Ugliest and Soul-less Amtrak Stations Used in Metropolises Today

[jis]

I remember walking to it but maybe I was on the other side of the tracks? I wasn’t catching the train. I rode the light rail and just walked around downtown.

By Light Rail do you mean CapMetro MetroRail Commuter Service? Or have you successfully invented a working Time Machine?

 

[AmarilloByMornin]

As a sister thread to Nostalgic and Historic Amtrak Stations Still Used Today, I would like to start one for ugly stations in Metro areas. I'm not going to define Metro areas. Like, I wouldn't want to include Longview, TX which is ugly and soul-less yet in a city of over 70,000. I'm thinking the NY Penn Stations, Jacksonville, FL, Charlotte, NC., etc. New Orleans. Houston. Heck. Maybe Longview does make the list after all.

It's been several years since I've been to Longview, maybe as many as 7 or 8. I don't deny it's not a pretty station, it was more comfortable sitting outside. But soul-less, no, at least not when I was there. The station master was very helpful - and charming. I've been lucky to encounter many good people in Amtrak stations. This guy was one of the best.

It's been 12 years since I visited the Maricopa station but when I was last there it was both ugly and soul-less. Not exactly a Metro area unless you consider that it was where Phoenix passengers have had to go after they shut down Phoenix Union Station. But that's more on UP than Amtrak.

 

[crescent-zephyr]

By Light Rail do you mean CapMetro MetroRail Commuter Service? Or have you successfully invented a working Time Machine?

Yes. The commuter rail service.

 

[frequentflyer]

Since they've built all the Condos around the Station, and closed the road that allowed access from 5th Street and Lamar, the only way to reach the Station from Downtown by Vehicle is to drive down S. Lamar, cross under the tracks, turn off to the right, go past the YMCA on your left and go up the steep Hill to the Station which is not visible till you reach the parking lot.

UP has also built fencing across the tracks from the Station to prevent access to the Tracks and the Station from the North side.

Even lots of Cab drivers and Ride Share Drivers don't know where the Station is since GPS doesn't give a clear picture of how to get there from here!

https://www.google.com/maps/@30.267...4!1sxDq709E_ub_8BHSHqn-acQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192
Yeah, I found the station by accident the first time I went there. It really is hard to access.

https://www.google.com/maps/@30.269...4!1s_2tddRnbOELJ0Ly8jTheHw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192
https://www.google.com/maps/@30.269...4!1s4AFJmpX8HaLNWOTu27c15w!2e0!7i16384!8i8192
The condos and north side is cutoff from the station. Truth be told there is no good location for a new station. Amtrak can buy out one of the businesses on the north side of the track and build a station there, build it off of Lamar on the south side of the river, or abandon the downtown location and build one up north by Steck or Anderson Lane. Oh and land in Austin is not cheap, so Amtrak is stuck with the hard to find station for a while.

 

[jis]

They could make it a little easier to find by putting some suitable prominent signage on S. Lamar near where you have to turn into the uphill climb thing.

 

[Barb Stout]

Since they've built all the Condos around the Station, and closed the road that allowed access from 5th Street and Lamar, the only way to reach the Station from Downtown by Vehicle is to drive down S. Lamar, cross under the tracks, turn off to the right, go past the YMCA on your left and go up the steep Hill to the Station which is not visible till you reach the parking lot.

UP has also built fencing across the tracks from the Station to prevent access to the Tracks and the Station from the North side.

Even lots of Cab drivers and Ride Share Drivers don't know where the Station is since GPS doesn't give a clear picture of how to get there from here!

Sounds a little bit like the Cleveland station. The first time we took Amtrak, upon our return trip we had bus reservations from Columbus to Cleveland that fell through due to the bus not showing up, so we ended up Ubering with another bus passenger that had been stranded up to Cleveland. The only road to the Cleveland station was blocked off and the elevator on the upside wasn't working. After wandering around trying to find a way down, we ended up walking that closed-off road that looked like a freeway on-ramp. That road is steep and I ended up rolling/throwing my luggage down as I was unable to handle it. It would have been impossible to get luggage up that steep road. Turns out the road was blockaded because there was going to be a marathon in the city that day, but let's f)&* the people leaving/arriving on Amtrak.

