St. Augustine Selects Location for Amtrak Station

[urbanlibertarian]

The trick is how to deal with it without being an asshole. ,  which requires the open mind......

Stephen, let us know when you master this trick.

[Jason]

This is fantastic news that the official site has been selected.  Now all the city needs to get in line is a circulator system to move the riders from the Amtrak station to the historic core and bay front.  Real streetcars would be ideal but in the short term the trollys they have running now would work.  If all this happens in time for the 450th anniversary in 2015 it would be an amazing feat and should REALLY place St. Augustine on the map.

http://www.oldcity450.com/



Here is a route I mapped out a while back....

[Ocklawaha]

All of this was covered in the meeting too. Lot's of talk about 450Th, transit and a need for pedestrians to cross US 1.  This last point, walking across one of the busiest and fairly fast roads in NE Florida, nearly shot down this site. We pulled the access street North to Carrera, where a more civil cross walk could be constructed. The city is very sensitive to "VIEW" and "PERCEPTION", so a giant overpass wouldn't work either. Any form of transit MUST cross over to the West side and enter a bus loop near the station. The track will probably be set back somewhat and the curve reconfigured. With the advent of Commuter Rail, this stop would NOT serve as a park and ride but would give good downtown access. If the curve is rebuilt and the line double tracked, a second drive coming in from Depot Street to the west and following the tracks over the San Sebastian River would be possible.

BTW, St. Augustine had a great electric streetcar system with roots that dated back into the 1830's! The famous postcard view of a small train crossing the Matanzas River next to/or where Bridge of the Lions is today is the forerunner of the St. Johns Electric RY.. Another view from the same vantage point with color added clearly shows a St. Augustine Streetcar rolling over the same bridge. Lines extended from St. Augustine Beach to the West Side on King Street, also from downtown North to line into Vilano Beach. It vanished over hot protests in the mid 1920's. Replaced by "modern flexible buses" which lasted until the last streetcar was hauled out onto a farm. Today, the city once again has a transit system - "Sunshine Bus" with several routes including an interchange with JTA at the Avenues Mall. 


OCKLAWAHA

[Jaxson]

If you support Amtrak/FEC, please send an e-mail to gregor.senger@dot.state.fl.us and let Mr. Senger know that you want to have your comments added to the public record.  If we are silent about passenger rail in Florida, how will our government know what we want?

[Mattius92]

What year did the last passenger train run on the FEC??

[Ocklawaha]

What year did the last passenger train run on the FEC??

1968

OCKLAWAHA

[jandar]

What year did the last passenger train run on the FEC??

1968

OCKLAWAHA

Fond memories Ock?



tbh, if the FEC line had Amtrak running down it, I would probably visit Miami and such more often. I rarely go that far south unless it is business or plan to stay for more than 2 days. 6 hours in a car wears me out to do much that same day.

[Murjax]

I really like the location they chose for this station, however I have my concerns. While the location is technically within walking distance to downtown, passengers still would have to walk over US 1 in order to get to it. With the kind of tourism St. Augustine gets they would need to build a pedestrian bridge there. Also the strip of land they plan to build it on is kind of small so I'm wondering how big they're going to be able to make that parking lot. Not saying it can't be done, I just hope they do it right because if it turns out to be a nothing more than a station and small parking lot then they've just rebuilt another version of what already exists just north of SR 16.

[Mattius92]

I just sent a wonderful email to Mr. Senger. Hopefully it will get him thinking.

[thelakelander]

From the aerial posted above, the strip of land looks pretty large.  It looks just as large as the old FEC headquarters building now owned by Flagler College.  As for crossing the street, my guess is it could become much better if signalized along with pedestrian enhancements.


A crosswalk broken up with a median can help improve crossing conditions for pedestrians.

[Ocklawaha]

I really like the location they chose for this station, however I have my concerns. While the location is technically within walking distance to downtown, passengers still would have to walk over US 1 in order to get to it. With the kind of tourism St. Augustine gets they would need to build a pedestrian bridge there. Also the strip of land they plan to build it on is kind of small so I'm wondering how big they're going to be able to make that parking lot. Not saying it can't be done, I just hope they do it right because if it turns out to be a nothing more than a station and small parking lot then they've just rebuilt another version of what already exists just north of SR 16.

