Stations that should be replaced

[bms]

I will nominate Elyria, Ohio - The Amshack in Elyria burned down in 2013 and was replaced with a bus shelter. This is the closest station to me, but the lack of a station building means I only use it in the summer. Passengers get confused because the trains come by in the middle of the night with no indication as to whether the train stopping is #29 or #49 (unless there's a rail buff around who can tell by the equipment). The neighborhood is marginal and there are no public transit connections or taxis. Not coincidentally, Elyria is the least-used station for the Capitol Limited and the second least-used station for the Lake Shore Limited. About all I can say for this station is that the platform is ADA accessible. I attached photos of the current Elyria "station" and the Capitol Limited at the platform a few weeks ago.

Proposed solution: Amtrak and Lorain County should pursue litigation to force Norfolk Southern to let Amtrak move into the beautifully renovated Lorain County Transportation Center in downtown Elyria. Litigation seems to be the only way county taxpayers can get the intermodal transit center they paid for ten years ago. If they lose, Amtrak should move the stop (either west to Amherst or east to Berea), or build its own building on the current site.

 

[ehbowen]

Ouch. And I thought Houston had it bad!

 

[dogbert617]

I thought when I traveled through there on the Cardinal, that Crawfordsville, IN deserves a new station. It had a similar and older outdated shelter building, that believe it or not had a similar design to the one in Elyria.

Also, I'd say Benson, Lordsburg, Deming, and Sanderson on the Sunset Limited/Texas Eagle could use new station buildings, a la the ones Amtrak built in Rensselaer, IN and also Dyer, IN. Too bad they didn't try to renovate and save the former station house, in Sanderson.

 

[jiml]

I will nominate Elyria, Ohio - The Amshack in Elyria burned down in 2013 and was replaced with a bus shelter. This is the closest station to me, but the lack of a station building means I only use it in the summer. Passengers get confused because the trains come by in the middle of the night with no indication as to whether the train stopping is #29 or #49 (unless there's a rail buff around who can tell by the equipment). The neighborhood is marginal and there are no public transit connections or taxis. Not coincidentally, Elyria is the least-used station for the Capitol Limited and the second least-used station for the Lake Shore Limited. About all I can say for this station is that the platform is ADA accessible. I attached photos of the current Elyria "station" and the Capitol Limited at the platform a few weeks ago.

Proposed solution: Amtrak and Lorain County should pursue litigation to force Norfolk Southern to let Amtrak move into the beautifully renovated Lorain County Transportation Center in downtown Elyria. Litigation seems to be the only way county taxpayers can get the intermodal transit center they paid for ten years ago. If they lose, Amtrak should move the stop (either west to Amherst or east to Berea), or build its own building on the current site.

That illustrates the "devolution" theory in one story. Lousy station > less traffic > no need for new station > least-used station > closed station.

 

[CAQuail]

I nominate South Bend. Of all the stations that I have used over the years I have to rank it as the most unpleasant.

 

[bratkinson]

Got money?

 

[user 14106]

Northampton, MA should be eventually relocated/replaced so that a more complete facility can be built with a station building and local bus transit connections. While the current location is great as far as walking convenience to everywhere downtown, the facility is extremely bare bones for the decent ridership it gets and feasible improvements are extremely limited due to the fact the site is a small plot surrounded by private property.

 

[Bob Dylan]

San Antonio,Tx.( move to the old Renovated Mopac Station on the West Side which the City now owns, and plans to make into an Intermodel Transportstion Center.)

And Houston, bad location, too small a Building!( they tore down all the Grand Old Stations except Union Station, and now its Headhouse is part of Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros)

 

[me_little_me]

Atlanta - a large city that even with only two Crescents a day, has a LOT of passengers and the worst of big city stations.

 

[bms]

Atlanta - a large city that even with only two Crescents a day, has a LOT of passengers and the worst of big city stations.

Do you think Atlanta needs a new location, or just a new building? I'm not crazy about the location but couldn't find a better one either.

