Passenger Trains > more on the proposed Atlanta Amtrak station

A little bit more here:

http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2012/12/13/amtrak-greyhound-could-be-part-of.html?page=all

Greyhound might be included which would be good. However, how to tie the development into Atlanta's transit is a bit of a mystery.

The Amtrak station in Atlanta is a total embarrassment for Amtrak !!!!

highball Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The Amtrak station in Atlanta is a total
> embarrassment for Amtrak !!!!


Peachtree Station in Atlanta originated as a commuter station. The magnificent Terminal Station in downtown
Atlanta was torn down in 1970, well before Amtrak began serving Atlanta in 1979.

GenePoon Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

>
> Peachtree Station in Atlanta originated as a
> commuter station. The magnificent Terminal
> Station in downtown
> Atlanta was torn down in 1970, well before Amtrak
> began serving Atlanta in 1979.

"Suburban station" would be more accurate...I don't believe SR ever offered commuter service in Atlanta.

One of the biggest benefits of a new station location would be a track plan that allowed Amtrak to switch out cars at Atlanta, which NS currently won't allow them to do on a regular basis, requiring the entire Crescent consist to make the round-trip to New Orleans despite lighter demand on that segment.

Dave

DavidP Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> "Suburban station" would be more accurate...I
> don't believe SR ever offered commuter service in
> Atlanta.

I think you are right, though "suburban" was still within the city limits. Atlanta had some affluent areas on that side of town that the station would have been convenient for.

Interestingly, Southern Railway had a New York - Birmingham train, the Birmingham Special. In later years it ran via Chattanooga. During an earlier time period, say the twenties (off hand I don't remember when the change took place), the train ran via Atlanta. However it operated the same way as today's Crescent. It skipped a downtown stop.

The line that Peachtree Station a/k/a Brookwood Station sits astride opened in 1910. Prior to that time, all Southern trains inbound to Atlanta from the Carolinas ran down what was later called the Belt and entered downtown from the east. To allow trains to reach downtown from the north and to allow freight trains to reach the freight yard on the north side without running through downtown, Southern built a cutoff from Armour to Howell Tower. Peachtree Station was a convenience stop for people on the north side of the city, which had expanded to the vicinity of the station by 1910. Within 20 years the city pushed quite a bit farther north.

ctillnc Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The line that Peachtree Station a/k/a Brookwood
> Station sits astride opened in 1910. Prior to that
> time, all Southern trains inbound to Atlanta from
> the Carolinas ran down what was later called the
> Belt and entered downtown from the east. To allow
> trains to reach downtown from the north and to
> allow freight trains to reach the freight yard on
> the north side without running through downtown,
> Southern built a cutoff from Armour to Howell
> Tower. Peachtree Station was a convenience stop
> for people on the north side of the city, which
> had expanded to the vicinity of the station by
> 1910. Within 20 years the city pushed quite a bit
> farther north.

Thanks for refreshing my mind on that history. Incidentally the belt line was abandoned by NS a few years ago, but was to figure into the Crescent's routing through the proposed downtown station (to allow a straight-through move, rather than a long backup move). The Atlanta Beltway project people coveted the route for themselves and weren't willing to look at joint use. The project started out to build a circumferential light rail line in Atlanta. Now the project has little to do about transportation and is more about lifestyle (greenways, trails, etc.).

> Now the project has little to do about transportation

Success of the High Line in New York -- even if it's an apples to oranges comparison with the Atlanta belt -- pretty much guaranteed that the Atlanta belt would never be used for light rail.