 

[Burns651]

The Great Hall and concourse of Union Station are two blocks from Ogilvie Station, the modern incarnation of NorthWestern Station. The northern tracks of Union are just across Canal Street from the Ogilvie tracks (except Union's are below street level while Ogilvie's are on the second floor) and the modern(ish) northern entrance to Union on Madison Street is kitty-corner from Ogilvie. (Link)

To go back to decades past, LaSalle Street Station was about a block from Grand Central Station and a few blocks from Dearborn Station. LaSalle's still around as an operating station, Dearborn's head house exists (link) but its tracks are gone, and Grand Central's pretty much totally gone.

With regards to the classic buildings of the six big stations in Chicago, everything is gone except for Union Station's headhouse, and Dearborn.

 

[neroden]

https://www.google.com/maps/@30.267...4!1sxDq709E_ub_8BHSHqn-acQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192
Yeah, I found the station by accident the first time I went there. It really is hard to access.

https://www.google.com/maps/@30.269...4!1s_2tddRnbOELJ0Ly8jTheHw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192
https://www.google.com/maps/@30.269...4!1s4AFJmpX8HaLNWOTu27c15w!2e0!7i16384!8i8192
The condos and north side is cutoff from the station. Truth be told there is no good location for a new station. Amtrak can buy out one of the businesses on the north side of the track and build a station there, build it off of Lamar on the south side of the river, or abandon the downtown location and build one up north by Steck or Anderson Lane. Oh and land in Austin is not cheap, so Amtrak is stuck with the hard to find station for a while.

So, what I'd advise for Austin is to spend the million dollars and build a pedestrian bridge (with elevators) over the tracks, to Baylor Street. Add an improved sidewalk on Baylor Street. That creates a walking path to the local bus system; the #4 bus runs very frequently day and night.

You know UP will require the bridge to be very high to clear high-and-wide loads. So the top of the pedestrian bridge would frankly be a popular "scenic view" location, especially for railfans -- though I suspect it would be tall enough to see the river -- so design it that way.

In the shorter term, build a sidewalk all the way along the Amtrak/UP parking lot down the hill to where the current sidewalk ends at the YMCA, and put streetlights up. There's actually a theoretical trail currently, but it isn't proper width, and dumps into the parking lot where it's blocked by UP work equipment.

 

[user 1215]

So, what I'd advise for Austin is to spend the million dollars and build a pedestrian bridge (with elevators) over the tracks, to Baylor Street. Add an improved sidewalk on Baylor Street. That creates a walking path to the local bus system; the #4 bus runs very frequently day and night.

You know UP will require the bridge to be very high to clear high-and-wide loads. So the top of the pedestrian bridge would frankly be a popular "scenic view" location, especially for railfans -- though I suspect it would be tall enough to see the river -- so design it that way.

In the shorter term, build a sidewalk all the way along the Amtrak/UP parking lot down the hill to where the current sidewalk ends at the YMCA, and put streetlights up. There's actually a theoretical trail currently, but it isn't proper width, and dumps into the parking lot where it's blocked by UP work equipment.

Why not an underpass with ramps? But honestly, they should buy out ATX steel and turn that lot into an intermodal station.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Why not an underpass with ramps? But honestly, they should buy out ATX steel and turn that lot into an intermodal station.

Unfortunately it's going to end up being more Condos or another damn High Rise, both of which are in Short Supply in this area! Sarcasm intended!

 

[joelkfla]

Unfortunately it's going to end up being more Condos or another damn High Rise, both of which are in Short Supply in this area! Sarcasm intended!

I don't know the political situation there, but it seems like a train station could coexist with either of those, if Amtrak could persuade the city fathers to make it a condition of the zoning change.

 

[Bob Dylan]

I don't know the political situation there, but it seems like a train station could coexist with either of those, if Amtrak could persuade the city fathers to make it a condition of the zoning change.

All the NIMBYs living in the Condos and Highrises are happy with them. But want the tracks and Trains to be moved outside of town.( UP would want $$$$$$ for this to happen)

They've only been there since 1881, and it would cost Billions to relocate the Tracks.

With the upcoming Construction of the Blue and Gold Light Rail Lines, plus the required infrastructure (Stations, Bridges,Tunnels, Overpasses etc)this is a non-starter for the City.