just an overnight bag it seemed like two miles and it started pouring just brfore I reached the light rail. Then I had to wait 40" for a bus at a "transportation center" that let me off at the wrong stop in the rain. Point being~ NEVER trust a taxi driver in Houston :help:

 

[Bob Dylan]

Think they took Lessons from the Austin cabbies Jay! Lots of them dont want trips to/from the Airport that are "Too Short" since they claim anything less than the $25-$30 Fare to Downtown makes them Lose Money since they have to wait so long in the Taxi Line @ the Airport! The FEW times Ive flown to/from Austin I used the Airport Flyer Bus, it's only $2.50 for Seniors, not sure what Houston has for their Airports that are Located in Galveston and Oklahoma! :lol: :lol: :lol: The Houston Light Rail is about as Useful as the RedLine here! :help:

 

[AlanB]

Think they took Lessons from the Austin cabbies Jay! Lots of them dont want trips to/from the Airport that are "Too Short" since they claim anything less than the $25-$30 Fare to Downtown makes them Lose Money since they have to wait so long in the Taxi Line @ the Airport!

New York fixed that problem by having the taxi dispatcher give the cabbie a special card that allows them to skip the line (or at least the bulk of the line) when they get a short haul fare like that.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I understand the frustration and irritation caused by dealing with cabbies. However, our taxi fare situation is not controlled by them. Taxi drivers start the day something like $250 in the hole for a daily lease rate on company provided cars. They don't see a dime of profit until they've made at least that much in fares. If they make less than that they do actually lose money for the day. You can't get a conventional auto-loan for a taxi. You have to buy it outright for the full purchase price. Factory maintenance and many other protections do not apply to commercial uses so you'll be footing the full bill for most repairs and your insurance will cost substantially more. On top of that the taxi line at our local airport fills a whole parking lot so you'll be waiting an awfully long time for your first fare if you go that route. If you're going to get mad with our over priced and under utilized taxi system (and I do as well) keep in mind who really benefits from the current situation with punitive lease rates and forced fare rates. The bigger taxi companies who lobbied our various politicians and governmental agencies to help them enact our current anti-consumer and anti-driver taxi rules. That's not to say that every taxi driver is a great guy. I'm simply pointing out that they are not the root cause of the problem.

 

[henryj]

Last month I had to take #1 to Houston. Four cab drivers turned me down because I wasn't going to an airport (I guess I should have written their cab #'s down but it was hot and steamy)....so I took the last one's advice and started walking "two blocks" to the light rail. Even with just an overnight bag it seemed like two miles and it started pouring just brfore I reached the light rail. Then I had to wait 40" for a bus at a "transportation center" that let me off at the wrong stop in the rain. Point being~ NEVER trust a taxi driver in Houston :help:

Where did you find RAIN.......it hasn't rained but twice here since February. lol. We are something like 18 inches behind.

When I took #1 to LAX last year I parked at Hobby airport as I was flying back and took the Super Shuttle to Amtrak. The driver had never been to the station and did not even know we had train service. I had to give him directions. It only costs $20.

If you get into Houston and need public transportation the #36 and #66 buses come down Washington Ave, only a block or two from the station. Either will take you downtown to the light rail or downtown transit center. See the schedules here: http://www.ridemetro.org/ It's way more than 'two blocks' to the light rail line.

 

[had8ley]

Last month I had to take #1 to Houston. Four cab drivers turned me down because I wasn't going to an airport (I guess I should have written their cab #'s down but it was hot and steamy)....so I took the last one's advice and started walking "two blocks" to the light rail. Even with just an overnight bag it seemed like two miles and it started pouring just brfore I reached the light rail. Then I had to wait 40" for a bus at a "transportation center" that let me off at the wrong stop in the rain. Point being~ NEVER trust a taxi driver in Houston :help:

Where did you find RAIN.......

It found me about 9:30 p.m. and stopped about 10 minutes later

It's way more than 'two blocks' to the light rail line.

Tell me about it !!!

 

[cirdan]

The Houston Light Rail is about as Useful as the RedLine here!

I can't comment on Austin as I've never seen the red line there, but Houston is surprisingly good. Looking at the map it may look as if somebody had some money left and decided to build something with it but ran out half way. A bit like happened to me when I used to play Sim City. But having actually visited it and toured it in great detail, I muts say that this is anything but true. The trains appeared to decently patronized at all times of day, and they do connect two universities, and a major medical center, so you really can't accuse this line of being useless. Even the final leg to Fannin South which really seemed to me to end in the middle of nowhere had its fair share of ridership. Admittedly many of the trips people were doing they could easily have walked as many people just rode two or three stops. But I was pleasantly surprised to see that a lot of mobility impaired people (in scooters and wheelchairs) were riding it and getting on and off unaided which wouldn't have been that simple with a bus. The line's major drawback of course is that it is way too short - and in many cases for the able bodied, walking makes more sense. But as the system extends this will change.

 

[David H.]

I do hope our light rail becomes useful to more people. Here is a map of the planned expansion, can't start soon enough.