urbanSTL

^Well, the Amtrack spokesman is quoted as saying they are "working" on a long-term parking solution with nearby property owners, which would imply that they either won't be using the Amshack property, or they don't think that will be enough space.

shinpickle wrote:everyone knows broken meter = free parking

Yeah, good luck with that.

jlblues wrote:^Well, the Amtrack spokesman is quoted as saying they are "working" on a long-term parking solution with nearby property owners, which would imply that they either won't be using the Amshack property, or they don't think that will be enough space.

One of the transportation planners for the project said that the Amshack property would be partially used for long term parking. I'm sure they are working with other owners as well to get the most possible.

shinpickle wrote:the meters were down the day the reporter shows up... wow breaking news! he doesn't even discuss anything else, I guess he never got inside.

I'm the reporter in question. The column I write in Monday's paper responds to small problems that readers submit. In this column, a reader complained about parking so the column was limited to parking. I did go inside the station, but one can't park cars there, so there wasn't much of a point in writing about that.

I take the property in question for long term parking is directly under the raised freeway. Would that property be owned by MoDot? I have a tough time believing a private entity owns that property unless its the Railroad. The contractors must have made a deal for the fact that their is a little bit of everything everywhere. I kinda find it ironic, the one ideal spot for long term surface parking space in downtown that would encourage transit is a problem for someone somewhere.



On another note. The surface lot across from Veterans Admin office is begging for better use? How about street level retail & Lobby, a garage, and even speculative Class A office space to top it off. A 10-25 story midrise would fit well and promote more day foot traffic.

The land under the highway is owned by MODOT, but ti wasn't up until a few years ago. It was bought when the earthquake retrofit was done, but until then, much of it was privately owned with the air rights owned my MODOT.

Grover wrote:Fair enough I suppose, but what service are you rendering if you can't help people see the forest for the trees? Catering to tiny grievences seems . . . tiny. I don't mean to criticize you personally, just the way the Post seems to amplify pettiness instead of informing readers.

My column is all about tiny grievances, and purposely so. I think that's why some people enjoy it -- or at least read it regularly. Most readers probably agree with you, but that's why the column runs only once a week. Something for everyone, you know.



That said, I think it's unwise and unfair to cite my modest focus on micro-problems as a reflection on my colleagues' coverage of the forest rather than the trees -- for example: reporting about systemic woes like police and government corruption, failing schools, crumbling infrastructure, crime and poverty. You shouldn't critque an apple to attack the orange.

The dedication of the St. Louis Gateway Transportation Center is Friday at 10:45 a.m. One source says Amtrak may start using the building before that.

Tom Shrout wrote:The dedication of the St. Louis Gateway Transportation Center is Friday at 10:45 a.m. One source says Amtrak may start using the building before that.

About darn time. By "before that", do you mean like for the 8AM train to Kansas City on Friday morning? Either way, I'll believe it when I see it.

Amtrak begins using Gateway Center in St. Louis

ST. LOUIS -- Amtrak trains began using the new Gateway Transportation Center in downtown St. Louis early today, marking the end to the "temporary" buildings passengers used for 30 years.



The new glass-and-steel center on South 15th Street, near the Scottrade Center, also serves as a depot for Greyhound buses. It has four train platforms and 10 bus bays. Bus passengers began using the building in June.

http://www.midwesthsr.org/events/STL_Invitation.pdf



THE CITY OF ST. LOUIS

FRANCIS G. SLAY

MAYOR

DARLENE GREEN

COMPTROLLER

LEWIS REED

PRESIDENT, BOARD OF ALDERMEN

AMTRAK

GREYHOUND

MODOT & METRO



INVITE YOU TO JOIN US TO

CELEBRATE

THE GRAND OPENING

OF THE NEW

GATEWAY STATION

TRANSPORTATION

CENTER

15TH & POPLAR STREETS

(430 S. 15TH STREET—UNDER I-64)

PARKING AVAILABLE AT 16TH AND SPRUCE—OR TAKE METROLINK!

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2008

10:45 A.M.



FOR FIFTEEN YEARS, A MULTIMODAL STATION

TO CONNECT AMTRAK, GREYHOUND, METROBUS AND

METROLINK SERVICE HAS BEEN AN IMPORTANT CONCEPT IN

THE OVERALL DESIGN OF OUR CITY’S TRANSPORTATION

SYSTEMS—BUT UNTIL RECENTLY, IT HAS BEEN ONLY A

CONCEPT. THIS VISION HAS NOW BECOME REALITY.

THE STATION WILL BE IN FULL OPERATION FOR THE GRAND

OPENING EVENT.



PLEASE JOIN US ON NOVEMBER 21

AS WE CELEBRATE THIS MILESTONE AND

THANK OUR PARTNERS IN THIS PROGRESS.



