As a frequent Amtrak rider I'm impressed with this building. More so than Atlanta's station. Furthermore, I like the 5 round trips to Chicago plus the ability to go to KC and Dallas/LA. More options than the one daily leaving ATL.
I'm less impressed with modern architecture as a whole. It all seems the same--hotels, hospitals, schools.
As leeharveyawesome said, businesses design buildings....
Arch City wrote: It seems so third rate as if it would be a better fit for the Quad Cities (no offense to the QC's), and trust me, I've seen it in pictures and in person.
You couldn't be more wrong about that....the Quads don't even have Amtrak service (plus there are 3 different bus system serving the area, rather than one consolidated system.)
ricke002 wrote:You couldn't be more wrong about that....the Quads don't even have Amtrak service (plus there are 3 different bus system serving the area, rather than one consolidated system.)
The analogy was centered around the design - not whether or not the Quad Cities has Amtrak service. In essence, the design could look more "big city" if you ask me. If the QC's did have Amtrak service, this station seems like it would work perfectly in the QC's.
I think this new station looks really good. I can't wait to see the inside of it when it opens. It also does a good job utilizing land that is largly taken up by highway ramps. This station may lead to new developments west of the station. Truly a great addition to the city!
ricke002 wrote:You couldn't be more wrong about that....the Quads don't even have Amtrak service (plus there are 3 different bus system serving the area, rather than one consolidated system.)
The analogy was centered around the design - not whether or not the Quad Cities has Amtrak service. In essence, the design could look more "big city" if you ask me. If the QC's did have Amtrak service, this station seems like it would work perfectly in the QC's.
OT, but Amtrak and Illinois we're exploring a Chicago/Quad Cities line a couple of years ago. It was the same exploration that added 3 daily trains to the STL/Chi line.
shadrach wrote:OT, but Amtrak and Illinois we're exploring a Chicago/Quad Cities line a couple of years ago. It was the same exploration that added 3 daily trains to the STL/Chi line.
Further OT, but there is still a study being conducted in regards to a high-speed line from Moline/Rock Island to downtown Chicago. I'm not sure if this is in place/part/separate of the Midwest High Speed Rail Initiative or whatever it is. I would think a separate study of QC's to STL would be useful as well, with stops in Quincy/Hannibal, Keokuk, Burlington & Muscatine.
I think the STL to Hannibal line is shot. A few years back Amtrak did a special excursion and the train derailed. The ground is so mushy along the river.
Too bad, i'd love to see a train from Cape>Ste Gen>STL>Hannibal>QCY
crbswiss wrote:So... is there a date set yet that this will open?
Last meeting I was at I heard July 15 is the opening date. This is supposed to include the restaurants and stores. Not sure if Amtrak and Greyhound are starting service there sooner.
I looked at the station tonight. Overall, it seems like it will do . . .
Negatives:
Looking at the bus-bay end on, the impression is that the facility is small. I mean, end on, my house is bigger than the thing. Literally.
The bay has 9 gates, which may be enough. The access doors are ordinary, and perhaps not big. The overhanging weather roof is low, it seems. I mean, for example, (and I didn't take a height measurement), Could one park a double-decker sightseeing bus at one of the gates if need be? Would it fit under the overhang without a crunch? Or would such a bus have to be parked short of the gate?
So perhaps the design should have been a bit physically bigger, say 12 feet wider and 8 feet taller. (But I'm no designer.)
Positives:
I like the coloured windows. You can see them distinctly from inside the Metrolink car at night without difficulty so you know you are at the Transit Terminal. I like the way these windows identify the terminal as a specific place. Incidently, the amber windows actually present a more-clear image of the view of St. Louis (like blue-blockers, a bit of a science experiment, viewing through the clear glass and then the amber glass . . .)
