Waterloo, IN Station Improvements

[railbuck]

As reported by the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette

Amtrak will invest more than $4.4 million toward the new Waterloo Train Station in DeKalb County. The town has also received a grant of more than $1.8 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation for the new station.

Improvements to this station are long overdue. The old depot was moved and restored several years ago, with plans to use it as the Amtrak station if a new platform could be built at that location. Apparently a new building is now under consideration instead, with an additional platform across the tracks from the existing one, at the request of NS.

 

[D.P. Roberts]

As reported by the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette

Amtrak will invest more than $4.4 million toward the new Waterloo Train Station in DeKalb County. The town has also received a grant of more than $1.8 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation for the new station.

Improvements to this station are long overdue. The old depot was moved and restored several years ago, with plans to use it as the Amtrak station if a new platform could be built at that location. Apparently a new building is now under consideration instead, with an additional platform across the tracks from the existing one, at the request of NS.

Wow. I'm really glad the Amshack is being replaced, but $4.4 million? Nothing against Waterloo, but I'll bet you could buy the whole town for $4.4 million.

 

[afigg]

Wow. I'm really glad the Amshack is being replaced, but $4.4 million? Nothing against Waterloo, but I'll bet you could buy the whole town for $4.4 million.

The total funding for the new station and 2 long platforms is around $6.2 million with the $1.8 million TIGER II grant. Six million is a lot for a small station. There may be more to the project such as track work which is not mentioned in the newspaper article. The TIGER grant was for a smaller project, but as this other newspaper article on the new station says the station location and platforms were changed.

$4.4 million is a lot for Amtrak to be providing for a station with modest ridership. Amatrak is likely using the ADA compliance funding for the station project.

Edit: fixed the link. Should be a project webpage on the station somewhere with some info.

 

[Nathanael]

Amtrak is in big trouble over ADA compliance - mostly because the Downs, Warrington, Gunn, Hughes, Kummant, and Crosbie administrations didn't take the ADA seriously and didn't make serious compliance efforts.

There is an unfortunate ADA provision which required that *all* intercity rail stations be made wheelchair-accessible, even if they're not otherwise being renovated, which is different from the general ADA rules which only apply to stations being renovated. This means that Amtrak really should have taken this more seriously.

The Boardman administration has made serious efforts, but they're already behind the deadline, and most of the stations are tied up in paperwork (due to the involvement of multiple property owners, railroads, and governments). One result is that Amtrak will push pretty hard to finish any ADA-compliance project which can get done, regardless of how unimportant the station is, as each project reduces their liability.

 

[railbuck]

Update: The revised plan is to move the old station building using the $1.8M grant. Parking, lighting, electronic $ignage, etc. would be included, but not the new platforms.

News article here.

 

[D.P. Roberts]

This would be a great move, and I look forward to it. Still, after all the delays... I'll believe it when I see it.

 

[FormerOBS]

Something that contributes to the expense of ADA compliance: The ADA rules specify that the platform elevation must be within a certain prescribed distance from the train threshold. That means high level platforms for Heritage equipment and low level for Superliners. The LSL uses low level cars and the CL uses Superliners. Think about the inherent problems in a station that serves both.

 

[railbuck]

Update: The town says they are still on schedule for a May opening, even though dirt has yet to be moved. Seems a bit optimistic, but we will see.

http://wane.com/2016/01/06/waterloo-ready-to-start-construction-on-amtrak-project/

 

[WoodyinNYC]

As reported by the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette

Amtrak will invest more than $4.4 million toward the new Waterloo Train Station in DeKalb County. The town has also received a grant of more than $1.8 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation for the new station.

Improvements ... are long overdue. The old depot was ...restored several years ago ... to use it as the Amtrak station ...

Wow. I'm really glad the Amshack is being replaced, but $4.4 million? Nothing against Waterloo, but I'll bet you could buy the whole town for $4.4 million.

"The Waterloo station has the third highest ridership in Indiana with more than 22,000 passengers in 2014 alone …"

It serves Fort Wayne, of course, where it gets that big number. Nice to see the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette giving it good coverage.

The original $4.4 million grant promised by Amtrak was lost in the infamous Sequester, causing the years of delay.

Now money is available again, so a happy ending is in sight. Having a real staffed station -- with an indoor warm waiting room, restrooms, ample lighted parking, etc. -- should help Waterloo top that 22,000 figure next year.

 

[Palmetto]

Good to read that there will be platforms on both sides of the ROW. I hope they're long enough so that the train has to stop only once. I always get annoyed at double-stops. ^_^

 

[D.P. Roberts]

Good to read that there will be platforms on both sides of the ROW. I hope they're long enough so that the train has to stop only once. I always get annoyed at double-stops. ^_^

I may be wrong, but it looks like they've scaled back from the original plans. Nothing in the new update says anything about changes to the platforms. It sounds like they're just moving the old station building & repaving the parking lots.

 

[Palmetto]

Thanks, DP. Keep us updated!