IN PARTNERSHIP WITH:

OUR FEDERAL, STATE & LOCAL ELECTED OFFICIALS

AMTRAK

GREYHOUND

METRO/BI-STATE DEVELOPMENT AGENCY

FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION

FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION

FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION

MISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

EAST-WEST GATEWAY COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS

CITIZENS FOR MODERN TRANSIT

CITY OF ST. LOUIS:

FRANCIS G. SLAY, MAYOR

DARLENE GREEN, COMPTROLLER

LEWIS REED, PRESIDENT, BOARD OF ALDERMEN

PHYLLIS YOUNG, ALDERWOMAN, 7TH WARD

MARJORIE L. MELTON, P.E., PRESIDENT,

BOARD OF PUBLIC SERVICE

DESIGN AND CONSULTING TEAM:

JACOBS ENGINEERING, ENGINEER

KAI DESIGN & BUILD, ARCHITECT

K&S ASSOCIATES, INC., CONTRACTOR

DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMING ASSOCIATES



THE CELEBRATION IS EXPECTED TO FEATURE A SPECIAL DISPLAY OF STATE-OF-THE-ART PASSENGER RAIL AND BUS

EQUIPMENT AND ATTENDANCE PRIZE DRAWINGS FOR AMTRAK AND GREYHOUND TRAVEL VOUCHERS,

COURTESY OF AMTRAK AND GREYHOUND.

STLMO314 wrote:FOR FIFTEEN YEARS...

Um, let's try double that, considering this Gen-X'er had lived an entire life with Amtrak relegated to a "temporary" home until just recently.

shinpickle wrote:Eichhorst says he can now claim to be the last person to board a train at the old Union Station -- "30 years and 19 days ago" -- and the first person to board a train at the new depot.



"We can't all climb Mount Everest or go into space," he quipped.

ha, nice quote!

Here is a link to a video showing some the station's interior:



http://www.ksdk.com/news/local/story.as ... yid=160846

Looks like Greyhound is responding to competition from Megabus with "Greyhound Express."
STL-Chicago added. WIfi, less stops, more legroom, etc, and seats starting at $1 (including next weekend, a total roundtrip for $2)...

Greyhound Express Expands Service to Champaign and St. Louis
All Seats on New Routes Priced at Just $1 for Travel March 22 - April 5

DALLAS, March 10, 2011 -- /PRNewswire/ -- Riding on the continued success of its Greyhound Express™ service, Greyhound today announced it is expanding its premium service from Chicago to two new Midwest markets, Champaign, Ill. and St. Louis, effective March 22. Tickets go on sale today at www.mygreyhoundexpress.com, and for a limited time, Greyhound is offering $1 fares on all Express schedules between Chicago, Champaign and St. Louis for travel March 22 until April 5, with no advance purchase restrictions. This latest expansion connects Greyhound Express customers to nine markets in the Midwest.

"Since launching Greyhound Express in the Midwest just four months ago, we have seen tremendous growth in ticket sales from new riders who are attracted to the convenience, comfort and value of our premium bus service," said Dave Leach, president and CEO, Greyhound. "The addition of Champaign and St. Louis extends our offering to better meet the needs of those customers traveling to and from Chicago."

Boarding for Greyhound Express will take place at 45 E. University Avenue in Champaign and 430 S. 15th Street in St. Louis at the Gateway Transportation Center, a modern intermodal facility that provides connections to local transit and other modes of transportation.

Greyhound Express customers experience faster trips with direct and one-stop service between Greyhound's Chicago hub and Milwaukee; Madison, Wis.; Minneapolis; Indianapolis; Lafayette, Ind.; Cincinnati and now Champaign and St. Louis. The service provides customers a guaranteed seat on brand new buses with onboard amenities, including free Wi-Fi, extra legroom and power outlets.

Customers can buy their Greyhound Express ticket online to take advantage of discount pricing, print their ticket at home and know a guaranteed seat is waiting for them. All tickets are nonrefundable. For fare and schedule information and to purchase tickets, visit www.mygreyhoundexpress.com.

About Greyhound

Greyhound is the largest North American provider of intercity bus transportation, serving more than 3,800 destinations across the continent. The company also provides Greyhound Package Express (GPX) and charter services. For fare and schedule information and to buy tickets call 1-800-231-2222 or visit the website at www.greyhound.com. For the latest news and travel deals, follow GreyhoundBus on Twitter at http://twitter.com/GreyhoundBus and Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/GreyhoundBus.

Read more: http://www.sunherald.com/2011/03/10/293 ... z1GWQkNIuw

http://www.greyhound.com/express/

ORD is airport code for O'Hare

^If you travel routinely, ORD is synonymous with Chicago, whether it is correct or not.


Not related at all, but I love how lambert is STL.