And more importantly, the east facing windows present a good view of some of the important downtown skyscrapers: the Civil Courts building, the ATT-SWB building, and others, which are visible in the daytime, and lit up at night-time. (As well as the sports arena.) I thinks that this is a most important positive; so many people may travel to St. Louis by bus for the first time, and to have that exciting and satisfying view of the city for the first time is our obligation to the new visitor; that has been fulfilled. (I remember this from a long time ago when I had travelled to KC by bus, and the KC bus center was modest, but the big windows looked out at the downtown at night.) So good for the designers here.
Another positive: excellent with the Transit Center located directly across from Metrolink, and the busses.
Since everything with a bloated clumsy name needs a nickname, I'm henceforth calling the St. Louis Multi-Modal Transportation Facility the "Silver Snake", for obvious reasons.
migueltejada wrote:Since everything with a bloated clumsy name needs a nickname, I'm henceforth calling the St. Louis Multi-Modal Transportation Facility the "Silver Snake", for obvious reasons.
The $27 million train and bus terminal under construction downtown is now expected to open in August, two months later than previously announced.
A rainy spring is partly to blame, said Joe Kuss, engineer with the St. Louis Board of Public Service. They also haven't been able to finish track work because an Ameren utility pole is in the way.
The future St. Louis Gateway Transportation Center is near Scottrade Center on 15th Street. It will have 10 bays for Greyhound buses, doubling the company's current capacity in its converted bank building at 1450 North 13th Street. The Amtrak section will have four tracks reached by an overhead enclosed walkway and two sets of stairways, escalators and elevators to the train platforms below.
The $27 million train and bus terminal under construction downtown is now expected to open in August, two months later than previously announced.
So, just to be sure I understand, no Amtrak trains go in or out of the new station at Civic Center until August? So with my train tickets for early Aug. 1 to Chicago, where do I go? Is that a dumb question?
brickandmortar wrote:A rainy spring is partly to blame, said Joe Kuss, engineer with the St. Louis Board of Public Service. They also haven't been able to finish track work because an Ameren utility pole is in the way.
And I suppose that utility pole just sprouted up in the last few months?
The $27 million train and bus terminal under construction downtown is now expected to open in August, two months later than previously announced.
So, just to be sure I understand, no Amtrak trains go in or out of the new station at Civic Center until August? So with my train tickets for early Aug. 1 to Chicago, where do I go? Is that a dumb question?
You go about 100 ft. west to the current AMTRAK station.
Ameren is notorious in construction circles for taking lots of time and making bad decisions when it comes to relocating or removing of poles. Every project that I have done CA on that required new or relocated poles from Ameren has been difficult.
The $27 million train and bus terminal under construction downtown is now expected to open in August, two months later than previously announced.
So, just to be sure I understand, no Amtrak trains go in or out of the new station at Civic Center until August? So with my train tickets for early Aug. 1 to Chicago, where do I go? Is that a dumb question?
You go about 100 ft. west to the current AMTRAK station.
Huh! Well I'll be darned. I had no idea. Seriously, I thought I'd have to go to Kirkwood or something. Huzzah!
bab wrote:Ameren is notorious in construction circles for taking lots of time and making bad decisions when it comes to relocating or removing of poles. Every project that I have done CA on that required new or relocated poles from Ameren has been difficult.
Exactly. Anyone that has any experience in the local construction industry knows that and plans for it, which is why it is ridiculous to use that as an excuse for the delay.
The $27 million train and bus terminal under construction downtown is now expected to open in August, two months later than previously announced.
A rainy spring is partly to blame, said Joe Kuss, engineer with the St. Louis Board of Public Service. They also haven't been able to finish track work because an Ameren utility pole is in the way.
The future St. Louis Gateway Transportation Center is near Scottrade Center on 15th Street. It will have 10 bays for Greyhound buses, doubling the company's current capacity in its converted bank building at 1450 North 13th Street. The Amtrak section will have four tracks reached by an overhead enclosed walkway and two sets of stairways, escalators and elevators to the train platforms below.