 

[Night Ranger]

Do you think Atlanta needs a new location, or just a new building? I'm not crazy about the location but couldn't find a better one either.

IMHO, a new building, especially one with better accessibility, would suffice unless parking has to be added. If parking lots are necessary then a new location would be needed unless property in the area was available for it.

 

[me_little_me]

IMHO, a new building, especially one with better accessibility, would suffice unless parking has to be added. If parking lots are necessary then a new location would be needed unless property in the area was available for it.

What about this if the station isn't moved?
Across Peachtree Street is a shopping area with parking. Make a deal with them to convert it to a below-ground deck where the shopping area gets the ground floor and Amtrak gets the rest (if needed). Underground walkway across Peachtree from the parking lot. Have a dedicated meet-the-train bus that goes to the nearest MARTA station. As an alternative, make the same offer to the Masonic Hall across the local side street.

The Amtrak building should stretch across the tracks with more waiting room, multiple elevators and escalators to the tracks. Best might put departing passengers at one end and arriving ones at the other so as people depart, others can be headed down to trackside and baggage would be similarly separated which would reduce station time. This would work best with using the Masonic Hall underground lot which would run along the station instead of at right angles.

 

[sttom]

Atlanta building a new station is an interesting topic since the current station is in an inopportune spot. Looking at the Open Railway Maps and on Google, they might be able to get a station near MARTA's Five Points station. The issue with that besides having underground platforms would be that it would be near what looks like a large cargo terminal east of Five Points, which could lead to traffic conflicts. This would be a good location if there was enough space for a couple platforms, passing tracks and a track so the engines from long distances trains like the Crescent could switch ends of the train while passengers are boarding to prevent the train from backing into or out of the station (or just not using it for the long distance trains). It also probably couldn't be a station where trains could dwell between runs. That only becomes a problem if Georgia ever funded the intercity trains they wanted, a central location for a train station would be good. I know their rail plan calls for trains to Savannah and Augusta and they've wanted commuter lines for a while.

 

[Night Ranger]

What about this if the station isn't moved?
Across Peachtree Street is a shopping area with parking. Make a deal with them to convert it to a below-ground deck where the shopping area gets the ground floor and Amtrak gets the rest (if needed). Underground walkway across Peachtree from the parking lot. Have a dedicated meet-the-train bus that goes to the nearest MARTA station. As an alternative, make the same offer to the Masonic Hall across the local side street.

The Amtrak building should stretch across the tracks with more waiting room, multiple elevators and escalators to the tracks. Best might put departing passengers at one end and arriving ones at the other so as people depart, others can be headed down to trackside and baggage would be similarly separated which would reduce station time. This would work best with using the Masonic Hall underground lot which would run along the station instead of at right angles.

That's certainly a viable proposal IMHO. Most anything would be an improvement over the present facility. Typically, we drive to Atlanta, park in the closest long term MARTA lot, and cab or Uber to the station. Closer parking along with your other suggestions are feasible and needed.

The commuter lines mentioned in sttom's post would be wonderful but I don't see funding being approved for a long time. I have friends and family in the Atlanta-Marietta area and every year their commutes get longer and more stressful. Maybe the influx of new residents from other areas can change traditional thinking about mass transit and commuter lines.

 

[tim49424]

Tomah, Wisconsin. A disgrace of a station.

 

[jiml]

Rather than start a new thread, I thought this would fit here:

Buffalo's (NY) new downtown station opened today, replacing historic Exchange Street.

https://www.wgrz.com/article/news/l...-open/71-14863a31-2e21-4c94-be7f-b5084be94db2

 

[Bob Dylan]

Rather than start a new thread, I thought this would fit here:

Buffalo's (NY) new downtown station opened today, replacing historic Exchange Street.

https://www.wgrz.com/article/news/l...-open/71-14863a31-2e21-4c94-be7f-b5084be94db2

This is great, the Old Exchange St. Station was a Disgrace!( It does seem like New York is getting lots of New Stations compared to other Routes and States!)