 

[neroden]

It looks like this will only move the depot. The platform replacements will have to be deferred to a later date, I guess. It looks like the depot move remains *compatible* with the future platform plans, at least.

 

[indymoon]

Congrats to the town of Waterloo!

In the past, I've wondered whether the region might be better served if this northeast IN stop was moved to Kendallville. It's a much bigger city so this type of investment is more likely to spur development. There are hotels, (more) restaurants and property (available?) near Main Street where a stop could be located. The distance from Ft Wayne, which I presume is where many passengers are from, is the same. Waterloo does have better interstate access - located less than 2 miles from I-69 while Kendallville is about 10 miles. Just a thought.

 

[railbuck]

Moving day!

http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/Waterloo-Train-Depot-moves-to-new-location

Reportedly it might even be staffed, though I'm guessing by a town employee rather than by Amtrak.

 

[WoodyinNYC]

Moving day!

http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/Waterloo-Train-Depot-moves-to-new-location

Modest but solid improvements. Looking forward to fixing the platforms down the line.

Meanwhile, staffed overnight, it says, which of course is when the trains stop. I can imagine times when many passengers will think that a staffed, warm waiting room with toilets is a more-than-modest improvement.

As said above, Congratulations to Waterloo for getting this much done. We know it ain't easy.

 

[D.P. Roberts]

Wow, great news! The article says that the dedication is tentatively scheduled for June 24, which is only a few days before our trip! Even if all the sidewalks and landscaping aren't done, a building with restrooms, WiFi, and electronic train status boards will be a HUGE improvement! The number of times I've waited in that AmShack as freight trains barreled by, feeling and sounding like I was in the middle of a tornado...

As others have said, there isn't a lot to do in Waterloo - there are no hotels nearby, so almost everyone is driving from Ft. Wayne. Waking up and checking the train status at 5:00 am to see if the CL is running on time - in order to avoid heading to the station and waiting around for hours - is really annoying. Now, we'll just get up and head to the station, & not worry about late trains.

Now, if only the Metropolitan Lounge in Chicago opens by then, we'll be happy as clams.

 

[KVG_DC]

Waterloo is my regular stop when traveling home. I'm happy to see it getting more than a bus station shelter! It'll make the waits in the winter much more bearable than the "shiver in the car then start the engine up again."

My dad says local TV was saying dedication/ribbon cutting June 24 but they may start using the building as early as late May. Right now it's moved but they need to do foundation work before they set it down. Then sidewalks, etc. They were talking about paved parking lot somewhere too rather than the "ram your car up the gravel hill along the tracks" parking they do now.

 

[railbuck]

They've had a gravel overflow parking area east of Center Street for a while now, though it's currently disrupted due to the station move. I imagine that will be used as the primary parking area when the work is complete, with the trackside ramp becoming the overflow.

 

[railbuck]

It's done! ...though if there was any local media coverage I missed it. Looks very nice with new sidewalks and street lights, outdoor benches, and other amenities.

The station waiting room is on one end of the building and the rest is a community center. The accessible entrance is from a deck on the track side of the building.

Boarding will require crossing two streets to reach the platform. Trackside parking east of the shelter has been closed, but it's no longer needed.

The new parking lot has at least 75 spaces. It's shared with the nearby park, but that shouldn't conflict with the late night and early morning train times.

 

[fairviewroad]

Boarding will require crossing two streets to reach the platform.

OK then.

I sure hope people waiting in the train station start heading to the platform well in advance of the actual arrival. Can you imagine someone, especially with mobility issues, sitting in that station and all of a sudden the trail rolls in. Now they have to get up, cross two streets, walking what appears to be an entire city block, to get to the actual platform. And what will that walk be like on a winter's night in potentially slippery conditions?

I'm scratching my head on this one. Doesn't seem to be a good idea to me.

 

[railbuck]

Earlier press releases mentioned electronic signage and staffing. I would guess this involves a display of the currently projected train arrival time, and will enable the staff to start shooing passengers out to the platform a few minutes before, or more if necessary for those who need assistance. I'd also expect the crew not to close the doors if there are passengers on the way.

That said, it is a bit of a hike, especially when they load near the west end of the platform, a couple cars beyond the shelter. We'll see how it works out.

 

[neroden]

The new station location is located next to where they *want* the new platform to be. But they don't have the money for the new platform. :sigh:

 

[andersone]

For a year I have been trying to pitch an idea for a TV series to various production companies to no avail. I have no desire to be involved in the project but rather see someone take it and run.

I have loosely titled it "Repo Depot" and just like the house, hotel and restaurant shows where the celebrity comes in and fixes it, the depot would be the object. You could spend time discussing the history of the depot and the town,,, then showing the reno . There would be lots of local help,, and in many small communities there are existing efforts that just need, love and support.

if anyone has friends in TV land, feel free to liberate this concept. My interest is to see the small depots that need some help get it in some way.

 

[Palmetto]

The new station location is located next to where they *want* the new platform to be. But they don't have the money for the new platform. :sigh:

Only in the United States. :sigh: