Passenger Trains > South Bend, IN.: Amtrak depot on South Street derailed

Amtrak depot on South Street derailed

Transpo official says merger between Norfolk Southern, Conrail dissolved
support for project.

By JOHN DOBBERSTEIN
South Bend Tribune

After years of planning, Transpo has given up trying to build a
train depot at its South Street transportation center to accommodate
Amtrak. Norfolk Southern, which owns the rail yard, was concerned
that loading and unloading of passenger trains there might interfere
with freight movement.


SOUTH BEND -- The merger of Conrail and Norfolk Southern has apparently
killed longtime plans to link Amtrak with Transpo's South Street
transportation center.

Now Transpo is asking Congress for permission to spend a $5.6 million
grant earmarked for the Amtrak depot on something else -- possibly a
new headquarters.

And the city of South Bend is in discussions with Amtrak about finding
another downtown location, an Amtrak spokesperson said. Amtrak currently
stops at 2720 W. Washington St., on South Bend's west side.

Transpo Executive Director Mary McLain said the agency was bitterly
disappointed the Amtrak relocation didn't happen.

Transpo forked out $210,300 to hire a private firm to design the Amtrak
depot, and the agency had $7 million in state and federal grants to use.

"A lot of hard, frustrating work has been done. And it's not been
successful," McLain said recently. "The Norfolk Southern people were
not just uncooperative, but obstinate in their position."

The main problem, according to McLain, was that Norfolk Southern
felt it would have been too difficult to coordinate freight traffic in
its busy rail yard so Amtrak's trains could stop there.

Rudy Husband, a spokesman at Norfolk Southern, said he couldn't offer
comments on the issue.

Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari confirmed McLain's explanation of events.
"(Norfolk Southern doesn't) want us stopping at the mouth of their yard,"
he said. "It's unfortunate, but we're working with the city and looking
at other options."

Nobody from the mayor's office or the city's planning department could be
reached for comment.

Transpo's South Street facility was constructed with the idea of
eventually bringing Amtrak there.

It seemed like a done deal.

In 1999, the state of Indiana chipped in $1.5 million toward the project,
and the Federal Transit Administration awarded Transpo $5.6 million.

That same year, Transpo paid The Troyer Group Inc. to design Amtrak's
platform, offices and counter space, as well as a 150-foot underground
that would lead passengers under Conrail's rail yard and up to the
platform.

Conrail eventually gave its blessing on the plan, McLain said, and the
new Amtrak station was supposed to open in late 2001.

But Norfolk Southern's take on the project was different once it acquired
Conrail in 1999. The southernmost railroad track -- which had been
targeted for Amtrak's use by Conrail -- is currently used by Norfolk
Southern cars as a waiting place, McLain said.

She said Amtrak officials pointed out several benefits the project could
bring for Norfolk Southern, but Transpo, Amtrak and the rail company
couldn't come to an agreement.

Now Transpo is asking the federal government for help. McLain said she'd
like legislators to reprogram the $5.6 million Amtrak grant and use the
money for a new headquarters for Transpo. The building could cost $14
million.

Transpo has already spent $1.4 million to purchase property adjacent
to its Northside Blvd. headquarters in case that project does happen.

"We do work in an outdated facility," McLain said.

Magliari, the Amtrak spokesman, said Amtrak was disappointed the South
Street project didn't pan out, "because we always believe it's best to
co-locate with other modes of transportation."

But he added that freight lines from Cleveland to Chicago are very
congested and that complicates some projects.

"We did try to convince them," Magliari said, "but it's their decision.
It's their track."


http://www.southbendtribune.com/stories/2004/10/06/local.20041006-sbt-MARS-B1-Amtrak_depot_on_Sout.sto

Okay, that was the straight news story out of South Bend.

My spin on it:

So, after years of planning, the deal fell through. How long did
Transpo's bureaucracy drag it on, paying themselves, their consultant
friends and The Troyer Group Inc., with money earmarked for the station?
I'd like to know how many vacations, orthodontic braces, and SUVs got paid
for as a result of taking so long to get the project studied, ultimately
to death.

Marc Magliari is RIGHT. It's NS's railroad. Operational patterns
change, and if Transpo didn't have everything committed to by the time of
the CR/NS/CSX deal, that's too bad. If Transpo is so d*** upset, and I
suspect they are not, for reasons explained subsequently, let them
get the railroad property by eminent domain proceedings. Of course they will have
to convince the powers that be, that the station at that location is
absolutely essential to the public welfare. And of course, given the
minuscule role to which Amtrak has relegated itself, in the overall
transportation picture, it's not.

But look at what they are doing instead. They still have funds earmarked
for an Amtrak station but it can't be built there. Why not get those
funds reprogrammed to the construction of the station somewhere else?
After all, the City of South Bend is "in discussions with Amtrak about
finding another downtown location" for the station. "But wait a minute,"
says Transpo. "That might not wind up being part of our transportation
complex, and perhaps not on our property at all." The typical
bureaucratic reaction: "THOSE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN GRANT MONEY ARE GOING TO GET AWAY! We MUST do something to save it for ourselves. Hey, LETS
BUILD OURSELVES A TAJ MAHAL OFFICE BUILDING!" Now, that'll satisfy them
enough to forget Amtrak.

I submit that Transpo cares less for Amtrak and its passengers than for
its own aggrandizement.

-Gene Poon

Something's rotten in Denmark. I don't know of any "busy yard" in South Bend. Most trains highball the place. If I have the right site in mind, there's an interlocking just west of the place for CN trains to leave NS to go west on their railroad, and east of the area about 1/2 mile, there's another interlocking for CN trains to access their railroad to go east. (Joint running between those two points.) Therefore, there is some run-around possibility there, while there's a train stopped in the station. When I studied in South Bend in the 70's, there were four tracks in this area, three signaled. I can't see any reason why this didn't get off the ground, unless NS wanted mucho track work done, and THAT does cost money which may not have been available.

I agree that SBPTC (Transpo) may not really be as upset as they make out to be, but the truth is that they need a modern facility for their fleet of buses. This is a fairly dynamic transit system for a small city, with service throughout South Bend and Mishawaka, and they're operating out of an old facility that needs replacement.

Trust me, there are so many hoops to go through before the FTA will actually write a check, it is altogether possible that local transit officials were waiting for this politician or that to sign off on one or more "small details" before proceeding to the next phase.

All of that said, NS has been a good neighbor here and there and a real pain in others. Like CSX, NS has never really recovered from the acquisition of Conrail, and we see it elsewhere in the system with trains sitting out of yards and generally not moving when prior to the Conrail breakup things ran very smoothly (well, on NS anyway).

Too damn bad. The current station is in a rough area, not at all attractive to the brave passenger who attempts to ride the Capital or the Lake Shore Limited.

da timecruncher

Why not use Union Station, I guess that makes too much sense!

Union Station could still accomidate a side track to reach the platforms with a bit of investment. I would think that $7 million could get it done, along with a good start at getting the South Shore there as well! Union Station is close to the transpo site, right accross the street from the ballpark downtown and an area which the city would like redeveloped. I would think having the CSS and Amtrak trains stopping there would help that process along. As a side note, there was talk of using Union Station for Amtrak and South Shore trains before the new location at the airport was built 10 years ago or so. The city was against the idea saying that Union Station is in a bad part of town!