 

[John Bredin]

I nominate South Bend. Of all the stations that I have used over the years I have to rank it as the most unpleasant.

Years ago, I was in South Bend with a Midwest HSR Association event. One of the highlights was a tour of the then-new transit center near downtown, a couple of blocks from the old Union Station that's now event space. It backs onto the rail viaduct, and it's a bit oversized for a bus hub in a smallish city. But it was built to be more than that, with provision for a second-floor back door that would lead to a platform if they ever got permission from the host railroad to build one and have Amtrak trains stop on the mainline.

South Bend would then have a downtown adjacent Amtrak station with easy local-bus access, open lots nearby for parking, and a decent-sized depot with washrooms and room for seating, a ticket agent, and concessions. As I say, that presentation was a couple of decades ago and nothing's changed. ☹

 

[Rover]

The Dallas Union Station needs to be renovated so that the air inside the terminal isn't stale. Why is it only airports have nice things??

 

[AM_ROAD]

I nominate South Bend. Of all the stations that I have used over the years I have to rank it as the most unpleasant.

Why didn't Amtrak move to the new station at the airport again?

 

[John Bredin]

Why didn't Amtrak move to the new station at the airport again?

The airport terminal of NICTD is just that: a terminal, a dead end. Which is fine for NICTD because the airport is the end of the NICTD line. But Amtrak would have to back (or wye, or something) out of the airport station to go back to the mainline.

 

[IndyLions]

I thought when I traveled through there on the Cardinal, that Crawfordsville, IN deserves a new station. It had a similar and older outdated shelter building, that believe it or not had a similar design to the one in Elyria.

The Crawfordsville IN Amshack is my home station - and I agree it needs replaced. The original depot building is right next door - so my vote would be to renovate it in the same way that the Waterloo IN station was renovated. Then it should be manned with volunteers (again ala Waterloo).

Indianapolis IN also desperately needs work. I’m not sure of the best solution- but anything is better than the current hellhole that is the IND intercity rail / bus terminal. It would take a lot of cash - but maybe an approach similar to the St. Paul MN Union Depot.

Finally, the dream scenario is a return of intercity rail to the Michigan Central Terminal in Detroit after its renovation by Ford is completed. They could start by serving existing trains to/from Chicago - and ultimately add eastbound service through Toledo and eventually Windsor Canada.

 

[MARC Rider]

The Dallas Union Station needs to be renovated so that the air inside the terminal isn't stale. Why is it only airports have nice things??

Dallas Union Station needs benches that aren't torture devices repurposed from the Spanish Inquisition. (I made acquaintance with them after last years Gathering, waiting for a 9-hour late Texas Eagle.

It might also be nice if they reclaimed the Great Hall for use of train riders. Perhaps they could put some shopping/eateries on both levels, which would draw both DART and TRE riders, who really don't need a station building otherwise. and who knows, maybe one day Texas will fund intercity corridor service and and the station will need the extra space.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Dallas Union Station needs benches that aren't torture devices repurposed from the Spanish Inquisition. (I made acquaintance with them after last years Gathering, waiting for a 9-hour late Texas Eagle.

It might also be nice if they reclaimed the Great Hall for use of train riders. Perhaps they could put some shopping/eateries on both levels, which would draw both DART and TRE riders, who really don't need a station building otherwise. and who knows, maybe one day Texas will fund intercity corridor service and and the station will need the extra space.

Wolfgang Puck Catering occupys the Upstairs Grand Waiting Room, I got a tour a few years ago.

The current Basement Dungeon reminds me of NYP @ its Grungy Worst when the Homeless lived all over the Station.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

The Dallas Union Station needs to be renovated so that the air inside the terminal isn't stale. Why is it only airports have nice things??

American stations seem to get really nice renovations just as soon as they rip up the tracks and become something else.