The view from the train was something critical that marketing - tourism, etc. were very concerned with, otherwise it might have gone west where they "located" one in 2002. As it stands, the station will have 28 parking spaces, plus accommodations for tour buses, trams and cabs. The track and curve will be reconfigured leaving a possible opening for both railroad double tracking of the bridge as well as a Depot Street extension to the west, otherwise it will bump up the land available. Somewhere alongside the lot there is a Kayak Rental going in on the San Sebastian (according to the gossip from the planners).

The longest discussion that went on was the crossing of US 1 by pedestrians, in fact it was nearly beat to death. Overpasses would kill the view that they want to market. Beyond that pedestrian crossings, every corner, the fire station stoplight, even shuttles, until I had a "DUH!" moment and suggested we move the entry drive North on US 1, as many blocks as it takes to make a safe crossing. Everyone pounced on that and we ended up with Carrera (Boulevard) Street. It didn't dawn on us in the meeting, but looking at the maps, Carrera couldn't be more perfect as it is a straight shot to the heart of the Ancient City, and far enough from the traffic back ups at US 1 and King to be easily crossed with signals.

JANDAR... FOND MEMORIES? OMG! Last 1st class passenger, off the last train on the FEC RY... Amtrak say's they want to make me the first on... "We'll see..." My folks moved to Daytona Beach where they had a marina, and dad could recover from his accident and surgery's. I was emancipated at 14 and used the FEC as my link between HOME - JAX and HOME - DAB... At least until crazy hippy sis came along and hauled me off to a commune in California but THAT is the beginning of another life story!


OCKLAWAHA

[Jaxson]

@Mattius92 -- Thanks for contacting Mr. Senger.  I hope that other Metro Jacksonville people will do the same.
@Ock -- I envy you for having been able to travel on FEC back in the 1960s.  I have always been curious about what passenger rail was like in the pre-Amtrak days.  It must have been quite an experience being able to board the train from a real terminal instead of the shed that they have now in Jacksonville!

[Ocklawaha]

This would be very hard to explain to those of you born after 1971. Maybe the closet I could get would be to say it is the difference between a luxury resort and a military barracks. The resort being PRE-AMTRAK, and the barracks being AMTRAK. 

You have to understand that every railroad had it's own colors, its own features, and EVERY train had a personality all it's own. NOBODY EVER "took the Coast Line" as people today "took the Amtrak." A passenger took the 20Th Century Limited where they walked out to their train cars on a special red carpet. Every detail from the match books to the china and linen services were emblazoned with the 20Th Century Limited logos. The menu was that of "The 20Th Century Limited" and NOTHING ELSE. Chefs were recruited from the most famous hotels and resorts to create special dishes such as the Seaboard's "Peanut Soup", or the Northern Pacific's "Cedar Plank Salmon". Head's rolled if "the varnish" (slang for the best trains) was 30 seconds late! No excuse! None! Ever! Each railroad generally fielded a fleet of such trains. If you didn't want the 20Th Century between New York and Chicago, there was always "The Empire State Express" on the same route, "The Broadway" over on the Pennsylvania, or even "The Phoebe Snow" over on the Erie.  None of this one train each way a day crap. Those trains SERVED and pampered their clientele, live music, piano, bar, lounge, glassware, china, beds and rooms, barbers, manicurist, stylists, fashion shows, RN onboard, Kiddie Programs, movies, etc...  Then it was SERVICE - today it is basic ACCOMMODATION. I only wish that somehow I'll be instrumental in taking us back there.

OCKLAWAHA

[JC]

From the aerial posted above, the strip of land looks pretty large.  It looks just as large as the old FEC headquarters building now owned by Flagler College.  As for crossing the street, my guess is it could become much better if signalized along with pedestrian enhancements.

A crosswalk broken up with a median can help improve crossing conditions for pedestrians.

One of the best things the city can do is implement a "no turn on red" policy this will prevent impatient people from creeping into the middle of the cross walk and blocking it while pedestrians are trying to cross.  I understand this would be wildly unpopular among the crowd that only drives through downtown, which is most people, so they would have to be shown the value in waiting for the green.

[CS Foltz]

That might be difficult JC...........but with lights and crosswalk enhancements, that might help! I would not count on the City Council to do anything other than bolux things up! By the way, I put my two cents in with Mr Senger regarding Amtrak service and the potential in could bring!