Bringing Amtrak to Downtown Jacksonville Inexpensively

[Jaxson]

I am putting on my consipracy hat.  Is it possible that a person (or group) has a vested interest in keeping the Amshack on Clifford Lane?  Is it possible that this person (or group) is obstructing and progress in returning passenger rail to historic terminal building?  Hmmmmm....

[tufsu1]

no...not really....if that was the case, "they" would never have allowed the FDOT reports for Amtrak/FEC to even mention relocation of the Jax. station.....and "they" would never have allowed JTA and FDOT to even do preliminary planning on a downtown intermodal center that includes Amtrak.

[Ocklawaha]

Agreed TU, it's more our citys quadrophenic personality then any sort of plan. Frankly we ran this as a how to, and immediately everyone assumes the city is against it, fact is we don't know.  There IS another plan, the official one, which trashes much of the historic fabric of the old station, and even adds a whole new station to the south end of the building. The official plan throws off the symmetry of the buildings design and frankly is going to look like a infected wart. They also "plan" on a three track station below the flood plain which could easily toss the whole place under the bus.

The only con that has gone on was convincing the FEC RY to lower it's track under the Lee street viaduct into the flood plain. This speaks of gross ignorance of our stations WET history on the part of both FEC and the JTA. The viaduct was also built "for the view" down Water Street and they had no sooner ripped out the tracks and fill down on the FEC and lowered that bridge to only clear 2 tracks when they threw the Skyway across the view and wiped it out. BRILLIANT!

No matter what is done in the downtown location the LEE STREET viaduct as we know it today is history. Sort of makes one sick when you can recall the beauty and graceful lines of the original bridge. By the way conspiracy fans? Where is the bronze dedication monument from the old bridge?

OCKLAWAHA

[Jaxson]

I am going to hold onto my conspiracy hat as long as everyone is in the talking stage.  In the late 1990s, I attended a meeting at the Prime Osborn.  The purpose of the meeting was to discuss plans to return Amtrak to the old Terminal building.  I have routinely contacted anyone who would listen about the importance of doing this.  As with everything else in this sleepy town, we have to wait things out.  Or, in reality, they wait us out.  As I have said before, I will believe it when I see it.  Thank God for people like Ock, I just wish that there were more people like him...  Too many people in this city (and state) have their heads up their posteriors...

[Charles Hunter]

Ock, just a minor nit in need of picking - it's not the Skyway but the Acosta ramps that block the view of the Jacksonville Terminal from downtown.

And a clarifying question about the proposed layout - would passenger access to the platform between the tracks be via a crossing near the Lee Street viaduct?

[thelakelander]

And a clarifying question about the proposed layout - would passenger access to the platform between the tracks be via a crossing near the Lee Street viaduct?

Yes.  Since the height clearance isn't there, there is an area where additional tracks will not be able to go under the viaduct.  However, the height is more than enough to be utilized as a pedestrian access point for platforms until money can be found to restore the tunnel or to construct an elevated facility.

[Ocklawaha]

But not via a railroad crossing, more like an end-round-run.

OCKLAWAHA

[Ocklawaha]

Ock, just a minor nit in need of picking - it's not the Skyway but the Acosta ramps that block the view of the Jacksonville Terminal from downtown.

Actually it's both, the Skyway is west of the Acosta ramp, and the ramp does wipe out the view of the station on Water, but then the Skyway wipes out the view from Bay to the River!

OCKLAWAHA

[Jaxson]

Ock, just a minor nit in need of picking - it's not the Skyway but the Acosta ramps that block the view of the Jacksonville Terminal from downtown.

And a clarifying question about the proposed layout - would passenger access to the platform between the tracks be via a crossing near the Lee Street viaduct?

Out of sight, out of mind?

[Charles Hunter]

Ock, just a minor nit in need of picking - it's not the Skyway but the Acosta ramps that block the view of the Jacksonville Terminal from downtown.

Actually it's both, the Skyway is west of the Acosta ramp, and the ramp does wipe out the view of the station on Water, but then the Skyway wipes out the view from Bay to the River!

OCKLAWAHA

Touche' - I guess because the Skyway is so closely intertwined with the Acosta ramps, I just overlooked its impact on the view.

[CS Foltz]

View not withstanding, the simple idea of bringing train service back to where it started out here, is invaluable! I keep hearing about increasing Jacksonville's exposure to the rest of the world (Florida included!) and here we go! Something as mundane as a train system available to all and the spin offs related would do much for increasing traffic visitor and pedestrian. Start with what we have available, at a minimal cost, and expand from there! The opportunity to expand locally and integrate a local trolley system is there, along with routes north and west! The possibilities are limited by our imagination......along with our pocketbooks!

[Timkin]

Agreed TU, it's more our citys quadrophenic personality then any sort of plan. Frankly we ran this as a how to, and immediately everyone assumes the city is against it, fact is we don't know.  There IS another plan, the official one, which trashes much of the historic fabric of the old station, and even adds a whole new station to the south end of the building. The official plan throws off the symmetry of the buildings design and frankly is going to look like a infected wart. They also "plan" on a three track station below the flood plain which could easily toss the whole place under the bus.

The only con that has gone on was convincing the FEC RY to lower it's track under the Lee street viaduct into the flood plain. This speaks of gross ignorance of our stations WET history on the part of both FEC and the JTA. The viaduct was also built "for the view" down Water Street and they had no sooner ripped out the tracks and fill down on the FEC and lowered that bridge to only clear 2 tracks when they threw the Skyway across the view and wiped it out. BRILLIANT!

No matter what is done in the downtown location the LEE STREET viaduct as we know it today is history. Sort of makes one sick when you can recall the beauty and graceful lines of the original bridge. By the way conspiracy fans? Where is the bronze dedication monument from the old bridge?

OCKLAWAHA

* raises hand ... My guess would be ,either A:  With the Old Acosta in the Ocean or B:  In a landfill.

That bridge has been gone for so long I do not even remember it.. I'm sure a picture would spark my memory.  So many beautiful bridges and structures have fallen in this City, just in my lifetime.

[BridgeTroll]

Perhaps they can modernize the tracks and beds with this.  Cool video...

http://www.youtube.com/v/qFE8nmKpmXY

[heights unknown]

That technology (werktrein) for "work train," has got to be used primarily in Europe and from Europe; I have never seen such technology in America (though I am sure it is here in our own version or even the above version), or even knew that it existed.  Gone are the days of the "chain gang" concept of constructing railroad tracks, that is, manual labor of laying the track, rocks, and the wood planks (concrete above). Wow.

"HU"

[Lunican]

They are used in the U.S. everyday. You can see them working occasionally around Jacksonville.

This is the only way the major railroads work on track. Much better end result and the track is out of service for less time.