Great idea about the shed.
They'll need to do something to tie the two together.
They'll need to do something to tie the two together.
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Gosh, I feel spoiled in planning.
Okay so there is a really neat rendering in the 1971 Rapid Transit Feasibility Study that would have been phenomeonal in the 1970s and looked very futuristic. It was akin to an inverted triangle with large pillars supporting the top. It combined buses, vehicular drop off/pick up, and subway. It is not very pedestrian friendly by that it does not assume large quantities of traffic arriving on foot or bicycle in downtown but by car, bus, or subway. Thus people arrive an depart by different modes of transport.
Okay so there is a really neat rendering in the 1971 Rapid Transit Feasibility Study that would have been phenomeonal in the 1970s and looked very futuristic. It was akin to an inverted triangle with large pillars supporting the top. It combined buses, vehicular drop off/pick up, and subway. It is not very pedestrian friendly by that it does not assume large quantities of traffic arriving on foot or bicycle in downtown but by car, bus, or subway. Thus people arrive an depart by different modes of transport.
I took Amtrak to Chicago this past weekend, and our current Amshack is an absolute embarrassment. I swear, it may as well be Lincoln, IL. Such a humiliation to go from the grandeur of our great Union Station to the sorry piece of crap that welcomes visitors today. The new station can't come soon enough.
Metro Houston is funded much better than St. Louis' Metro
Yes, but the LRT system there is slow, sluggish, simple and not at all impressive if you ask me. Street running and Houstons LRT has been accident prone since it's first day at work a few years ago. I am not at all impressed with that line at all.
I also think that our Gateway transportation Center is going to come out very nicely and am proud that this thing is under construction and open soon for not only downtown but the city a a whole.
shadrach wrote:^ were running times any better?
I frequently take Amtrak between St. Louis and Chicago. It's fairly punctual most of the time. But there have been delays when freight trains are having problems.
I only had one horrible experience 2 years ago. There was a snow/ice storm that took power out on large sections of the track. The trains had to go at 30mph because the electronic safety monitors on the tracks were out. The trip took about 10 hours. But it turned out to be better than flying because flights were cancelled, and I would have never been able to drive in it.
Overall, though, I am a happy Amtrak customer.
LOL!! You have to be joking. I think St. Louis' is nice. However, I want St. Louis to think BIG. Living between St. Louis and Houston, I can tell you that Houston thinks BIG.DeBaliviere wrote:Thanks, AC. I'm suddenly not so excited about our multimodal center.
Also, I know this is all water under the bridge, but I think it would have been great if St. Louis County could have contributed to the development of the multi-modal center. The St. Louis Gateway Transportation Center is going to be a regional terminal - not just for St. Louis City residents.
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NIce article in today's post about Amtrak ridership to Chicago following IL's doubling of state funds. Ridership up about 50% STL to CHI.
Good that as Amtrak gains ground we'll have a station that is nice if not amazing.
Good that as Amtrak gains ground we'll have a station that is nice if not amazing.
TheWayoftheArch wrote:NIce article in today's post about Amtrak ridership to Chicago following IL's doubling of state funds. Ridership up about 50% STL to CHI.
Good that as Amtrak gains ground we'll have a station that is nice if not amazing.
Just a thought after reading the article: All the complaints about how "no one" rides the train...when it pulls out of STL at 4:35am its kinda hard for it to be a viable option. Now with expanded service it leaves between 6-7am, much more suited to "normal" travel. No suprise that ridership doubled after they had a sane departure time.
I've been on the 4:35 train a few times in the past and it was always pretty full.
Does anyone know if UP/Amtrak plan on replacing the current track at the new platforms? The last time I was at the station (roughly 6 months ago) I took notice of the deplorable conditions of the track. Most of the rail is no longer connected to the teis and has a verticle travel of almost 6 inches when a train moves onto the track. I'm supprised that no train has derailed as of yet. I sure hope this issue is addressed during the construction phase so that they won't have to come back for repairs after the fact.
any word on the interior of the new station? I'm hoping it will be somewhat like Boston's South Station-where amtrak, greyhound/other buses, and commuter trains meet. It doesnt feel crummy like a typical bus station, feels more new, has flat screens with departure/arrival times and gate #'s like at airports, and is designed well so that the gates are more spread out like in an airport too. It makes taking buses/trains more attractive. What I hope its NOT like is NYC's port authority, which is an extremely unnatractive underground bus station with gates close together and tons of unhappy customers packed into small areas together, with no information as to what bus leaves from one gate, absolutley a mess.
Is Amtrak still first-come, first-served seating? I haven't taken the train in years for this one reason - no reserved seat.
The only train I have ever been on that required reservations is the TGV in France, or if you have a sleeper car/private room, and I have been on many a train in many a country. I don't see what the problem is with first come first serve. In fact that way you can move away from the inevitable loud & annoying person in the car.
You can purchase a reservation on almost any train in Europe. It isn't typically required except for high-speeds and a few others. Few get them, though.
For the most part those Reservations get you a ticket but not a specific seat unless it is a night train or perhaps an express train. In most cases the seats in European tains are not numbered. This excludes first class and bullet trains.
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Last time I was in Australia I did get a reserved seat for overnight trains, but it was first come-first server otherwise. I know in Italy you can choose a seat if you like for the longer trips, but it's generally open for anything less than 4 hrs.
Wow! That would have been an awsome addition to the city. I like that is has what appears to be space for optional expanded rail lines and platforms on the lower level.
Oh well, at least we are finally getting something somewhat decent.
Does anyone have pictures of the construction progress?
Oh well, at least we are finally getting something somewhat decent.
Does anyone have pictures of the construction progress?
